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Words / lambent common?
« on: January 30, 2024, 08:04:03 AM »
Per the OED:
I had to look up its meaning. I've probably encountered it before, but not with sufficient frequency to make it part of my vocabulary!
Quote
lambent typically occurs about 0.08 times per million words in modern written English.
I had to look up its meaning. I've probably encountered it before, but not with sufficient frequency to make it part of my vocabulary!
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Words / Re: Calaboose
« on: January 27, 2024, 11:26:21 AM »
The OED gives calaboose as
If a word is only familiar in a single country it is typically judged to not qualify as a common word. What about a region of a single country?
Quote
The name, in New Orleans and adjacent parts of the U.S., for a common prison.
If a word is only familiar in a single country it is typically judged to not qualify as a common word. What about a region of a single country?
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Words / Re: Twilit/Spotlit common?
« on: January 24, 2024, 09:12:34 AM »
ISTM both twilight and spotlight are uncontroversially common words. And IMO a reasonably well-read person, upon thinking of twilight or spotlight would be led to think of twilit and spotlit.
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The Daily Quest / Re: Peccary in yesterday’s ten letter challenge
« on: January 14, 2024, 10:15:45 AM »
Although it was one of the first words I found, not sure it is truly common.
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Whatever / Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« on: January 13, 2024, 04:46:24 PM »
Unless a community has loads of money to spend, I suspect infrastructure is based upon a combination of what is 'normal' and what is required. When I lived in the Atlanta area, there just wasn't the equipment needed to remove snow from the streets so less than one inch of snow would bring the entire area to a standstill (of course, it didn't help that drivers didn't know how to drive in snow!). Spending money for snow removal wasn't cost-effective use of public funds.
It was different at the international airport — delaying incoming and outgoing flights might be somewhat tolerable, but allowing all operations to grind to a halt because of the inability to remove snow was unacceptable. Thus, they made the investment in equipment which might go years between use.
Where I live now even the smallest town has snow removal abilities because there is snow every year. Most snowstorms leave less than six inches at a time and can be routinely managed, but if it comes too quickly (e.g. more than an inch an hour) or too much (e.g. more than 20 inches in a single storm), it will, for a time, exceed snow removal abilities and delays will follow.
It was different at the international airport — delaying incoming and outgoing flights might be somewhat tolerable, but allowing all operations to grind to a halt because of the inability to remove snow was unacceptable. Thus, they made the investment in equipment which might go years between use.
Where I live now even the smallest town has snow removal abilities because there is snow every year. Most snowstorms leave less than six inches at a time and can be routinely managed, but if it comes too quickly (e.g. more than an inch an hour) or too much (e.g. more than 20 inches in a single storm), it will, for a time, exceed snow removal abilities and delays will follow.
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Whatever / Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« on: January 13, 2024, 07:49:00 AM »
After a very mild and nearly snow-less December, we've had a lot of snow. Got about 6½ inches the other day, some melt-off, then about 5 inches last night which has changed to a very light sprinkle (so relatively mild temps — currently 1°C/34°F) but supposed to change back to snow and get another 4 to 8 inches followed by some cold temps: -8°C/18°F tonight with steady-to-falling temps through Saturday and Sunday to a Monday morning low of -24°C/-11°F and a Monday high of -18°C/-1°F. (Tuesday is supposed to be even colder!) Thus....
bringing up the exception to clearing the car when I feel like it. Were I to leave the car alone, the combination of snow & rain & snow followed by those temps would create a ice-encased mess which would be a lot of work to clear.
So I guess I'll be going out to clear the car when the worst of the snow has ended. Ugh.
But it is beautiful scenery.
I have the advantage of retirement! I go clear the car when I feel like it!
bringing up the exception to clearing the car when I feel like it. Were I to leave the car alone, the combination of snow & rain & snow followed by those temps would create a ice-encased mess which would be a lot of work to clear.
So I guess I'll be going out to clear the car when the worst of the snow has ended. Ugh.
But it is beautiful scenery.
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Words / Re: Saturday 23 December 7-by-many ARROGANCE puzzle
« on: January 10, 2024, 03:38:12 AM »
To my ear, agreeance sounds very, very strange. I don't believe I've every encountered it.
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Whatever / Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« on: January 09, 2024, 06:40:15 AM »I don't enjoy turning out at 7am in the dark and having to clear my car before heading off to work.
Quite understandable. I have the advantage of retirement! I go clear the car when I feel like it!
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Whatever / Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« on: January 09, 2024, 04:55:04 AM »Work tomorrow and it's going to be scrapey scrapey in the morningHope I can find my de-icer or my trusty scraper! Still I'm very thankful we haven't got the white stuff that TRex has! These are for you TRex
Thanks! There has been a little melting, but things have remained white, which I find more pleasant than grey and brown. Forecast is for four to eight inches starting tonight.
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Whatever / Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« on: January 08, 2024, 04:55:46 AM »
If there is anyone else who celebrates The Nativity (Christmas) today, a happy and blessed Nativity to you.
We didn't have a white Christmas here on 25 December, but it is now a lovely white since yesterday.
We didn't have a white Christmas here on 25 December, but it is now a lovely white since yesterday.
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Words / Re: Daily 10 Letter, 16 April - SPOILER!
« on: January 02, 2024, 02:46:27 AM »...both monopolising and monopolised are classed as common (though in practice they can't appear in any of our puzzles).
... at least not until we get 11- and 12- letter puzzles! 😄
Don't give Alan any ideas, Pat!!
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Whatever / Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« on: December 31, 2023, 08:30:58 AM »With any luck I will be soundly asleep when 2024 arrives.
The last time I was awake at the beginning of a new year, I was MUCH younger and cannot even remember it!
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Whatever / Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« on: December 31, 2023, 07:33:57 AM »Like Yvonne I'd find 'penultimate' a bit formal.
Interesting to learn penultimate is regarded as formal. ISTM I'm hearing it more often, especially in sports broadcasting.
And (at least in this part of the world) today is the penultimate day of the calendar year.
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Words / Re: Monopolise rare?
« on: December 31, 2023, 03:00:24 AM »
Interesting timing of this post — shortly before the puzzle with agonies/agonise (common and rare respectively, like monopolies and monopolise) and analogies/analogise (both common)! (Thus, I held off responding until after that puzzle had closed.)
I wondered if some of the apparent inconsistency is a result of the Oxford versus British spelling, so I checked the OED: it prefers monopolize, agonize, and analogize — trashed that theory!
ISTM the -ise ending should be extremely well known to players. On balance, I'd prefer to see all words which can be spelt with either the -ise or -ize ending be treated the same.
I wondered if some of the apparent inconsistency is a result of the Oxford versus British spelling, so I checked the OED: it prefers monopolize, agonize, and analogize — trashed that theory!
ISTM the -ise ending should be extremely well known to players. On balance, I'd prefer to see all words which can be spelt with either the -ise or -ize ending be treated the same.