Seldom-Used Words

That makes perfect sense, Handley. Thanks for the explanation.

I just wanted to note that I omitted posting phallus and all its derivations for obvious reasons, this is Literotica, after all. hehe

phalanstery - noun 1.a. a Fourierist cooperative community b. a self-contained structure housing such a community 2. something resembling a Fourierist phalanstery

AllardChardon said:

That makes perfect sense, Handley. Thanks for the explanation.

I just wanted to note that I omitted posting phallus and all its derivations for obvious reasons, this is Literotica, after all. hehe

phalanstery - noun 1.a. a Fourierist cooperative community b. a self-contained structure housing such a community 2. something resembling a Fourierist phalanstery

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I look forward to the 'F's.
Fourierist ? Eh?

Handley_Page said:

Actually, it's quite tricky. The term originates from Greek warfare, where a body of men, armed usually with spears of some sort, advance upon a similar body of men forming the opposition.
Their shields were very closely aligned for the purposes of defence.
The snag is, of course, that defending a phalanx from a rear or side attack is not easy.

In the UK, a similar phalanx method is used in crowd control.

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The Swiss Pikemen were very good at using a phalanx against cavalry. They could face in different directions in a couple of seconds in response to commands. They could even form a square with pikes outward in all directions.

The Swiss were so good that they were banned from employment as foreign mercenaries (except for the Papal Guards) because employing the Swiss was considered to give countries an unfair advantage.

Og, Swiss mercenaries gave an unfair advantage. That is fascinating. What time period are you referring to? You know me, I always want to work stuff like this into a good conversation for my book in 1857, whenever I can.

Handley, why wait for the Fs;

Fourierism - noun (F.M.C. Fourier, 1837, French social scientist) a system for reorganizing society into cooperative communities of small groups living in common

Sounds like the forerunner to the hippy commune of the 60s.

AllardChardon said:

Og, Swiss mercenaries gave an unfair advantage. That is fascinating. What time period are you referring to? You know me, I always want to work stuff like this into a good conversation for my book in 1857, whenever I can.

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Swiss Mercenaries were much earlier, a couple of centuries, than your period. Except for the Papal Guard, they were banned by the Swiss Constitution of 1848.

AllardChardon said:

Og, Swiss mercenaries gave an unfair advantage. That is fascinating. What time period are you referring to? You know me, I always want to work stuff like this into a good conversation for my book in 1857, whenever I can.

Handley, why wait for the Fs;

Fourierism - noun (F.M.C. Fourier, 1837, French social scientist) a system for reorganizing society into cooperative communities of small groups living in common

Sounds like the forerunner to the hippy commune of the 60s.

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Praise the Lord.
I thought you were talking of Joseph Fourier, the mathematical clever-devil.

Og, I was reading about the Hessian mercenaries last week and that was very interesting. It brought to mind the Halloween tale, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", my first encounter with Hessian soldiers as a youth.

Handley, I saw the entry on the scientist and wondered if they were connected, but they were not, except through the spelling of their names.

phaeton - noun 1. any of various light four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicles 2. TOURING CAR

How about this, while we're already going with the whole "pointy bit" idea?

stiletto - noun

1: a slender dagger with a blade thick in proportion to its breadth
2: a pointed instrument for piercing holes for eyelets or embroidery

Curiously, this often gets confused with stiletto heels, at least according to my editor.

The last day of 2012 with 2013 coming up fast. I hope you all have a wonderful celebration.

Welcome, Blind Justice, glad to have you aboard.

Phaethon - noun a son of Helios permitted for a day to drive the chariot of the sun and struck down with a thunderbolt by Zeus to keep the world from being set on fire

AllardChardon said:

The last day of 2012 with 2013 coming up fast. I hope you all have a wonderful celebration.

Welcome, Blind Justice, glad to have you aboard.

Phaethon - noun a son of Helios permitted for a day to drive the chariot of the sun and struck down with a thunderbolt by Zeus to keep the world from being set on fire

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Phaeton is also the personification of the planet Jupiter; the title of a lost play by Euripides; the name of several warships in the old British navy; the brand name of a motorhome I once rented; a specific type of horse-drawn carriage; and a body style of some antique cars--a name recently revived by Volkswagen for one of its more upscale models.

It's possible there are other usages as well that didn't occur to me. Whew, thank god for context or we'd all be screwed by language.

Staying with the Greeks for a few more minutes;

Phaedra

In Greek mythology, Phaedra (Greek Φαίδρα - Fedra) is the daughter of Minos and Pasiphaë, wife of Theseus, sister of Ariadne, and the mother of Demophon of Athens and Acamas. Phaedra's name derives from the Greek word φαιδρός (phaidros), which meant "bright".

Though married to Theseus, Phaedra fell in love with Hippolytus, Theseus' son born by either Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, or Antiope, her sister. Euripides placed this story twice on the Athenian stage, of which one version survives. According to some sources, Hippolytus had spurned Aphrodite to remain a steadfast and virginal devotee of Artemis, and Aphrodite made Phaedra fall in love with him as a punishment. He rejected her.

In one version, Phaedra's nurse told Hippolytus of her love, and he swore he would not reveal her as a source of information. In revenge, Phaedra wrote Theseus a letter that claimed Hippolytus raped her. Theseus believed her and cursed Hippolytus with one of the three curses he had received from Poseidon. As a result, Hippolytus' horses were frightened by a sea monster and dragged their rider to his death.

