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vokazu

Legend

Definition of BOAKED​

  • BOAK, to belch, also BOKE, BOCK [v]


boke
SCOTTISH•IRISH
verb
verb: boak
  1. vomit.
    "he's just boked all over me!"
noun
noun: boak
  1. an instance or episode of vomiting.
 

Bagumbawalla

Talk Tennis Guru
Laudanum

In high school English class we are told that some weird poem or other from the 1800s was written under the influence
of laudanum. So, what is/was laudanum.

Well, back then you couldn't just drive over the the CVS and pick out any of 3 or 4 painkillers or sleep aids off the shelf.
Instead, if you were suffering from a wide variety of symptoms, your Dr might mix you up some Laudanum- 10% dried opium (by weight)
to 90% high proof alcohol- and you would feel better, but possibly become addicted and require increasing amounts to sustain
it's effect.
Notable laudanum users include Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, Gorge Eliot, Elizabeth Barret Browning, Bram Stoker,
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Keats, Lord Byron, Branwell Bronte (brother to the famous Bronte sisters) and more.
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of URENAS​

  • any tropical plant or shrub belonging to the genus Urena, of the mallow family, having clusters of small, yellow flowers, esp. U. lobata, which yields a useful bast fiber
  • URENA, any plant of the marrow family [n]
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of HERL​

  • barb of a feather, used esp. in dressing anglers' flies
  • artificial fly dressed with a herl
  • a feathered fishing lure [n HERLS]
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of MANDRELS​

  • MANDREL, a shaft on which a tool is mounted [n]
  • MANDREL, a shaft on which a tool is mounted, also MANDRIL [n]
  • shaft or bar the end of which is inserted into a workpiece to hold it during machining
  • spindle on which a circular saw or grinding wheel rotates
  • the driving spindle in the headstock of a lathe
 

Bagumbawalla

Talk Tennis Guru
Plerophory
means a fullness or completeness- most often used to express the complete assurance of ones belief in something.
It is sometimes used to explain the strength of ones religious beliefs- as in "a plerophory of faith",
but can be used in more ways to express commitment to any idea or anything at all.

Below is an excerpt from Some Buried Caesar, a detective novel by Rex Stout.
The main character/detective, Nero Wolfe has an unwavering belief that automobiles are inherently unsafe- basically accidents waiting to happen.

He murmured, “Thank God,” as if it came from his heart.
I demanded, “What?”
“I said thank God.” He let go of the strap and wiggled a finger at me. “It has happened, and here we are. I presume you know, since I’ve told you, that my distrust and hatred of vehicles in motion is partly based on my plerophory that their apparent submission to control is illusory and that they may at their pleasure, and sooner or later will, act on whim. Very well, this one has, and we are intact. Thank God the whim was not a deadlier one.”

I can't recall where I recently came across this word, but it is not that commonly used.
Think of it as an obscure word that, in a novel, gives us a clue to the person who uses it- rather than just saying "complete and utter belief".
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of VARECS​

  • VAREC, seaweed (a plant growing in the sea) [n]
  • VAREC, kelp, also VARECH [n]


varec​

noun

var·ec

variants or less commonly varech
ˈvaˌrek
plural-s
1
: SEAWEED




2
: the calcined ashes of coarse seaweeds used for the manufacture of iodine, potash, and formerly soda : KELP sense 2


Word History​

Etymology
French, from Anglo-French warec wreck, seaweed
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of MOTTE​

  • a small growth of trees on a prairie [n MOTTES]
  • a small growth of trees on a prairie, also MOTT [n -S]
  • grove or clump of trees in prairie land or open country


motte​

noun

ˈmät

: MOUND, HILL
especially : a hill serving as a site for a Norman castle in Britain


Examples of motte in a Sentence​

Recent Examples on the Web

Condon Castle, in Moorepark, also known as Cloghleagh Castle, is a simple stone fortress that rises seven stories above a low motte overlooking what was once the main Cork-Dublin road.—Josh Condon, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2023


