Seldom-Used Words

[oggbashan]

Og, and rightfully so! It is interesting that puss is listed for a girl, but pussy for a girl's vagina is not. The Slang dictionary has that entry, most assuredly.

I forgot to list;

puss(2) - noun slang FACE

Historical Slang:

puss - the female pudend Quote: Cotton - 'Aeneas, here's a Health to thee, To Pusse and to good company'

Also C19 -C20 pussy, pussy-cat.

pussy, see puss

 

[oggbashan]

Historical Sixes

Six - a privy at Oxford University c1870-1915

Six and eightpence 1. 'the usual fee given to carry back the Body of the executed Malefactor, to give it Christian burial' late C17 - mid C18 therefore 2. a solicitor or attorney. [Og's note: six shillings and eightpence in pre-decimal money was one third of a pound sterling and was a usual multiple for legal fees.]

six and tips Whiskey and small beer. An elaboration of six - six-shilling (a barrel) beer. Therefore beer with a whisky chaser.

six and itches A person over six feet tall.

six-monthster A severe stipendary magistrate who gives to any malefactor, whenever he can, the maximum sentence available to him, i.e. six months in jail.

go six on four or six upon four To be put on short rations (Naval) late C19 - C20 i.e. to feed six men with rations intended for four.

six-pounder 'A servant maid, from the wages formerly given to maidservants, which was commonly six pounds' [per annum, plus keep].

get six quarter To be dismissed from employment ca 1860-1910.

six-quarter man; three-quarter man Superior employee; inferior employee at a cloth drapers. 'There are two widths of cloth - six quarter and three quarter.'

six-water grog or six-water Grog, i.e. Naval Rum to which water has been added in the proportion 1 measure Rum to 6 measures water. Undiluted Rum was known as Neaters (and could be fatal in any quantity).

Sixes Small hook-curls worn by men; composed of forehead hair, they are plastered to the forehead: Military fashion c 1879-90.

 

[AllardChardon]

Og, what a wonder assortment of six-related slang words. Thanks so much for posting them all. I love it, when you do that.

purview - noun 1.a. the body or enacting part of a statue b. the limit, purpose, or scope of a statue 2. the range or limit of authority, competence, responsibility, concern, or intention 3. range of vision, understanding, or cognizance

 

[dr_mabeuse]

So, would blivet now = doohickey?

When I was a kid, blivet was the specific name for the proverbial 100 lbs of shit in the 50-lb bag.

Nepenthe always makes me think of Lethe, which was river in Hades that the dead had to drink from and which made them forget everything. I thought. To "drink from the waters of Lethe" is to forget everything and enter oblivion. Lethean is the adjictive form.

Apropos of nothing comes these two words, the first of which I learned years ago in a psych class and have always somehow remembered:

Thigmotaxis is the instinctive tendency of some animals to press back when you press against them. Dogs and horses and most social animals exhibit thigmotaxis (strangely, sharks do too, I seem to recall); cats and nonsocial animals don't.

People may be thigmotactic or not. In school we always thought that thigmotaxis in a woman meant she could be had. (It probably just meant she was drunk.)

Autology: A word is autological (or homological) if the word itself is an example of its own meaning. The word short is short, the word polysyllabic has more than 1 syllable. Noun, four and mispelld are all autological. Incomprehensible, big, and red are not. They're heterological.

 

[PayDay]

This is my favorite thread, hands down.

When I was a kid, blivet was the specific name for the proverbial 100 lbs of shit in the 50-lb bag.

So, if under those circumstances, would blivet = bupkiss?

for the auto(s):
autophobia: n, fear of one's self, fear of being alone or solitude, or fear of one's own power.

 

[JackLuis]

So, if under those circumstances, would blivet = bupkiss?

Using Blivet in the circa 1940's meaning would be doo-hicky, or thingy. In more modern usage it would be a bulging bag of 'something'.

bupkiss is as I recall, nothing, irrelevant, or an empty set.

