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Seldom-Used Words

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US and UK medical terminology varies which can cause confusion.

My son-in-law works in research in a medical field in both the US and UK so he (and therefore I) are well aware of some differences.
 
Since I have not spent much time on the East Coast, Tio, it is very possible I missed that remark, or did not know its meaning, at any rate. LOL

Yes, indeed, Og, there certainly are differences, as I am finding on this thread, too.

paper chase - noun HARE AND HOUNDS
 
I have decided to add a little more information on my last two posts;

Paphian - Paphos was an ancient city of Cyprus that was the center of worship of Aphrodite

hare and hounds - noun a game in which some of the players scatter bits of paper for a trail and others try to find and catch them

I never played hare and hounds, nor never heard of it until now, but I was good at Kick The Can. LOL That is a hide and seek game where the captives are held at the base, next to the big tin soup can. There is only one seeker and many hiders, and if a single hider can get to the base and kick the can, all the captives are free to hide, again. It can takes hours to round them all up!
 
AllardChardon said:
...

paper chase - noun HARE AND HOUNDS
Click to expand...

Hare and Hounds was used at boarding schools to add some interest to what might be a boring cross-country run.

One person, the Hare, carrying a satchel of shredded paper, would start about 15 minutes ahead of the other runners. The Hare would leave a trail of paper. The person, one of the Hounds, who caught up with the Hare, or who was the first to arrive at the Hare's finishing position, was the winner.

Of course, boys (and girls) being what they were/are, there are opportunities to cheat particularly if you knew which route(s) the Hare might take and could use a short-cut. You could also move some of the paper to send those behind you on a false trail.

The back markers had to collect all the shredded paper so it was advisable to be in the middle of the runners.

The most unsporting (or clever) would run out of sight of the school building, stop, and wait for the Hare to return. Then they would rejoin the Hounds without having exerted themselves too much.
 
Thanks for the hearty laugh this morning, Og, that is a great story and a good thing to know, if ever I am asked to play Hare and Hounds, although the more likely request is to play Hide the Salame. LOL

papaverine - noun a crystalline alkaloid found in opium and used chiefly as an antispasmodic because of its ability to relax smooth muscle
 
Hello everyone. Here is a little more on nipple and other things;

pap(1) - noun 1. chiefly dial: NIPPLE, TEAT 2. something shaped like a nipple

pap(2) - noun 1. a soft food for infants or invalids 2. political patronage 3. something lacking solid value or substance
 
AllardChardon said:
Hello everyone. Here is a little more on nipple and other things;

pap(1) - noun 1. chiefly dial: NIPPLE, TEAT 2. something shaped like a nipple

pap(2) - noun 1. a soft food for infants or invalids 2. political patronage 3. something lacking solid value or substance
Click to expand...

My old Granny used to snort her disapproval of soft food which was "Pap".
 
Handley, once I read the definitions, I remembered my mother calling baby food "pap", but she never used that word for nipple. The word invalid caught my attention, though;

invalid(1) - adj being without foundation for force in fact, truth, or law

invalid(2) - adj 1. suffering from disease or disability: SICKLY 2. of, relating to, or suited to one that is sick

Like infantry for the military, invalid for sick people made me wonder. Now, I can see the connection, although being called an invalid invalid is rather confusing to read. It works a bit better in spoken form.
 
BEHEST

be·hest [bih-hest]
noun
1.
a command or directive.
2.
an earnest or strongly worded request.


"The gangsters are doing this at the behest of their boss."
 
SMOOTHEN

smooth·en [smoo-thuhn]
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)

to make or become smooth.


"The minute he sees her, he will smoothen his clothes and hair. This is done to look neat and presentable for her."

I saw this quote and thought "smoothen" must be a made-up word. I had to look it up, and I'll be darned, it is a word.
 
pei·gnoir (pn-wär, pn-)
n.
A woman's loose-fitting dressing gown.
[French, from Old French peignouer, linen covering used while combing oneself, from peigner, to comb the hair, from Latin pectinre, from pecten, pectin-, comb.]

Been researching ladies wear. Some really cute stuff out there.

imagewrap.img

Special for Mothers Day only $32!
 
JackLuis said:
pei·gnoir (pn-wär, pn-)
n.
A woman's loose-fitting dressing gown.
[French, from Old French peignouer, linen covering used while combing oneself, from peigner, to comb the hair, from Latin pectinre, from pecten, pectin-, comb.]

Been researching ladies wear. Some really cute stuff out there.

imagewrap.img

Special for Mothers Day only $32!
Click to expand...