Word History​

Etymology
French, from Old French mote, motte

First Known Use
1884, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of motte was in 1884
 
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vokazu

Legend

kaid​

noun

ˈkīd,

ˈkäˌēd

plural-s
: a tribal chief or governor of a district or group of villages in northern Africa


Word History​

Etymology
Arabic qā'id leader, commander in chief, from qād to command
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of TEGULAE​

  • TEGULA, a scale on the wings of insects [n]
  • (in certain insects) a scalelike lobe at the base of the forewing
  • TEGULA, a flat roof tile used in ancient Rome [n]
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of LATIGO​

  • a strap used to fasten a saddle [n LATIGOES, LATIGOS]
  • leather strap on the saddletree of a Western saddle used to tighten and secure the cinch
  • a long strap on a saddletree of a western saddle to adjust the cinch
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of GYTTJA​

  • an organically rich mud [n GYTTJAS]
  • mud rich in organic matter, found at the bottom or near the shore of certain lakes
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of ZOCALO​

  • the public square in a Mexican city or town [n ZOCALOS]
  • public square or plaza, esp. in the center of a city or town
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of PYRUVIC​

  • as in pyruvic acid [adj]
  • of or derived from pyruvic acid

220px-Brenztraubens%C3%A4ure.svg.png
 

Bagumbawalla

Talk Tennis Guru

Definition of LATIGO​

  • a strap used to fasten a saddle [n LATIGOES, LATIGOS]
  • leather strap on the saddletree of a Western saddle used to tighten and secure the cinch
  • a long strap on a saddletree of a western saddle to adjust the cinch
Interesting side note-- "Latigo" Smith was the name of James Garner's character in Support Your Local Gunfighter.
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of WORTLE​


  • a perforated plate with wire to make it thinner [n -S]

A wortle plate is a perforated metal plate that you draw metal wire through in order to make the wire a thinner gauge.
It is also the spike on the mast head of a ship. In a small boat, to simplify the rigging, a ring can be attached to the mast wortle, and a lateen sail attached to this ring, by one rope.


I'm trying to find an image of it in Google and Bing but no luck yet. Amazing.



Wow found this website with a more detailed description of wortle:


Wire has thousands of uses, from cables and ropes for bridges, mining and fishing, to piano wire; from supermarket trolleys to medical instruments; from telecommunications and power cables to fencing.

Wire is usually made by mechanically pulling metal rods through a series of progressively smaller dies, a process known as ‘cold drawing’. Cold drawing reduces the diameter and changes the properties of the metal; it can be repeated several times, and the wire may be heat treated between passes to counteract hardening and restore ductility. Wire is usually circular, but it can be made with any section by varying the die holes. It can also be galvanized and/or coated to provide corrosion protection. Steel, copper, aluminium and nickel are used to make wire, the choice depending on its use. Dies are made from tungsten carbide or diamond.

Precious metals have been used to make wire for jewellery since antiquity. The Egyptians were drawing strips of metal through stone beads by the 2nd dynasty, and a swaging technique (a metal rod struck between grooved metal blocks) may have been used in Bronze and Iron Age Europe. Wire has been drawn in England since mediaeval times to make wool cards and pins and manufactured products such as hooks, cages, chains and traps. In 1568 Elizabeth I, keen to reduce English dependence on foreign goods, granted a patent to William Humfrey who, with William Cecil, had set up the first British wireworks in Tintern, Monmouthshire. They made iron and possibly brass wire for use in the wool industry, and for nails, pins, knitting needles and fish hooks. Later, the invention of the ‘wortle plate’ introduced the drawing of wire through a perforated metal plate; the holes were punched into the plate at a forge and could be heat treated and re-sized when they became worn.


LOL I finally found the image in a PDF document from a Metallurgy History website:

Screenshot-20240522-055150-Drive.jpg


A very complete PDF with images that describe wortle plate:

 
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vokazu

Legend
From Kindergarten to High School, all of my classes did not use English for text books or conversation, except English language classes.

So it makes sense I didn't know a lot of English terms in maths and science!