Alternatively, after Phaedra told Theseus that Hippolytus had raped her, Theseus killed his son and Phaedra committed suicide out of guilt for she had not intended Hippolytus to die. Artemis later told Theseus the truth. In a third version, Phaedra simply told Theseus this and did not kill herself; Dionysus sent a wild bull which terrified Hippolytus' horses.


What a lively bunch!

Re: Phaedra

That's some plot bunny you just told there !

Greetings, posters.

petulant - adj 1. insolent or rude in speech or behavior 2. characterized by temporary or capricious ill humor: PEEVISH

Hello, again.

petty officer - noun an enlisted man in the navy of a rank corresponding to a noncommissioned officer in the army; esp: one in one of the three lowest grades (as petty officer second class)

AllardChardon said:

Hello, again.

petty officer - noun an enlisted man in the navy of a rank corresponding to a noncommissioned officer in the army; esp: one in one of the three lowest grades (as petty officer second class)

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Petty Officers should not be underestimated. In the Royal Navy, and in many other navies, petty officers are the professional seaman or specialists who know more and have far more experience than junior commissioned officers such as Lieutenants (Ensigns) and certainly more than Midshipmen.

A Fleet Chief Petty Officer, now an obsolete rank in the Royal Navy, was equivalent to a Regimental Sergeant Major in the Army, the senior non-commissioned officer and the person responsible for much of discipline in lower ranks, as well as being the upholder of traditions.

A Naval Officer who can work well with Petty Officers is likely to be more efficient and effective than one who looks down on them. Petty Officers can impart knowledge and practical advice on what works in their service. The Officer's decision is his (hers) alone, but if that Officer has taken advice from a Petty Officer, the decision is unlikely to be wrong.

The US version of Fleet Chief Petty Officer is Master Chief Petty Officer, a person of considerable power and influence.

AllardChardon said:

Greetings, posters.

petulant - adj 1. insolent or rude in speech or behavior 2. characterized by temporary or capricious ill humor: PEEVISH

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This word always reminds me of the woman's name Petula. I knew a Petula who was Petulant. She was naturally red-haired as well. I don't know that petulant and being red-haired were linked, but she behaved like the cartoon version of a red-haired woman.

By association, I expected Petula Clark the singer to be petulant. She isn't. She is a consummate professional.

Og, thanks for the correct information on petty officers. I understand the position much better now. Petulant and peevish are both good words, and seldom-used these days. Petula Clark was always a favorite of mine. I loved her in Goodbye, Mr. Chips. And no, petulant and red hair are not usually associated, even though plenty of red-haired people could be petulant.

petty - adj 1. having secondary rank or importance: MINOR, SUBORDINATE 2. having little or no importance or significance 3. marked by or reflective of narrow interests and sympathies: SMALL-MINDED

A good day greeting to all. This next word is a new one for me;

pettitoes - noun plural 1. the feet of a pig used as food 2. TOES, FEET

I have heard of pig's feet as food, although I have never tried it, but not pettitoes.

AllardChardon said:

A good day greeting to all. This next word is a new one for me;

pettitoes - noun plural 1. the feet of a pig used as food 2. TOES, FEET

I have heard of pig's feet as food, although I have never tried it, but not pettitoes.

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In my lifetime, more often known as "Pigs Trotters", used to make a thick soup or broth.

Pigs trotters, huh? Makes sense, because pigs do appear to trot, rather than run. How funny, thanks Handley.

pettish - adj FRETFUL, PEEVISH

AllardChardon said:

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petty - adj 1. having secondary rank or importance: MINOR, SUBORDINATE 2. having little or no importance or significance 3. marked by or reflective of narrow interests and sympathies: SMALL-MINDED

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Petticoat is derived from petty, and was originally 'petty coat' - a secondary item of clothing underneath the outer clothing. A petty coat was not necessarily a feminine item but soon became exclusively feminine, so much so that 'petticoat' could be used as a synonym for female.

Which leads to:

Petticoat government - Government by women's influence, if in terms of national government, women, although not apparently the rulers, actually exert the power. That happened in 19th Century Turkey and Imperial China. In domestic situations, the woman/women make the decisions and the man/men is/are powerless. In both situations the term is abusive about the men.

and

Petticoat pensioner - A man who is supported by his wife's earnings or capital. A pimp could be described as a petticoat pensioner but normally a stronger term would be appropriate.

Thank you, Og, for the explanations of those words. I love the way words and their meanings transform through usage.

pettifog - vi 1. to engage in legal chicanery 2. to quibble over insignificant details; CAVIL

AllardChardon said:

Thank you, Og, for the explanations of those words. I love the way words and their meanings transform through usage.

pettifog - vi 1. to engage in legal chicanery 2. to quibble over insignificant details; CAVIL

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Oh, a word to describe US Congress? LOL

RjThoughts said:

Oh, a word to describe US Congress? LOL

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It is usually applied to lawyers, particularly those who win by dubious legal quibbles.

But so many lawyers are in government, that it is probably appropriate to many elected representatives as well.

Either way, it describes a certain mentality that pervades government issues these days.

Petrine - adj of, relating to, or characteristic of the apostle Peter or the doctrines associated with his name