Word of the Day (a challenge) - ZEFRANK.COM

Deviate · 03-22-2004, 01:08 AM

i get these courtesy of Wordsmith.org and thought, hey, wouldn't it be great to expand others' vocabularies as well as my own???

so, here it is. i'll post a word of the day and y'all see how well you can use it throughout the board, wherever you see fit. then i'll post a new word the next day and we'll start all over again.

cool? i thought you'd dig it.

okay --------------------------------------------------------------------------

today's word:

blackball (BLAK-bawl) verb tr.

1. To vote against, especially to prevent someone from joining a club or a group.

2. To ostracize or boycott.

noun

A negative vote.

[From black + ball. From the former practice of depositing a white ball or a black ball as a ballot to vote for or against a candidate.]

"But Mohammad Reza Khatami - who was deputy parliament speaker and among more than 2,400 candidates blackballed from Friday's elections - warned against public demonstrations to demand change, saying Iranians have no appetite for another revolution." Brian Murphy; Khatami: Iran Doesn't Want Revolution; Kansas City Star (Missouri); Feb 18, 2004.

"(Fernando) Ricksen's ban kicks in immediately, blackballing him from Rangers' next two matches against Dundee and Dunfermline." Keith Jackson; Football: Fernan-doh; Daily Record (Glasgow, UK); Mar 17, 2004.

nycwriters · 03-22-2004, 01:09 AM

you might enjoy this as well then

Deviate · 03-22-2004, 01:18 AM

yes, a good thread. now let's kick it up a notch and see if we can use these new words in everyday chat scenarios. you're all bright people (well, MOST of you), and i'm sure you can use this opportunity to become vocabulary geniuses.

lapietra · 03-22-2004, 02:26 AM

One of the defining characteristics of this board is that hardly anyone is blackballed; all are welcome and invited to coexist in a playful or at least civil exchange of thoughts and ideas.

daverbee · 03-22-2004, 11:34 AM

My balls haven't been black in years! At least since I gave up playing ice hockey in speedos...

(Ooh...now there's an image somebody will carry into their next nightmare...)

agentsmith · 03-22-2004, 01:40 PM

oh god eew, dave, nasty mental picture that made me wince! i may just BLACKBALL you for that...........ick.

Deviate · 03-22-2004, 02:22 PM

walleyed (WAWL-eyed) adjective

1. Having walleye (a form of vision disorder in which one or both eyes deviate outward.)

2. Having large staring eyes, like certain fish.

3. Having one or both eyes appearing nearly white due to white or light-colored iris, or white or opaque cornea.

[From Middle English wawil-eyed, from Old Norse vagl-eygr, from vagl (film over the eye) + eygr (eyed).]

Coffee · 03-22-2004, 04:49 PM

So...deev..are your walleyes deviated?

LadyCrow · 03-22-2004, 04:51 PM

For some reason, this thread reminds me of Sniglets...

Deviate · 03-22-2004, 04:55 PM

alas, my eyes do not deviate outward, so i am not walleyed. boo.

lapietra · 03-22-2004, 05:01 PM

Marty Feldman's walleyed yet somehow strangely handsome face graced many of Mel Brooks' best comedies.

(my grandpa knew him... worked with him on "Laugh-In"... said he was the sweetest guy...)

Coffee · 03-22-2004, 05:14 PM

I love Marty Feldman...he radiated sweetness.

"what hump?"

catbelly · 03-22-2004, 06:30 PM

OMG LC ... I forgot all about Rich Hall and Sniglets!

Frieda · 03-22-2004, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Coffee
I love Marty Feldman...he radiated sweetness.

"what hump?"

omg EYEBALLS!!

Deviate · 03-23-2004, 01:14 PM

tub-thumper (TUB-thum-puhr) noun

A noisy, vigorous promoter or speaker.

[In earlier times, the word tub was jocularly applied to a pulpit. Imagine an impassioned preacher pounding away on his pulpit and you'll have a good idea of how this word came to be applied to any fervent promoter of a cause.]

examples:

"According to Kipling the whole of England is a garden, though, inexplicably, it is maintained by men weeding its gravel paths with broken dinner knives. (Maybe the old tub-thumper had been too much at the Empire cream sherry.)" David Blundell; Eden's Gone Awry; The Times (London, UK); Dec 28, 2002.

"Although Ruddock is the principal tub-thumper of this disgusting policy, Con Sciacca, the Opposition spokesman, isn't worth feeding." Phillip Adams; Beware: Bigotry is Back; The Australian (Sydney); Sep 1, 2001.