Definition of AUGENDS​


  • AUGEND, a number to which another is to added [n]
  • number to which another is added in forming a sum
  • AUGEND, a number to which another is to be added [n]
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of ELYTRON​


  • a hardened forewing of certain insects [n ELYTRA] : ELYTROID [adj], ELYTROUS [adj]
  • one of the pair of hardened forewings of certain insects, as beetles, forming a protective covering for the posterior or flight wings
  • a hardened forewing of certain insects, also ELYTRUM [n ELYTRA]
 

Bagumbawalla

Talk Tennis Guru
Manhattanhenge

Manhattanhenge is a phenomenon that combines both human-made and natural elements, making it all the more magnificent. Twice each calendar year—weeks before and after the summer solstice—New Yorkers and tourists alike will have their iPhone cameras ready for Manhattan’s sunset to hit the city’s grid system at just the right angle.
According to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), it happens when the “setting sun aligns precisely with the Manhattan street grid, creating a radiant glow of light across Manhattan’s brick and steel canyons, simultaneously illuminating both the north and south sides of every cross street of the borough’s grid.”
It’s so precise, in fact, that some believe those who designed the grid system back in 1811 knew it would occur. While it took decades for actual roads to be built, Manhattanhenge would’ve still been noticeable as soon as the grid was structured.
Still, experts say that any city with a rectangular grid would allow for days when the sunset aligns with the streets. Those cities, however, just may not all allow for such ideal viewing as the landscape of Manhattan.
While nobody knows for sure just how much the sun’s glow impacted design plans, Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, who both discovered the phenomenon and coined the term, “Manhattanhenge,” believes that archaeologists are likely to assign astrological meaning to the design—similar to how England’s Stonehenge is viewed.

 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of CEBID​


  • any member of the Cebidae, a family of New World monkeys
  • one of a family of monkeys, also CEBOID [n -S]
  • ceboid (one of a family of monkeys) [n CEBIDS]
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of VESICA​


  • a bladder (a saclike receptacle) [n VESICAE, VESICAS] : VESICAL [adj]
  • (Latin) a bladder, esp a urinary bladder [n VESICAE or VESICAS]
  • bladder
  • elliptical figure in pointed form, usually one made by the intersection of two arcs and used, esp. in early Christian art, as an emblem of Christ
 

vokazu

Legend
Faustian bargain


Faustian bargain, a pact whereby a person trades something of supreme moral or spiritual importance, such as personal values or the soul, for some worldly or material benefit, such as knowledge, power, or riches.

The term refers to the legend of Faust (or Faustus, or Doctor Faustus), a character in German folklore and literature, who agrees to surrender his soul to an evil spirit (in some treatments, Mephistopheles, or Mephisto, a representative of Satan) after a certain period of time in exchange for otherwise unattainable knowledge and magical powers that give him access to all the world’s pleasures.

A Faustian bargain is made with a power that the bargainer recognizes as evil or amoral. Faustian bargains are by their nature tragic or self-defeating for the person who makes them, because what is surrendered is ultimately far more valuable than what is obtained, whether or not the bargainer appreciates that fact.
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of CONTAGIA​


  • the causative agent of a contagious or infectious disease, as a virus
  • causative agents of infectious diseases [n CONTAGIA]
  • CONTAGIUM, a causative agent of infectious diseases [n]
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of RIMAYE​


  • a bergschrund, a crevasse formed where a glacier or snowfield moves away from a mountain wall [n -S]
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of FRAENUM​


  • a connecting fold of membrane, also FRENUM, FRENULUM [n FRAENUMS or FRAENA]
  • fold of membrane that checks or restrains the motion of a part, as the fold on the underside of the tongue
  • frenum (a connecting fold of membrane) [n FRAENA, FRAENUMS]
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of PLUOT​


  • a hybrid fruit of plum and apricot [n PLUOTS]
  • a hybrid fruit of plum and apricot also PLUMCOT [n -S]
 

Bagumbawalla

Talk Tennis Guru
Borborygmus- (bawr buh RIG mus)- is a seldom used word, but in the right circumstances,
can be a perfect choice for describing a specific uncomfortable situation. Basically, it means
a rumbling in the bowels. If you have this rumbling, you are borborygmic (bawr buh RIG mik)-
borborigmi would be the plural form.

