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Seldom-Used Words

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Naoko, what a lovely picture to see when I arrived here tonight. Thanks for posting it. You have every right to feel entitled. I grew up on Beatrix Potter and so did my children. I still have all the books saved for any grandchildren that may appear in the future.

Here is an interesting grouping;

parlance - noun 1. SPEECH; esp: formal debate or parley 2. manner or mode of speech: IDIOM

parlay(1) - vt 1. to bet in a parlay 2. to exploit successfully: MAGNIFY

parlay(2) - noun a series of two or more bets so set up in advance that the original stake plus its winnings are risked on the successive wagers; broadly: the fresh risking of an original stake together with its winnings

parle - vi or noun archaic PARLEY

parley(1) - vi to speak with another: CONFER; specif: to discuss terms with an enemy

parley(2) - noun 1.a. a conference for discussion of points in dispute b. a conference with an enemy 2. CONVERSATION, DISCUSSION
 
rutter (plural rutters)

  1. A thing that ruts.
  2. A tool used in peat cutting.
  3. A guide who leads the way through a difficult or unknown course.
  4. A pilot book or seaman's guide carried by navigators in the Middle Ages; a precursor to the modern navigation chart.

Etymology

Likely from French routier and Dutch ruiter, meaning "something that finds a way".

I encountered this word in an Epic Fantasy series by Paul Kearney. I had to look it up because I was only familiar with the first two definitions. I suspect it is a corruption (or forebearer) of Router and the fourth definition is comparable to "driving instructions" from Google Maps.
 
Weird Harold said:
rutter (plural rutters)

  1. A thing that ruts.
  2. A tool used in peat cutting.
  3. A guide who leads the way through a difficult or unknown course.
  4. A pilot book or seaman's guide carried by navigators in the Middle Ages; a precursor to the modern navigation chart.

Etymology

Likely from French routier and Dutch ruiter, meaning "something that finds a way".

I encountered this word in an Epic Fantasy series by Paul Kearney. I had to look it up because I was only familiar with the first two definitions. I suspect it is a corruption (or forebearer) of Router and the fourth definition is comparable to "driving instructions" from Google Maps.
Click to expand...

It appears in James Clavell's Shogun - the book and the movie. The rutter used by Will Adams, the original British pilot of the Dutch ship wrecked on Japan that was the basis of the novel, had been secretly copied from a stolen Portuguese rutter.

Rutters were the secret information that all governments wanted. They gave the safe routes to the far reaches of the world.
 
I'm glad you enjoyed the picture, Allard. I love those books. I loved them as a child because of the small size which Beatrix Potter insisted on. I wanted to buy the set for Piglet but unfortunately misinformed helpful relatives stepped in and bought her a cheap set in a normal book size :(.

I just finally planted some coneflowers and a chocolate cosmos I was given for my birthday. The box said put them in the ground asap but it's been so frosty I haven't liked to risk them. (Er, OK, I forgot about them! :eek:) They all have little pink shoots on so I should think they'll be OK. It's prettily sunny just now but forecast a good shower over the next couple of days which will suit them nicely.

Parlous
Adjective
Full of danger or uncertainty; precarious: "the parlous state of the economy".
Adverb
Greatly or excessively: "she is parlous handsome".

I like the adverbial definition!
 
AllardChardon said:
...

Here is an interesting grouping;

parlance - noun 1. SPEECH; esp: formal debate or parley 2. manner or mode of speech: IDIOM

parlay(1) - vt 1. to bet in a parlay 2. to exploit successfully: MAGNIFY

parlay(2) - noun a series of two or more bets so set up in advance that the original stake plus its winnings are risked on the successive wagers; broadly: the fresh risking of an original stake together with its winnings

parle - vi or noun archaic PARLEY

parley(1) - vi to speak with another: CONFER; specif: to discuss terms with an enemy

parley(2) - noun 1.a. a conference for discussion of points in dispute b. a conference with an enemy 2. CONVERSATION, DISCUSSION
Click to expand...

All those words are derived from the French verb parler - to talk.

French was the European language of diplomacy up to 1914.
 
I have just returned from pricing books at our local charity bookshop. There was an 1859 Dictionary of Daily Wants - a sort of domestic encyclopedia.

Under Crinoline which it recorded as "a recent fashion much ridiculed" and "wholly unsuitable wear for short dumpy personages" it went on:

"Several diseases are also laid to its charge such as rheumatism, paralysis, cramp &c, induced by the warmth kept away from the lower parts of the person and the cold draughts of air admitted."

(The presumption is that nothing was worn underneath a crinoline. A contemporary remark from the French Ambassador recorded that he approved of the English way that crinolines were worn, "affording delightful prospects in a wind".)

and

"Several accidents have been caused by the crinoline catching fire when taken too close to an open fire. This can be avoided by adding a little alum to the starch &c with which the material is stiffened. This renders the crinoline not susceptible to flame."
 
oggbashan said:
I have just returned from pricing books at our local charity bookshop. There was an 1859 Dictionary of Daily Wants - a sort of domestic encyclopedia.