 

[AllardChardon]

So, Doc, pinhead and pencil-neck are both autological or homological, but geek is heterological? Makes sense to me, even upon my first encounter with those terms. Thanks for the lesson.

purtenance - noun ENTRAILS, PLUCK

 

[PayDay]

Entrails, ew.

Using Blivet in the circa 1940's meaning would be doo-hicky, or thingy. In more modern usage it would be a bulging bag of 'something'.

bupkiss is as I recall, nothing, irrelevant, or an empty set.

That's what I mean, a 50lb bag of poodoo that weighs 100lbs is irrelevant, so I think we agree.

 

[JackLuis]

Fobbit
which refers to non-combat arms soldiers who never leave their Forward Operating Base. Fobbit is a combination of the acronym FOB and term Hobbit from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series. Hobbits never leave the Shire, while Fobbits never leave the FOB. However, the terms are not synonymous because a functionary at the Pentagon might be termed a POG or REMF but could never be termed a Fobbit.

REMF's were my term for me and the rest of the supporting trail of logistics.

But to be Fobbit, oh that would be a low blow in today's Army.

File under:Slang, Military, circa 2001-present day

 

[CarlusMagnus]

six-water grog or six-water Grog, i.e. Naval Rum to which water has been added in the proportion 1 measure Rum to 6 measures water. Undiluted Rum was known as Neaters (and could be fatal in any quantity).

Grog itself is an interesting word. It derives from the word grogham, a fabric. Naval rum was called grog because the Royal Navy's Admiral Edward Vernon, nicknamed "Old Grog" on account of his habit of wearing a grogham coat, ordered, in 1740, that his sailors' daily issue of rum be diluted with water.

 

[Handley_Page]

Og, what a wonder assortment of six-related slang words. Thanks so much for posting them all. I love it, when you do that.

purview - noun 1.a. the body or enacting part of a statue b. the limit, purpose, or scope of a statue 2. the range or limit of authority, competence, responsibility, concern, or intention 3. range of vision, understanding, or cognizance

Dear Lady Allard,
I fear the word is not statue, but statute:-

purview
1 Law. The body of a statute, following the preamble, and beginning 'be it enacted'; the enacting clauses.
2 The scope or range of a document, scheme, subject, etc.
3 A range of physical or mental vision; an outlook; a range of experience or thought.

---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Oxford Talking Dictionary
Copyright © 1998 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

[PayDay]

Now I'm reminiscent of Monkey Island...

Grog itself is an interesting word. It derives from the word grogham, a fabric. Naval rum was called grog because the Royal Navy's Admiral Edward Vernon, nicknamed "Old Grog" on account of his habit of wearing a grogham coat, ordered, in 1740, that his sailors' daily issue of rum be diluted with water.

I hear it melts pewter goblets as well. This word is one of my favorites, glad it was put on here.

 

[PayDay]

Improper Proper Usage?

So, since this is not my thread, I wonder, can I post words that I have essentially made up and used in stories? It was a rare word usage by itself, in my opinion.

innuendo: noun - 1: an oblique allusion : hint, insinuation; especially : a veiled or equivocal reflection on character or reputation, the use of such allusions <resorting to innuendo> 2: a parenthetical explanation introduced into the text of a legal document

For instance, I used this one the other day: innuendoed - adj

example:
He was trying not to laugh at the innuendoed retort to innuendo as he concentrated elsewhere.

Fair game for this thread?

 

[AllardChardon]

Hello, everyone. I am safely arrived in Tennessee, hence my absence, after four days of 600 miles a day. Whew! We live in a much larger place than one would think by looking at a map. Crossing the Continental Divide is always amazing to me, for some reason. I'm glad to be back on LIT.

Payday, as well as everyone else, please feel to stretch the limits of this thread. I am pretty sure it can take it.