Vladimir Nabokov wrote in his novel Ada, "All the toilets and waterpipes in the house had been
suddenly seized with borborygmic convulsions." So, by extension, the word can be used to describe
similar rumblings from other sources than the human gut.

 
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vokazu

Legend
Borborygmus- (bawr buh RIG mus)- is a seldom used word, but in the right circumstances,
can be a perfect choice for describing a specific uncomfortable situation. Basically, it means
a rumbling in the bowels. If you have this rumbling, you are borborygmic (bawr buh RIG mik)-
borborigmi would be the plural form.

Vladimir Nabokov wrote in his novel Ada, "All the toilets and waterpipes in the house had been
suddenly seized with borborygmic convulsions." So, by extension, the word can be used to describe
similar rumblings from other sources than the human gut.

I remember I looked for this word in the dictionary after I saw the word for the first time while reading a book, many years ago. I can't remember which book that was.
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of PLOYE​


  • a buckwheat pancake [n PLOYES]


A ploye or ployes (French pronunciation: [plwa]) are a Brayon flatbread type mix of buckwheat flour, wheat flour, baking powder and water which is extremely popular in the Madawaska region in New Brunswick and Maine.

1600px-Ployes.jpg


First invented in Nova Scotia,[1] they later spread to the St. John Valley and Maine.

Much like grits or potatoes, the ploye was originally a simple carbohydrate filler food for the local population. It was very cheap, easy to make, and with local toppings, such as maple syrup or cretons, could vary in taste. This staple is often eaten with baked beans. Over time, however, it simply became a traditional dish.

The recipe varies from family to family and is handed down through the generations.[2][3] The batter itself is very thin and runny so as to ensure it does not get too thick while cooking. The ploye resembles a crêpe in thickness when cooking. In Madawaska, Maine, the ployes have a yellow color due to the type of buckwheat used in the mixture. Recipes sometimes include a little vinegar to keep the cakes from turning red.

A ploye is only cooked on one side.[4] Once cooked, it is buttered and covered in maple syrup, brown sugar, molasses, or cretons. It is then rolled or folded up and eaten. It is also served with the local traditional chicken stew called fricot, which more closely resembles chicken soup with homemade flour dumplings (also called sliders).

Ployes are often served at local events and fairs, such as the Ployes Festival[5] and Foire Brayonne.

Ployes are popular with vegans because they are made without milk or eggs.

In 2016, food columnist Avery Yale Kamila wrote in the Portland Press Herald: "Made from buckwheat flour, wheat flour, salt, and a leavening agent, ployes are a griddle bread associated with the French Acadian communities of eastern Canada and northern Maine (Brayons). Though traditionally eaten with chicken stew, hot dogs, and other meat-based meals, ployes have been embraced by Maine’s vegan community."[6]
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of CRETONS​


  • a spread of shredded pork cooked with onions in pork fat [n]
  • a spread of shredded pork and onions [n CRETONS]

In Quebec cuisine, cretons (sometimes gorton or corton, especially among New Englanders of French-Canadian origin) is a forcemeat-style pork spread containing onions and spices. Due to its fatty texture and taste, it resembles French rillettes. Cretons are usually served on toast as part of a traditional Quebec breakfast. It is not to be confused with "fromage de tête" (tête fromagée in Quebec) or head cheese.

1920px-Creton_du_Porc.jpg


Alternative namesGorton, corton, cretonnade
TypeSpread
Place of originCanada
Region or stateQuebec
Main ingredientsPork, onions, spices


Recipes vary, but traditional preparation involves covering 1–3 lbs of ground pork shoulder in milk or water in a large pot, then seasoning with onions and a mix of spices. The blend of spices varies from recipe to recipe, but nearly all include ground cloves. Other spices often used include cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and bay leaf. Some recipes include minced garlic.

