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Seldom-Used Words

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Welcome, sapphicus. Yes, Ishtat, since I have chosen to peruse the dictionary in reverse, Qs would have come before the Ps. Thanks for the great tip on this next word;

quaint - adj 1. obs: EXPERT, SKILLED 2. marked by cleverness, ingenuity, or refinement 3.a. unusual or different in character or appearance: ODD b. pleasingly old-fashioned or unfamiliar: PICTURESQUE syn: see STRANGE
 
Yes, indeed. Happy New Year to All! I still think the new year should be in the spring, when the world renews itself. I guess I am just an April fool at heart.

punctilious - adj marked by precise exact accordance with the details of codes or conventions
 
Would you all mind if I mentioned a word seen too often these days?.

The latest catastrophic use was in (another) advert. The basic word is "Leverage", but I keep seeing things like:-
"While leveraging the power of x x x "

To my ancient ear, it is a chronic misuse of the word 'lever'.
We used to employ the leverage of a crow (prie) bar to lift or move something, but the thing did not get "leveraged".

The word does not exist in my Dictionary, even.

Thank you for your help. I feel better having got it off my chest !
 
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Handley_Page said:
Would you all mind if I mentioned a word seen too often these days?...
Click to expand...

One of the words that similarly irritates me is 'key'.

Something or other is 'key' to achieving the object.

No it isn't. It might be important, critical, indispensible, but it isn't 'key'.

Edited to include from Historical Slang:

key - the penis 'Lets a man in and a maid out'. Whence keyhole - the female's place into which the key is inserted.

Not to be confused with:

'His wife keeps the key' - someone addicted to drinking on the sly.

'To have the key of the street' - to be locked out for the night.

keyhole, sometimes keyholed. To be tipsy, drunk. Perhaps because a drunk man has difficulty in finding the keyhole. [Og's note. Works with either definition of 'keyhole'].
 
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Great comments, gentlemen, and good food for thought in usage. I felt compelled to add this one along with my last;

punctilio - noun (Italian puntiglio point of honor, scruple) 1. a nice detail of conduct in a ceremony or in observance of a code 2. careful observance of forms (as in social conduct)
 
AllardChardon said:
Great comments, gentlemen, and good food for thought in usage. I felt compelled to add this one along with my last;

punctilio - noun (Italian puntiglio point of honor, scruple) 1. a nice detail of conduct in a ceremony or in observance of a code 2. careful observance of forms (as in social conduct)
Click to expand...

from which punctilious ?
Attentive to minor details of action or behaviour; strictly observant of formality or etiquette.

---------------------------------------------------------
Excerpted from Oxford Talking Dictionary
Copyright © 1998 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
 
I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve and Day with family and friends, like I did. I was the Designated Driver for my three grown-ups kids this year. Being sober all night, it was amazing to watch everyone else get drunk for a change. The best part was no hangover.

punchinello - noun [modified from Italian dialect polecenella] 1. a fat short humpbacked clown or buffoon in Italian puppet shows 2. a squat grotesque person
 
succulent....meaning a juicy piece of meat.
While searching through a cookbook I found this word and I laughed....I mean really how many times do you use the word succulent to describe something tasty?
 
Welcome, dirtybelle. Since succulent originates with the Latin language and, therefore, is used in France, Spain, Portugal, as well as Italy, I would imagine, worldwide, it is used quite often. I can well imagine international chefs love to use the word. It goes well with tits, too, in my opinion, succulent titties sounds just lovely.

puncheon(1) - noun 1. a pointed tool for piercing or for working on stone 2.a a short upright framing timber b. a split log or heavy slab with the face smoothed 3. a figured stamp die or punch used esp. by goldsmiths, cutlers, and engravers

puncheon(2) - noun 1. a large cask of varying capacity 2. any of various units of liquid capacity (as a unit equal to 70 gallons)
 
dirtybelle said:
succulent....meaning a juicy piece of meat.
While searching through a cookbook I found this word and I laughed....I mean really how many times do you use the word succulent to describe something tasty?
Click to expand...

well, it's not necessarily tasty - it just means "juicy" or "moisture laden." Cactii are succulent plants, but not all of them are tasty. And meat can be quite succulent (generally juicy with grease), but not tasty. I will accept, though, that we usually use the word in a positive sense.
 