Yes, Handley, I meant statute, of course. Thanks for correcting me, dear heart.

pursuivant - noun 1. an officer of arms ranking below a herald but having similar duties 2. FOLLOWER, ATTENDANT

 

[Handley_Page]

innuendo: noun - 1: an oblique allusion : hint, insinuation; especially : a veiled or equivocal reflection on character or reputation, the use of such allusions <resorting to innuendo> 2: a parenthetical explanation introduced into the text of a legal document

For instance, I used this one the other day: innuendoed - adj
example:
He was trying not to laugh at the innuendoed retort to innuendo as he concentrated elsewhere.
Fair game for this thread?

I guess, but I don't think that a thing can be 'innuendoed'.

innuendo /end/ adv. & n. M16.
[L = by nodding at, pointing to, intimating, abl. gerund of innuere nod to, signify, f. as IN-2 + nuere nod.]
A adv. Meaning, that is to say, to wit, (esp. in legal documents, introducing a parenthetical explanation of the precise reference of a preceding noun or pronoun).
B n. Pl. -o(e)s.
1 A parenthetical explanation of, or construction put upon, a word or expression; esp. in an action for libel or slander, the injurious meaning alleged to be conveyed by a word or expression not in itself actionable..
A word or expression parenthetically explained; a blank to be filled with the name of the person to whom it is alleged to refer. arch.

2 An allusive or oblique remark, hint, or suggestion, usu. disparaging; a remark with a (usu. suggestive) double meaning; allusion, hinting, suggestion.

---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Oxford Talking Dictionary
Copyright © 1998 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

[Tricialen]

I love this word


precipitous [1] reckless, hasty [2] characterized by precipices [3] abrupt: extremely steep : "dive in warm waters on precipitous rock faces"

 

[PayDay]

Precipitous posting <------

I guess, but I don't think that a thing can be 'innuendoed'.

innuendo /end/ adv. & n. M16.
2 An allusive or oblique remark, hint, or suggestion, usu. disparaging; a remark with a (usu. suggestive) double meaning; allusion, hinting, suggestion.

Hmm, and yet I did it, go figure?

Todays fake word, one everyone should know:

Groucho'd: v, adj - The act of rolling one's eyes, moving one's eyebrows up and down a few times, and melodically responding - to a question or a statement - often iimplying lude act(s); at a rapid offbeat pace, with or without a cigar. Reference to Groucho Marx.

adj:
His Groucho'd response of, "Absolutely, and you bring the horse," brought following laughter along.

verb:
When he stated: "Not in those shoes!" He Groucho'd for effect.

 

[AllardChardon]

Payday, I appreciate your modernization of the English language, but, somehow, I prefer the archaic version. It must be because I am a historical writer and find these troubling times we live in less appealing than 1857, especially regarding our immediate future.

purser - noun an official on a ship responsible for papers and accounts and on a passenger ship also for the comfort and welfare of the passengers

 

[PayDay]

Yeah, happens, mybad.

Payday, I appreciate your modernization of the English language, but, somehow, I prefer the archaic version. It must be because I am a historical writer and find these troubling times we live in less appealing than 1857, especially regarding our immediate future.

Understandable, in fact very much so, as I tend to dislike certain type of literature myself, based purely on feel. Improper, or specific style language use tends to bring up odious feelings in many people:

odious: adj - Arousing strong dislike or intense displeasure.

But I find that an obscurantism (<-- that one is my word for today) style approach allows for greater imagination while interpretting speech or reading. This way people can think what they want for themselves, ambigueizing (ha) an intent.

obscurantism: n - 1. The practice of deliberate abstruseness. 2. A policy of witholding information from the public.

Definition 1 -------^ is the reason I love this thread so much.

 

[oggbashan]

...

purser - noun an official on a ship responsible for papers and accounts and on a passenger ship also for the comfort and welfare of the passengers

Purser on a Royal Navy ship was the stores officer, responsible for food, clothing, ammunition, etc. Before Samuel Pepys' time, he was an on-board contractor and made money by short-changing the sailors.