And there's some really cute stuff inside some of that clothing. :D
 
Welcome, CarolinaPeach, I also am amazed at the usage of words and my ignorance of so many, even though I have been around for over 6 decades! LOL

Great idea for a nice Mother's Day present, JackLuis, and Carlus was commenting on the body (female) inside, not something else. For my tastes, that nighty looks too hot for actual sleeping. I have progressed into the world of night sweats and basically am warmer in my later years than I ever was when I was younger. Polyester clothing only aggravates the problem, so if I wear anything at all to bed, I prefer cotton. Not that you were buying that for me or anything. hehe

pantywaist - noun 1. a child's garment consisting of short pants buttoned to a waist 2. SISSY
 
My sisters and I came across this one in a coffee table book of archaic words. We had quite a time learning about the history and use of the item. Oooh, and a bonus here, in that there is a second archaic word, now obsolete, in the definition. :)


merkin (ˈmɜːkɪn)

— n
1. an artificial hairpiece for the pudendum; a pubic wig
2. obsolete the pudendum itself

Origin:
1610–20; origin uncertain
 
afternightpersonality said:
My sisters and I came across this one in a coffee table book of archaic words. We had quite a time learning about the history and use of the item. Oooh, and a bonus here, in that there is a second archaic word, now obsolete, in the definition. :)


merkin (ˈmɜːkɪn)

— n
1. an artificial hairpiece for the pudendum; a pubic wig
2. obsolete the pudendum itself

Origin:
1610–20; origin uncertain
Click to expand...

The dictionary built into my Mac says: ORIGIN early 17th cent.: apparently a variant of dialect malkin, diminutive of Malde (early form of the given name Maud).

Thanks for posting the word. I used to know it, but haven't been able to remember it for about a decade. Some aspects of getting old really do suck! (As the kids now say.)
 
Welcome, afternightpersonality. Just for the record, merkin was posted ages ago, by Tio, I believe, and that posting even included pictures. I suppose all you need do is search this thread and you will find it. I do not mind re-posting at all, as this thread is a very long one.

pantoum - noun a series of quatrains with interlaced rhyming (as abab, bcbc, cdcd) in which the second and fourth verses of each stanza are repeated as the first and third verses of the following stanza and the first and third of the opening stanza as the second and fourth verses of the final stanza
 
It is Friday already and I wish you all a great day and a wonderful weekend.

pantofle - noun SLIPPER
 
AllardChardon said:
It is Friday already and I wish you all a great day and a wonderful weekend.

pantofle - noun SLIPPER
Click to expand...

There are other spellings e.g.

More about today's French word pantoufle...

un(e) pantouflard(e) = a homebody

The verb "pantoufler" means to leave a government job to work for a private corporation (speaking of a civil servant).

Expressions:
passer sa vie dans ses pantoufles = to live a secluded life
raisonner comme une pantoufle = (to reason like a slipper) to reason foolishly

And a charming old expression (sadly, not used anymore): "Et caetera pantoufle" or "Etc. pantoufle" used to end an enumeration. "In our refrigerator we have milk, eggs, butter, sour cream, etc. pantoufle."
 
Pantler

Pantler, the servant in a great household whose business it is to attend to the bread, as it is that of a butler to attend to the wine.

He would have made a good pantler, he would have chipped bread well.&8212;Shakspeare: Henry IV.

Source: C. Mackay, Lost Beauties of the English Language
 
Og, I had no idea my entry had such history. Thanks for sharing the different spelling and usage of pantofle, as well, I really appreciate that, especially when it is in French.

Carlus, that is also a great word, although if I had to guess at the profession of a pantler, I would have chosen "keeper of the pantaloons".

pantheism - noun a doctrine that equates God with the forces and laws of the universe
 
AllardChardon said:
Og, I had no idea my entry had such history. Thanks for sharing the different spelling and usage of pantofle, as well, I really appreciate that, especially when it is in French.

...
Click to expand...

I was fairly certain that there is a character in French literature called Pantoufle, but I can't find him.

Perhaps I was thinking of:

Rabelais' Pantagruel

Voltaire's Pangloss (in Candide)

Verne's Passepartout in Around the World in 80 Days

but maybe Pantoufle is a minor character in a Moliere play.

Or perhaps I was thinking of this movie: Capitaine Pantoufle

It is also a rabbit in the novel Chocolat.

In French, Cinderella loses her Pantoufle, not a glass slipper.
 
Og, I am amazed there is even more about that word! I can't wait to say that Cinderella lost her pantoufle in some polite conversation, where I can slipper it in. Hehe

pantaloon - noun 1.a. or pantalone: a character in the commedia dell'arte that is usually a lean old dotard who wears spectacles, slippers, and a tight-fitting combination of trousers and stockings b. a buffoon in pantomimes 2. pl a. BREECHES b. TROUSERS
 
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