Seldom-Used Words

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I'm back from a full day of flower gardening. A friend cleaned out her bulb garden and gave me a hunk of her flower bed to break apart and plant in different areas. The blackberry wars are interrupted for the time tbeing. Bulbs come first. Anyway, I am here with sore muscles, but content to add this next word;

PDQ - adv often not in caps (abbr. of pretty damned quick) IMMEDIATELY
 
I'm back from a full day of flower gardening. A friend cleaned out her bulb garden and gave me a hunk of her flower bed to break apart and plant in different areas. The blackberry wars are interrupted for the time tbeing. Bulbs come first. Anyway, I am here with sore muscles, but content to add this next word;

PDQ - adv often not in caps (abbr. of pretty damned quick) IMMEDIATELY

The original abbreviation meant "Please Deal Quickly" and meant faster than mere "Urgent".

ATD was a Churchillian version and even more immediate: "Action This Day" which meant he wanted a response with 12 hours.
 
I'm back from a full day of flower gardening. A friend cleaned out her bulb garden and gave me a hunk of her flower bed to break apart and plant in different areas. The blackberry wars are interrupted for the time tbeing. Bulbs come first. Anyway, I am here with sore muscles, but content to add this next word;

PDQ - adv often not in caps (abbr. of pretty damned quick) IMMEDIATELY

The original abbreviation meant "Please Deal Quickly" and meant faster than mere "Urgent".

ATD was a Churchillian version and even more immediate: "Action This Day" which meant he wanted a response with 12 hours.

Whatever happened to NOW!
 
Og, I am surprised my dictionary did not say "please deal quickly, instead of pretty damned quick. I wonder when it switched over. I bet Churchill got quick responses to his ATD requests.

Here are two words I never hear or read over here (America);

pay station - noun a public telephone usu. equipped with a slot-machine device for payment of toll

pay master - noun an officer or agent of a government, a corporation, or an employer whose duty is to pay salaries or wages
 
Og, I am surprised my dictionary did not say "please deal quickly, instead of pretty damned quick. I wonder when it switched over. I bet Churchill got quick responses to his ATD requests.

Here are two words I never hear or read over here (America);

pay station - noun a public telephone usu. equipped with a slot-machine device for payment of toll

pay master - noun an officer or agent of a government, a corporation, or an employer whose duty is to pay salaries or wages

Wiki has an interesting piece on 'Paymaster'. Note that it is one word, not two.
 
Right, Handley, paymaster, one word, my mistake. Here is one that was in between;

paynim - noun PAGAN; esp: MUSLIM
 
A very Happy Saint Patrick's Day to you all. I thought the last definition of the next word would be the first, but I guess not;

pax - noun 1. a tablet or board decorated with a figure or symbol of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a saint and used in medieval times to convey the kiss of peace 2. the kiss of peace in the Mass 3. PEACE
 
A very Happy Saint Patrick's Day to you all. I thought the last definition of the next word would be the first, but I guess not;

pax - noun 1. a tablet or board decorated with a figure or symbol of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a saint and used in medieval times to convey the kiss of peace 2. the kiss of peace in the Mass 3. PEACE

Happy St. Patrick's Day AllardC.

I don't have a word for you, just wanted to Up the Irish.

Oh, how about Precious, (prĕsh'əs)
adj.

Of high cost or worth; valuable.
Highly esteemed; cherished.
Dear; beloved.
Affectedly dainty or overrefined: precious mannerisms.
Informal. Thoroughgoing; unmitigated: a precious mess.

n.
One who is dear or beloved; a darling.

"She is a precious jewel of sanity in a world gone mad."

Keep up the good work.
 
Thank you, JackLuis, for such a kind remark. It is lovely to hear from you, again. Just for today, my favorite Irish sayings:

"As you slide down the bannister of life, may the splinters never point in the wrong direction."

"For each petal on the shamrock this brings a wish your way - Good health, good luck, and happiness for today and everyday."

"May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go."

Luckily for me, real shamrocks grow wild on my property. An Irish prospector or railroad worker probably brought it with him back in the 1850s. I never looked it up to see if this clover is native, but so many things were brought here, it is difficult to say.
 
Happy St. Patrick's Day AllardC.

I don't have a word for you, just wanted to Up the Irish.

Oh, how about Precious, (prĕsh'əs)
adj.

Of high cost or worth; valuable.
Highly esteemed; cherished.
Dear; beloved.
Affectedly dainty or overrefined: precious mannerisms.
Informal. Thoroughgoing; unmitigated: a precious mess.

n.
One who is dear or beloved; a darling.

"She is a precious jewel of sanity in a world gone mad."

Brings to mind Gollum and the One Ring.
 
A very Happy Saint Patrick's Day to you all. I thought the last definition of the next word would be the first, but I guess not;

pax - noun 1. a tablet or board decorated with a figure or symbol of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a saint and used in medieval times to convey the kiss of peace 2. the kiss of peace in the Mass 3. PEACE

A similar word is pyx - the vessel in which the consecrated bread of the Eucharist is kept.

The small ones, like this, are used to take the bread to those confined to bed or dying:

large_2020_70719.jpg
 
Og, what a lovely little case for the Eucharist to travel in. Thanks for sharing it.

It's true, in today's world precious has been replaced by priceless.

pawky - adj chiefly British artfully shrewd: CANNY
 
A good day wish for all;

pavane, also pavan or pavin - noun 1. a stately court dance by couples that was introduced from southern Europe into England in the 16th century 2. music for the pavane
 
It seems to be
just me and my
dic-tion-ar-y;

paunch - noun 1.a. the belly and its cohtents b. POTBELLY 2. RUMEN
 
Thank you, Handley, I found it to be very pleasing, regular and easy to follow, like a dance can be. I listened to the other versions available and they were all similar, of course.

pawlonia - noun any of a genus of Chinese trees of the figwort family; esp: one widely cultivated for its panicles of fragrant violet flowers
 
Thank you, Handley, I found it to be very pleasing, regular and easy to follow, like a dance can be. I listened to the other versions available and they were all similar, of course.

pawlonia - noun any of a genus of Chinese trees of the figwort family; esp: one widely cultivated for its panicles of fragrant violet flowers
I had to look up "panicle". It wasn't much help. :p

However, the pictures were enough to satisfy my curiosity.
 
Harold, my dictionary says;

panicle - noun a compound racemose inflorescence; broadly: a pyramidal loosely branched flower cluster

So, I understand your confusion. LOL
 
Staying with plants for a moment more:

patulous - adj spreading widely from a center (a tree with ~ branches)
 
Luckily I've found a good word, (good enough) so I can come and ask for advice about our garden.

Paraphanelia - apparatus, equipment, or furnishing used for a particular activity (I would say with a hint of there being too much of it to carry properly!)

It's getting so late but the forecast is that temperatures will drop below freezing AGAIN in the nights next week. Do people think we should prune the roses?

Oh, and Allard, I remembered that there is a new book out called Calon, which means 'heart' in Welsh. The word was stitched into the rugby shirts of the Welsh team one year, I think. The book is written by a Welsh poet and writer whom I already admire for his amazing piece written with and performed with war veterans. (I'm very proud that my blogpost on this was picked up and commented on favourably by one of the veteran's mums!) This is a review of the book in my favourite paper.
:heart:
 
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