Seldom-Used Words

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Here is one I have heard over the years, but never seen nor knew the true meaning;

rathskeller also ratskeller - noun (from the French rat for council and keller for cellar) a restaurant patterned after the cellar of a German city hall where beer is sold

Of course, silly me thought it had something to do with rats in a dungy cellar.
 
Here is one I have heard over the years, but never seen nor knew the true meaning;

rathskeller also ratskeller - noun (from the French rat for council and keller for cellar) a restaurant patterned after the cellar of a German city hall where beer is sold

Of course, silly me thought it had something to do with rats in a dungy cellar.

From the German, surely?

Now known as Bierkellers, where rowdy songs used to be sung by uniformed German student societies and are now theme pubs where rowdy songs are sung by drunken slobs. Plus ça change.

Og
 
Og, my dictionary said it was from French-based root words, but that does not mean it is entirely correct.

If I have posted this one before, please excuse me;

rathe - adj archaic EARLY
 
I am certain I have not posted this one before;

raree-show - noun 1. PEEPSHOW 2. SHOW, SPECTACLE; specif:a cheap street show
 
Tio, that is exactly the word I was going to post next, so here is this one, instead;

rappee - noun a pungent snuff made from dark rank tobacco leaves
 
Webster's New World Collegiate, my dearest unwife?

Thumbed from the back forward?

Perhaps we were truly unmade for each other...
 
Yes, my unbeloved Tio, it is backwards for the sake of unfun, I believe, unduly so.

This next word takes me back to my first groupie days of the early 70s. The group was a local band from Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach, CA, actually the house band for a place called Schlumpfelder's that showcased weekly Turtle Races. The band was named Red, Wilder, Blue, due to two of the members last names, Danny Wilder and Mike Ballou. Red was Mack Tubb. They got a gig in Marina Del Rey at a upscale club called The Randy Tar. The guys in the band told me the name meant 'horny sailor'. With boats in docks surrounding the club, it seemed the perfect name. I must admit, I never questioned the validity;

randy - adj (chiefly Scottish) 1. having a course manner 2. LECHEROUS, SEXY

randy - noun (chiefly Scottish) a scolding or dissolute woman

tar - noun (shortened from tarpaulin) SEAMAN, SAILOR; as in salt tars
 
tar - noun (shortened from tarpaulin) SEAMAN, SAILOR; as in salt tars



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Jack Tar • n., A sailor; Jack Tar was a common English term used to refer to seamen of the Merchant or Royal Navy, particularly during the period of the British Empire. Both members of the public, and seafarers themselves, made use of the name in identifying those who went to sea.

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






We know Jack Tar.




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heteronormative • adj., a term for a set of lifestyle norms that imply that people fall into only one of two distinct and complementary genders (male and female) with each having certain natural roles in life, and that heterosexuality is the only normal sexual orientation.

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





Nota bene:
Before anybody "goes ballistic" with accusations of malicious intent ( or any other intent ), I have no desire or intention ( whatsoever ) to make a political ( or any other kind of ) statement with this post. This morning whilst surfing the O.E.D. website ( because they sent me a marketing e-mail), I ran across a list of "new words" and randomly selected this word because I was curious to see what heteronormative meant. I was surprised to learn that the word had political/gender/sexual overtones— I do not want to open that "can of worms." My interest in the word is entirely related to philological curiosity.






 
(And then, Trysail, there's a university I'm sometimes at where heterosexuality is considered an alternative lifestyle and there are three washrooms - Men's, Women's, and Other's).
 
I was in San Francisco recently and I encountered several 'others.' There will be no opening of the "can of worms" over that word, here, I suspect. Thank goodness.

rake (5) - noun ( short for rakehell) a dissolute person: LIBERTINE
 
Hello John! So nice of you to join us. Those are both great words, but I prefer the latter, my pet! hehehe

In the midst of the words about rails and railroads, I found;

raillery - noun 1. good-natured ridicule: BANTER 2. JEST
 

becquerel • n., 1. The Standard International unit of radioactivity ( symbol Bq ), corresponding to one disintegration per second ( replacing the curie ), one Bq is defined as the activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second, it is a very small measurement, so small that it is colloquially known in the trade as a "buggerall". It is unit now used for measuring radiation in milk and water. Becquerel was introduced after the Chernobyl accident;
2. French physicist who discovered that rays emitted by uranium salts affect photographic plates (1852-1908);
3. a 167 km-diameter crater at 22.1°N, 352.0°E on Mars, in Arabia Terra;
4. a lunar crater that lies in the northern hemisphere on the far side of the Moon.


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





There's not much currently associated with this word that's at all humorous; nevertheless, you are permitted to crack a little smile at anything that's known colloquially as a "buggerall." It is to be hoped that the use of this word will become less frequent in the near future.





 
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I am reading about Samuel Clemens and he was, most certainly, one of these;

raconteur - noun one who excels in telling anecdotes
 
I found a word that describes this thread somewhat;

quotidian - adj 1. occurring every day 2. COMMONPLACE, ORDINARY
 

roulade • n., 1. A dish cooked or served in the form of a roll, typically made from a flat piece of meat, fish, or sponge cake, spread with a soft filling and rolled up into a spiral;
2.A florid passage of runs in classical music for a virtuoso singer, esp. one sung to one syllable.








Another in the list of words newly included in the Oxford English Dictionary





 
A pleasant Sunday to you, all. The Qs are an interesting group;

quodlibet - noun a whimsical combination of familiar melodies or texts
 
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