Under Crinoline which it recorded as "a recent fashion much ridiculed" and "wholly unsuitable wear for short dumpy personages" it went on:
...

(The presumption is that nothing was worn underneath a crinoline. A contemporary remark from the French Ambassador recorded that he approved of the English way that crinolines were worn, "affording delightful prospects in a wind".)
Click to expand...

:D:D:D

Oh Ogg, that is delightful! I can't believe the French Ambassador of the day was so naughty! Do you suppose those ladies used their crinolines like flirty muslim women operate their burqas and veils, only sharing the inner delights when they want to allow the wind to blow in their sails. ;)
 
NaokoSmith said:
:D:D:D

Oh Ogg, that is delightful! I can't believe the French Ambassador of the day was so naughty! Do you suppose those ladies used their crinolines like flirty muslim women operate their burqas and veils, only sharing the inner delights when they want to allow the wind to blow in their sails. ;)
Click to expand...

He might, of course, be referring to the inadvertent exposure of legs, but a contemporary cartoon in Punch suggests that he wasn't. Being French, he was allowed to get away with double-entendre. :D
 
oggbashan said:
He might, of course, be referring to the inadvertent exposure of legs, but a contemporary cartoon in Punch suggests that he wasn't. Being French, he was allowed to get away with double-entendre. :D
Click to expand...

Oh I think we all knew he wasn't just admiring their ankles!
ROFLOL.
Surely you've got the cartoon to hand to upload?
:rose:
 
Very entertaining, Og and Naoko. I must add that I did read black slaves were hidden and found under hooped skirts in South Carolina during the Civil War. In fact, those dresses were able to smuggle lots of different kinds of goods across enemy lines, and soon became subject to searches. Of course, the ladies in America wore drawers under their hoop skirts. BTW, Og, if there are any more wonderful tidbits from your new book you would like to share, please feel free. I ought to be jealous of your find, but I am giving up being jealous of anything or anyone.

Welcome, GradeACdnBeef, that is a nice one.

Thanks, Harold, for adding such an interesting word with so much history.

Without parler, there would be no parliament.

parkway - noun a broad landscaped thoroughfare
 
AllardChardon said:
Very entertaining, Og and Naoko. I must add that I did read black slaves were hidden and found under hooped skirts in South Carolina during the Civil War. In fact, those dresses were able to smuggle lots of different kinds of goods across enemy lines, and soon became subject to searches. Of course, the ladies in America wore drawers under their hoop skirts. BTW, Og, if there are any more wonderful tidbits from your new book you would like to share, please feel free. I ought to be jealous of your find, but I am giving up being jealous of anything or anyone.

Welcome, GradeACdnBeef, that is a nice one.

Thanks, Harold, for adding such an interesting word with so much history.

Without parler, there would be no parliament.

parkway - noun a broad landscaped thoroughfare
Click to expand...

Question:

Why do you drive on a parkway, but park in a driveway?
I know, so so old.....
 
AllardChardon said:
Naoko, what a lovely picture to see when I arrived here tonight. Thanks for posting it. You have every right to feel entitled. I grew up on Beatrix Potter and so did my children. I still have all the books saved for any grandchildren that may appear in the future.

Here is an interesting grouping;

parlance - noun 1. SPEECH; esp: formal debate or parley 2. manner or mode of speech: IDIOM

parlay(1) - vt 1. to bet in a parlay 2. to exploit successfully: MAGNIFY

parlay(2) - noun a series of two or more bets so set up in advance that the original stake plus its winnings are risked on the successive wagers; broadly: the fresh risking of an original stake together with its winnings

parle - vi or noun archaic PARLEY

parley(1) - vi to speak with another: CONFER; specif: to discuss terms with an enemy

parley(2) - noun 1.a. a conference for discussion of points in dispute b. a conference with an enemy 2. CONVERSATION, DISCUSSION
Click to expand...

Parley(2) is the word used so much in pirate movies.
 
AllardChardon said:
Very entertaining, Og and Naoko. I must add that I did read black slaves were hidden and found under hooped skirts in South Carolina during the Civil War. In fact, those dresses were able to smuggle lots of different kinds of goods across enemy lines, and soon became subject to searches. Of course, the ladies in America wore drawers under their hoop skirts. BTW, Og, if there are any more wonderful tidbits from your new book you would like to share, please feel free. I ought to be jealous of your find, but I am giving up being jealous of anything or anyone.
Click to expand...

Not my new book. I priced it too high for me to buy.

Except for run-of-the-mill books such as paperback fiction, I don't buy from that charity bookshop. Since I set the prices for the interesting books, it would be a conflict of interest.

One of our local families has an interesting ancestor. Their family were smugglers. In the 18th Century she was stopped by a Riding Officer - a Customs Man. He suspected that she had concealed small barrels of brandy under her unusually voluminous skirts.