AllardChardon said:
Welcome, dirtybelle. Since succulent originates with the Latin language and, therefore, is used in France, Spain, Portugal, as well as Italy, I would imagine, worldwide, it is used quite often. I can well imagine international chefs love to use the word. It goes well with tits, too, in my opinion, succulent titties sounds just lovely.

puncheon(1) - noun 1. a pointed tool for piercing or for working on stone 2.a a short upright framing timber b. a split log or heavy slab with the face smoothed 3. a figured stamp die or punch used esp. by goldsmiths, cutlers, and engravers

puncheon(2) - noun 1. a large cask of varying capacity 2. any of various units of liquid capacity (as a unit equal to 70 gallons)
Click to expand...

So, Allard, what you're telling me is that I could use a puncheon (meaning 1-1) to pierce a puncheon (meaning 2-1) to pour us a couple of goblets of wine?
 
Yes, Tio, I suppose we could open the wine that way, but pouring it might be a problem from a 70 gallon cask. How strong are you? hehe

pump priming - noun investment expenditures by government designed to induce a self-sustaining expansion of economic activity
 
AllardChardon said:
Yes, Tio, I suppose we could open the wine that way, but pouring it might be a problem from a 70 gallon cask. How strong are you? hehe

pump priming - noun investment expenditures by government designed to induce a self-sustaining expansion of economic activity
Click to expand...

And how thirsty are you, my lovely libertine? (and wine has always been known to prime the pump...)
 
Tio, I must admit that after two weeks in Tennessee, I am taking a total break from all alcohol. Giving the old liver a respite, you see. So, I would request a raincheck on that puncheon opening party for at least a few more weeks, please.

I found this to be very interesting;

pulsant - adj PULSATING

pulsate - vi 1. to exhibit a pulse: BEAT 2. to throb or move rhythmically: VIBRATE

pulsatile - adj PULSATING, THROBBING

pulsation - noun a rhythmical throbbing or vibrating (as of an artery); also: a single beat or throb

pulsator - noun something that beats or throbs in working

pulsatory - adj capable of or characterized by pulsation: THROBBING

I think my pulse increased, while posting these throbbing words!
 
For the astronomy buffs, like me;

pulsar - noun [pulse + ar (as in quasar)] a celestial source of pulsating radio waves characterized by a short interval (as 1.33 or o.25 seconds) between pulses and uniformity of the repetition rate of the pulses
 
AllardChardon said:
For the astronomy buffs, like me;

pulsar - noun [pulse + ar (as in quasar)] a celestial source of pulsating radio waves characterized by a short interval (as 1.33 or o.25 seconds) between pulses and uniformity of the repetition rate of the pulses
Click to expand...

Aren't those intervals the same as those of neurotransmitter cycles in the erectile tissue of the glans penis and the clitoris, Allard?
 
You would know better than I, dearest Tio.

pulque - noun a fermented drink made in Mexico from the juice of various magueys
 


lahar • n., a type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic material, rocky debris, and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley. The term is a shortened version of berlahar which originated in the Javanese language of Indonesia; A lahar is fluid when moving, then solid when stopped.






PBS' NOVA had a program on volcanos this evening and I learned a new word. Orting, Washington lies at the foot of Mt. Rainier and is particularly at risk from lahars.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahars



 
Good day, wordlovers. This one caught my attention;

pull up - vt 1. CHECK, REBUKE 2. to bring to a stop: HALT ~ vi 1.a. to check oneself b. to come to a halt: STOP 2. to draw even with others in a race

I don't think I have seen the first definition used before. Does anyone know of any examples of pull up used for checking oneself?
 
AllardChardon said:
Good day, wordlovers. This one caught my attention;

pull up - vt 1. CHECK, REBUKE 2. to bring to a stop: HALT ~ vi 1.a. to check oneself b. to come to a halt: STOP 2. to draw even with others in a race

I don't think I have seen the first definition used before. Does anyone know of any examples of pull up used for checking oneself?
Click to expand...

I've heard this one.
I believe it comes from horse-racing (well, something equine, anyway).
It means 'put the brakes on'. Pull Up Short is a complete stop.


pump priming - noun investment expenditures by government designed to induce a self-sustaining expansion of economic activity

I've heard this used - by a politician.

Unless use in the right place, it is a silly expression, tending to leave an ignorant listener that the speaker knows something of hydrostatics (some pumps need water put in before they will suck).
Otherwise, they might just as well use "stir the pot" or similar trite expressions!
 
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Thanks, Handley, that sound about right. This next on is a treasure;

pullulate - vi 1.a. GERMINATE, SPROUT b. to breed or produce freely 2. SWARM, TEEM
 
A weekend wish for rest and relaxation with some enjoyment thrown in for good measure;

pule - vi WHINE, WHIMPER - puler noun archaic
 
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