He was/is a much maligned person and there were/are many naval slang words and phrases about him, also as 'Pusser' :-

Purser's Contemptuous or derisive as in

- Purser's Dip - an undersized candle;
- Purser's Quart - a short measure less than a quart

Purser's or Pusser's Crabs - Naval Boots [In all the following Pusser is an alternative]

Purser's dagger - a Naval clasp knife.
Purser's grin - A hypocritical grin, a sarcastic sneer.
Purser's grind - a sexual encounter giving the woman no financial reward except the effort of the sailor.
Purser's name - an alias.
Purser's pack - the slop chest from which sailors can buy items of clothing to replace uniform lost or damaged (at high prices of course!).
(like a) Purser's shirt on a handspike - ill-fitting clothes.
Purser's stocking - a metaphorical item in the slop chest.
Purser's tally - a false name assumed by a seaman.(to avoid declaring previous unsatisfactory service)
Purser's yellow - hard soap (that would lather in seawater).

Those are all from the Dictionary of Historical Slang. Modern Royal Navy seamen have many more words connected with pursers or pussers but the only dictionary that lists modern usage has omitted all the rude ones.

 

[PayDay]

Lookie!

Purser on a Royal Navy ship was the stores officer, responsible for food, clothing, ammunition, etc. Before Samuel Pepys' time, he was an on-board contractor and made money by short-changing the sailors.

He was/is a much maligned person and there were/are many naval slang words and phrases about him, also as 'Pusser' :-

Purser's Contemptuous or derisive as in

Purser's grin - A hypocritical grin, a sarcastic sneer.
Purser's grind - a sexual encounter giving the woman no financial reward except the effort of the sailor.

These are sweet ones. They have a sting to them because they are so random. Hmmm...

Purser's name - an alias.

Purser's tally - a false name assumed by a seaman.(to avoid declaring previous unsatisfactory service)
.

Is a Purser's name in a derogatory sense? Or could it be substituted for Purser's tally in that way.

for instance:
His brother had given him a Purser's tally of a nick-name long ago.

Or maybe use Purser's name?:
His Purser's name, given to him long ago by others, rang despair through his ears.

? What do you guys think?

 

[oggbashan]

Purser's name and Purser's tally are synonyms. Both were used to conceal the seaman's true identity.

Sometimes it was because the person's real name was wanted by the law. Being a sailor on a Royal Navy ship under an assumed name would protect the individual.

It happened in the Army too. My wife's great-grandfather enlisted in the Royal Artillery about 1900. His military record is in a name totally different from his birth name. It might have been that the recruiting sergeant advised him to choose a more 'British' name that would be easier for his fellow soldiers to remember. He wasn't 'wanted' but he was the son of an immigrant.

 

[AllardChardon]

Thanks, Og, for the information on pursers. My characters sail across the Atlantic on a Collins Steamliner in the fall of 1857in book two of my trilogy and I am thinking of having Madam Gigi seduce the purser on the trip, hehehe.

purple passage - noun 1. a passage conspicuous for brilliance or effectiveness in a work that is characteristically dull, commonplace, or uninspired 2. a piece of obtrusively ornate writing - called also purple patch

 

[oggbashan]

Merchant Navy Pursers

My definitions above of a Purser or Pusser are those from the Royal Navy where the Purser was a much maligned individual (OK, sometimes justly maligned!).

The Merchant Navy Purser on an Ocean Liner or passenger ship had/has a very different role. He/she is the senior officer concerned with the passengers' needs and commands all the crew responsible for the passengers' on-board well-being such as cabin staff, catering staff, the laundry, the shop(s), the entertainers etc. The Purser allocates cabins, can arrange swaps, upgrades etc and will sort out any problems with your experience on board.

Being on good terms with the Purser can make a voyage much more pleasant. Being at odds with the Purser? You'd want to get off at the next port.

 

[AllardChardon]

Good to know, Og, I will make sure Madam Gigi gets on the pusser's best side. Are there any more details like that you could share, what age group a passenger ship's pusser would be, for instance? Were they usually younger, unmarried men, especially back in 1857, or older, more distinguished gentlemen? I am trying to be somewhat accurate.

purloin - vt to appropriate wrongfully: FILCH ~ vi to practice theft