Showing posts with label 3:XXVI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 3:XXVI. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Metagrobolized

Meaning: Mystified, confused. Cotgrave has:
To dunce upon, to puzzle, or (too much*) beat the braines about.
Usefulness: 1

Logofascination: 1 (A Rabelaisian formation from the Greek mataiosvain or frivolous, and a French term, grabeller, which Cotgrave defines as "To garbell spices &c. (and hence) also, to examine precisely, sift neerely, looke narrowly, search curiously, into." I like the fact that the spelling of garbell is itself garbled into grabeller.)

In the wild: It's in Stalky and Co! That's right, this blog has allowed me to connect Sir Thomas and Kipling, albeit via Rabelais. 'The Impressionists' features this line: "Come to think of it, we have metagrobolised 'em."

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Onocrotal

Meaning: A pelican, or according to Cotgrave:
"A Swan-like bird that brayes like an Asse; (or as Gouttreuse.)" ... "A certain white, long-beaked, and tonglesse bird, that hath a great red pouch hanging from her neather beake to her breast; otherwise (in bignesse, and shape) somewhat resembling a Swanne."
Usefulness: 2 (In the Bible they're popular for feeding their own blood to their children, which of course any good manager will do for their team.  If you know the etymology or the mythology, or even just Rabelais' allusions, you can of course use it to refer to anyone loud or lusty.)

Logofascination: 1 (Besides this word translating to donkey-rattle*, etymologically speaking, pelicans have also influenced albatross and Alcatraz. If you're in any doubt that they're awesome and / or carnivorous, see this guy's round up. NB: slightly gory, involves basketball and eating small animals. Rabelais attempts to leapfrog off the donkey's reputation to render the pelican promiscuous, but gluttony seems to be most associated.)

In the wild: There are less and less of the birds themselves, sadly, but this term is maintained in some species names.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Acronycal

Meaning: happening at sunset; an astronomical term referring to stars which rise at sunset.

Usefulness: 1 (Mainly in poetic senses, although it could also be used to describe one's martini, depending on how early or late sunset is.)

Logofascination: 1 (Besides my being mildly infatuated with star-words at the moment, it's worth pointing out that the slightly odd-looking spelling is due to its etymological parentage. It's not from chronos, as in time, but from acro- and nycti-, or night-rising. Its opposite - rising at dawn - is cosmical.)