03-22-2004, 01:08 AM	#1
Deviate Butt-F***ing the World Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: the other side of normal Posts: 5,863	Word of the Day (a challenge) i get these courtesy of Wordsmith.org and thought, hey, wouldn't it be great to expand others' vocabularies as well as my own??? so, here it is. i'll post a word of the day and y'all see how well you can use it throughout the board, wherever you see fit. then i'll post a new word the next day and we'll start all over again. cool? i thought you'd dig it. okay -------------------------------------------------------------------------- today's word: blackball (BLAK-bawl) verb tr. 1. To vote against, especially to prevent someone from joining a club or a group. 2. To ostracize or boycott. noun A negative vote. [From black + ball. From the former practice of depositing a white ball or a black ball as a ballot to vote for or against a candidate.] "But Mohammad Reza Khatami - who was deputy parliament speaker and among more than 2,400 candidates blackballed from Friday's elections - warned against public demonstrations to demand change, saying Iranians have no appetite for another revolution." Brian Murphy; Khatami: Iran Doesn't Want Revolution; Kansas City Star (Missouri); Feb 18, 2004. "(Fernando) Ricksen's ban kicks in immediately, blackballing him from Rangers' next two matches against Dundee and Dunfermline." Keith Jackson; Football: Fernan-doh; Daily Record (Glasgow, UK); Mar 17, 2004. Last edited by Deviate : 03-22-2004 at 01:10 AM.

03-22-2004, 02:26 AM	#4
lapietra half baked Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: just ducky Posts: 12,078	One of the defining characteristics of this board is that hardly anyone is blackballed; all are welcome and invited to coexist in a playful or at least civil exchange of thoughts and ideas. __________________ “As long as the world is turning and spinning, we're gonna be dizzy and we're gonna make mistakes.” ~ Mel Brooks

03-22-2004, 01:40 PM	#6
agentsmith rap geisha Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: . Posts: 5,588	oh god eew, dave, nasty mental picture that made me wince! i may just BLACKBALL you for that...........ick. __________________ ----------- "Genesis: First, I'd like to say reality is invisible to the naked eye. You and me both know that life is a real bitch. Doing your best, you say? That's not good enough."

03-22-2004, 02:22 PM	#7
Deviate Butt-F***ing the World Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: the other side of normal Posts: 5,863	walleyed walleyed (WAWL-eyed) adjective 1. Having walleye (a form of vision disorder in which one or both eyes deviate outward.) 2. Having large staring eyes, like certain fish. 3. Having one or both eyes appearing nearly white due to white or light-colored iris, or white or opaque cornea. [From Middle English wawil-eyed, from Old Norse vagl-eygr, from vagl (film over the eye) + eygr (eyed).]

03-22-2004, 04:51 PM	#9
LadyCrow WhY sO SiRiUs? Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ta uoy erehw Posts: 1,120	For some reason, this thread reminds me of Sniglets... __________________ "If there is a bedrock principle of the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable." -- Justice William J. Brennan (1906-1997) U. S. Supreme Court Justice Source: Texas vs. Johnson, 1989 ************ Illegitimi non carborundum... ************ Whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you... stranger. - Heath Ledger

03-22-2004, 01:09 AM	#2
nycwriters Stuck in T.O. Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Floundering Posts: 4,134	you might enjoy this as well then

03-22-2004, 01:18 AM	#3
Deviate Butt-F***ing the World Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: the other side of normal Posts: 5,863	yes, a good thread. now let's kick it up a notch and see if we can use these new words in everyday chat scenarios. you're all bright people (well, MOST of you), and i'm sure you can use this opportunity to become vocabulary geniuses.

03-22-2004, 11:34 AM	#5
daverbee Key Lime Pie rocks!!! Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oh, yeah! Posts: 7,695	My balls haven't been black in years! At least since I gave up playing ice hockey in speedos... (Ooh...now there's an image somebody will carry into their next nightmare...)

03-22-2004, 04:49 PM	#8
Coffee Cheeses Save Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Floating Posts: 9,204	So...deev..are your walleyes deviated?

03-22-2004, 04:55 PM	#10
Deviate Butt-F***ing the World Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: the other side of normal Posts: 5,863	alas, my eyes do not deviate outward, so i am not walleyed. boo.

03-22-2004, 05:01 PM	#11
lapietra half baked Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: just ducky Posts: 12,078	Marty Feldman's walleyed yet somehow strangely handsome face graced many of Mel Brooks' best comedies. (my grandpa knew him... worked with him on "Laugh-In"... said he was the sweetest guy...) __________________ “As long as the world is turning and spinning, we're gonna be dizzy and we're gonna make mistakes.” ~ Mel Brooks

03-22-2004, 05:14 PM	#12
Coffee Cheeses Save Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Floating Posts: 9,204	I love Marty Feldman...he radiated sweetness. "what hump?"

03-22-2004, 06:30 PM	#13
catbelly monkey Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: the north Posts: 1,757	OMG LC ... I forgot all about Rich Hall and Sniglets!

03-23-2004, 01:14 PM	#15
Deviate Butt-F***ing the World Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: the other side of normal Posts: 5,863	tub-thumper (TUB-thum-puhr) noun A noisy, vigorous promoter or speaker. [In earlier times, the word tub was jocularly applied to a pulpit. Imagine an impassioned preacher pounding away on his pulpit and you'll have a good idea of how this word came to be applied to any fervent promoter of a cause.] examples: "According to Kipling the whole of England is a garden, though, inexplicably, it is maintained by men weeding its gravel paths with broken dinner knives. (Maybe the old tub-thumper had been too much at the Empire cream sherry.)" David Blundell; Eden's Gone Awry; The Times (London, UK); Dec 28, 2002. "Although Ruddock is the principal tub-thumper of this disgusting policy, Con Sciacca, the Opposition spokesman, isn't worth feeding." Phillip Adams; Beware: Bigotry is Back; The Australian (Sydney); Sep 1, 2001.

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