The mixture is simmered gently over low heat, and stirred often to prevent scorching until all the liquid is cooked off and the mixture is thick. It is then allowed to cool, then stirred again to incorporate all the rendered fat, and transferred to a large, clean container or individual containers, covered tightly, and refrigerated for several hours or overnight until firm. Pig marrow is also often added to form a gelatin that allows it to congeal.


Technically, cretons is pork-based; otherwise, it is a cretonnade, especially if it is veal- or poultry-based.[1] However, the distinction is often not made, even in French, with either type being called cretons.
 

Bagumbawalla

Talk Tennis Guru

Definition of PLOYE​


  • a buckwheat pancake [n PLOYES]


A ploye or ployes (French pronunciation: [plwa]) are a Brayon flatbread type mix of buckwheat flour, wheat flour, baking powder and water which is extremely popular in the Madawaska region in New Brunswick and Maine.

1600px-Ployes.jpg


First invented in Nova Scotia,[1] they later spread to the St. John Valley and Maine.

Much like grits or potatoes, the ploye was originally a simple carbohydrate filler food for the local population. It was very cheap, easy to make, and with local toppings, such as maple syrup or cretons, could vary in taste. This staple is often eaten with baked beans. Over time, however, it simply became a traditional dish.

The recipe varies from family to family and is handed down through the generations.[2][3] The batter itself is very thin and runny so as to ensure it does not get too thick while cooking. The ploye resembles a crêpe in thickness when cooking. In Madawaska, Maine, the ployes have a yellow color due to the type of buckwheat used in the mixture. Recipes sometimes include a little vinegar to keep the cakes from turning red.

A ploye is only cooked on one side.[4] Once cooked, it is buttered and covered in maple syrup, brown sugar, molasses, or cretons. It is then rolled or folded up and eaten. It is also served with the local traditional chicken stew called fricot, which more closely resembles chicken soup with homemade flour dumplings (also called sliders).

Ployes are often served at local events and fairs, such as the Ployes Festival[5] and Foire Brayonne.

Ployes are popular with vegans because they are made without milk or eggs.

In 2016, food columnist Avery Yale Kamila wrote in the Portland Press Herald: "Made from buckwheat flour, wheat flour, salt, and a leavening agent, ployes are a griddle bread associated with the French Acadian communities of eastern Canada and northern Maine (Brayons). Though traditionally eaten with chicken stew, hot dogs, and other meat-based meals, ployes have been embraced by Maine’s vegan community."[6]

Somewhere in the garage, I have a pancake cookbook. I may have to try these out.
 

Bagumbawalla

Talk Tennis Guru
The Smoot
A Smoot is a measurement of length- 5'7", 67" or 1.7018 meters.

It is one of those made-up scientific-sounding words (like beard-second) that started off
as a college prank (hazing), but kind of stuck around, especially in
Massachusetts where the stunt originated...

A smoot is a unit of measurement that is equal to 5 feet 7 inches (1.7018 meters). It is named after Oliver R. Smoot, Jr., a pledge in the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity at MIT who was used as a ruler to measure the length of the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge in 1958. During pledge week, the fraternity asked pledges to do unusual things to show their willingness to be humiliated by upperclassmen. Smoot was chosen because he was short and had an unusual name. To measure the bridge, Smoot would lie on the bridge while his fraternity brothers marked his head and feet. They repeated this process until the entire length of the bridge was measured, painting markings every ten smoots. The bridge's length was measured to be 364.4 smoots (2,035 ft; 620.1 m).

The Smoot became a sort of tourist thing, and when the bridge was renovated in the 1990s, the city re-painted in the smoot length markings.
 

vokazu

Legend

Definition of MAFTIR​


  • the concluding section of a parashah [n MAFTIRS]
  • the concluding section of the portion of the Torah chanted or read in a Jewish service on the Sabbath and festivals
  • the person who recites the blessings before and after the chanting or reading of this section and who often also chants or reads the Haftarah
 
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