A few years ago, I took first year Latin at PSU. I didn’t continue Latin because I got a job, and it turns out I hate declining nouns and adjectives. It is three times as much work. The professor was great, seemingly normal, but with a great unexpected affection for Elvis (pronouced Elwees in Latin). I really liked learning the new vocab and connecting it to modern words I know in English, Spanish and French. I also loved conjugating the verbs and learning the four principle parts like in the verb ‘regere,’ to rule or reign: Rego, Regere, Rexi, Rectum.
[and then suddenly…]
May 15, 2011
in best post ever,career,etymonline,history of language,insignificant linguistics mystery,IPA,latin,morphemes,spanish,wordnik
When I have thought about and used this word, as in ‘painstakingly obvious’ or ‘she described the incident in painstaking detail,’ I break up the big morphemes as ‘pain and stakingly.’ Then, yesterday, I pressed random word on wordnik.com often enough that I got to the page on the word painstaker. The definition is “One who takes pains.” OF COURSE, said my brain, it is someone who takes pains to make sure every detail is in place. Pains taker, not pain staker.
April 29, 2011
in dictionaries,english,Etymology,FACT,insignificant linguistics mystery,wordnik,Words & Origins
ME! I’m the one who won! I rock! Go me! It was pretty cool, A 3-time winner, myself, Robert, and a supersmart pregnant lady all going for the $50 bucks but inexpicably ME WON. YAYYYYYY I GOT TO HOLD THE BIG CHECK!
1. kiln
2. gherkin
3. sepulchre/ sepulcher (apparently I naturally prefer the British spelling)
4. monocoque
5. acrocyanosis (I spelled it wrong but so did everyone else)
6. interregnum
7. diaphanous
[and then suddenly…]
April 6, 2011
tagged as victory in british spelling,champion,money,someday lounge,spelling,spelling bee,victory,Words & Origins
There was a charity spelling bee tonight at Comedy Sportz for SOSSA. It was FUN. I wish I could have been in for longer, they had cool inventive rounds after I got out… 🙁
1. advantage
2. accommodate
3. brisage (I spelled it wrong)
Brisage has to do with explosives. It is a very technical word not used outside of the firearm and explosives nerd world. F it.
March 25, 2011
in comedy sportz,french,round 3,rumble bee,spelling,spelling bee
Today is being declared as OK Day by the author of a new book about the word OK. The word OK was first published on March 23, 1839. It is a fanciful acronym for the intentionally misspelled ‘oll korrect.’ Really. You can learn about OK Day suggested activities at the Facebook page.
1. Oh Well, Okay – Elliot Smith
2. Is This Sound Okay? – Coconut Records
3. Is It Okay if I Call You Mine? – Sondre Lerche
4. Pony (It’s OK) – Erin McCarley
5. It’s Ok – Dead Moon
6. Luna Lovegood is OK – Harry and the Potters
7. Oklahoma – Oklahoma!
8. Everything’s Okay – Hank Williams
9. It’s OK – Cee-Lo Green
10. Ok/No Way – Mission of Burma
11. (OK Go)
March 23, 2011
in Books,classic,Etymology,etymonline,holiday,Music,OK Go,Playlists,short list,thanks john
I have written or presented about this topic at least 3 times in school, and it still amuses the hell out of me. I have distilled it down to 5 words, but I just found a paper that lists the whole 10, and I think it’s worth recording these down while the information still bubbles and frolicks around for me when I talk about it.
1. Fabular
-Spanish is one of the Romance languages which means it comes from Latin. Other Romance languages include French, Italian, Romanian, Catalan, and Portuguese, unfortunately.
-Fabular means ‘to tell a tale,’ which has morphed over the years to become the verb hablar, to speak. There are many words which begin with ‘f’ in Latin that changed to ‘h’ in modern Spanish. Exceptions are words with a diphthong after the ‘f’ like fuente (fountain), fuerza (force), and fuego (fire). [and then suddenly…]
March 21, 2011
in arabic,basque,best list ever,best post ever,diphthong,Etymology,history of language,IPA,izquierda,left-handedness,not basque,old-timey,patronyms,phonological constraints,spanish,Words & Origins,zurda
Hey!
Every Wednesday morning starting around 9:30am, @Wordnik gives out clues for a secret word on wordnik.com that has a pronounciation by “hap_e_wordnik” (see screen shot below). They give out 3 or 4 clues, each of which describes a different definition that the uncommon or obsolete word has. As soon as someone gets the right word, the game ends. If no one gets it by the end of the clues, they give a *BONUS CLUE* which usually has quotations around letters, meaning the word is an anagram of those letters.
[and then suddenly…]
March 16, 2011
in anagram,champion,elsewhere,secret word,winner,wordnik,Words & Origins
1. surreal
2. boomslang
3. pibroch
I had a lot of banter with excellent host Adam about my name. They give you a free beer, which I didn’t take. Host: “But Bri is an anagram of Beer!” Me: “Not the way I spell it, it’s just B-R-I.” Host: “Bri is an anagram of… IRB!” Someone else “Rib.”
March 2, 2011
in gaelic,scottish,someday lounge,spelling,spelling bee
1. Haiti
2. repertoire
3. edelweiss
4. endophthalmitis
5. xebec
Robert, Leila, Andy and I sat eating pizza before the bee, and Andy, Leila and I tied for 3rd, knowlingly leaving the stage at the same time when the other two spellers got their words right. Ah well, it was a good exit.
March 1, 2011
in arabic,nautical terms,spelling,spelling bee
A Ace from The Ambiguously Gay Duo on SNL cartoon
A Action Man from Venture Bros. show
A Alpha One from DC comic
A Alvin from Alvin and the Chipmunks cartoon
A Aisha from Neopets website
A Amazigirl from Dumbing of Age webcomic
A Animal Man from DC comic
A Anvil from Grrl Power webcomic
A Apocalypse from Marvel comic
A Aquaman from DC comic
A Avalanche from Marvel comic
A Captain America from Marvel comic
A Emperor Awesome from Wander over Yonder cartoon
A Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter book
[and then suddenly…]
February 23, 2011
in alphabet,alphabet souperhero,best list ever,best post ever,cartoons,clothing,clothing alphabet,confusing list,superheroes,thanks andy,video games