She had. But she hit him so hard that he was knocked unconscious. When he came too, and summoned others to search her family's house, there was nothing illegal to be found. She admitted assaulting the Riding Officer but claimed she 'was defending her honour'. As she was a grandmother of a large family, the Magistrate wasn't wholly convinced, particularly as he knew that her family were smugglers, but he dismissed the case for lack of evidence (and probably because he too drank smuggled brandy).
 
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RjThoughts said:
Question:

Why do you drive on a parkway, but park in a driveway?
I know, so so old.....
Click to expand...

In the UK, you don't.

But we too have anomalies for road names. 'There and Back Again Lane' would be a Dead End Street.

Squeeze Gut Alley is not a suitable short cut for fatties.

All our Grope Cunt Lanes have been renamed, but hundreds of years later people still remember the old name. :D
 
Og, I must have misunderstood about the book. Thanks for putting me straight. Grope Cunt Alley, honesty is the best policy, I suppose, most of the time. LOL

parity(1) - noun 1. the quality or state of being equal or equivalent 2.a. equivalence of a commodity price expressed in one currency to its price expressed in another b. equality of purchasing power established by law between different kinds of money at a given ratio 3. an equivalence between farmers' current purchasing power and their purchasing power at a selected base period maintained by government support of agricultural commodity prices 4.a. the property of an integer with respect to being odd or even [3 and 7 have the same parity] b.(1) the state of being odd or even used as the basis of a method of detecting errors in binary-coded data (2) parity bit 5. the property of oddness or evenness of a quantum mechanical function 6. the symmetry of behavior in an interaction of a physical entity (as a subatomic particle) with that of its mirror image

There seems to be a bit of disparity between the first and second entry. hehe

parity(2) - noun the state or fact of having borne offspring; also: the number of children previously borne
 
An aside:

When I am checking donated books for possible values, I have several tests for the age of undated 19th Century encyclopedias and dictionaries.

The obvious ones are technology. What does the book say about aircraft, electricity or communications?

But a useful test is the word Crinoline.

The 1859 book I mentioned above was published shortly after the cage crinoline (hoop skirt) became popular. Before 1850 crinoline is a horsehair based stiffening for one of many petticoats under a skirt. In the 1860s and 70s the book would tend to mention the changing shapes of crinolines. In the 1880s the word bustle could be cross-referenced. Later books, say 1890s onwards, refer to crinoline as a past fashion but also mention crinoline as an anti-torpedo device for warships, later called torpedo bulges.

I don't need to use the word crinoline for 20th Century reference books. The technology tests can usually date a book to within a year or so. But 1950s books, post Dior's New Look, refer to crinoline for petticoats under the new wider skirts.

The shape of Ladies skirts is also useful for dating 19th Century photographs, if I allow for the delays in the latest fashion reaching country towns. That delay could be five years in the 1850s, but reduces to a couple of years by the 1890s with improved literacy and cheap illustrated women's magazines.
 
That is very interesting, Og, and also very good information to have in order to date drawings and the like more accurately. Thanks so much.

pari passu - adv or adj at an equal rate or pace
 
Hello, everyone. A very busy week in the gardens, front and back, with strong young men doing the really hard work, stuff that has not been done in 10 years. It's looking good. A bit more to go, and I will be content with this year's achievements. In this case, thank goodness it's Friday!

parian - adj 1. cap: of or relating to the island of Paros noted for its mable used extensively for sculpture in ancient times 2. of or relating to a fine white porcelain or the clay used in making it

Parian ware - noun a cream-colored soft china made from feldspar and kaolin and used unglazed esp. for making statuettes
 
A beautiful Saturday greeting to you all, it is a lovely spring day here and my tulips are finally popping open. I will try and take some decent pics.

parhelic circle - noun a luminous circle or halo parallel to the horizon at the altitude of the sun- also called parhelic ring
 
AllardChardon said:
parian - adj 1. cap: of or relating to the island of Paros noted for its mable used extensively for sculpture in ancient times 2. of or relating to a fine white porcelain or the clay used in making it

I had a lovely holiday once on the island of Naxos near Paros. I went all by myself, it was really pleasurable to do whatever I felt like. It was this time of year and the weather was temperate and mild, it rained I think twice in the ten days I was there - gentle warm rain that I enjoyed.

We've got true April showers here! when I got up this morning I thought I'd left the landing light on; golden sunshine was pouring in through one of the windows. It rapidly became gloomy and grey. Yesterday was a classic. I optimistically hung some washing out (some vests I have to get done for Piglet to take camping on Monday) and although it showered heavily three times, by the time I fetched the washing in the wind and sun had nearly dried it.

Some beautiful spring bulbs flowering, one or two not what I planted at all, which is interesting. No pheasant eye narcissus yet but I think they do come later. I specially planted some, they are so pretty.
Click to expand...
 
Good to know, Trysail, thanks.

Weather is a funny thing, Naoko, and probably the reason people love to talk about it so much. I have a few surprise flowers that pop up every year, too. I suppose the birds planted them when I wasn't looking. LOL I would love to get away to an island by myself someday...

parget(2) - noun 1. plaster, whitewash, or roughcast for coating a wall 2. plasterwork esp. in raised ornamental figures on walls
 
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