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Messages - mkenuk

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2131
Word Games / Re: Obscene Words in Chihuahua
« on: June 12, 2013, 03:27:36 AM »
Well said, Pat. The fact that we play such words in Chi games doesn't mean that we 'promote' them. They are, as you say, just words, groups of letters. In principle, I'm opposed to any form of censorship but when you try to censor a word-game, where do you stop? I can remember playing 'Target' in an (unnamed) English newspaper where 'urine' was never included in the list of possible words, never mind the good old Anglo-Saxon four-letter jobs!

MK

2132
Word Games / shuffle feature
« on: June 11, 2013, 04:27:49 PM »
I can remember, a year or so ago, somebody asked what were the chances of getting the nine-(or ten-) letter word displayed when you pressed the 'shuffle' feature. I can't remember the odds, but it's just happened to me with today's standard. I Pressed 'shuffle' and (today's word) appeared on the screen. Unfortunately, I had already found the word......

MK

2133
Words / Re: 2nd 9 letter word May 28 - Spoiler alert
« on: May 30, 2013, 05:35:54 PM »
Have to agree with you Tom, I've never heard of 'versioner' or even of a verb 'to version'. I think my own second 9-letter word, 'overrisen', (of a soufflé that's been badly cooked) was far better, but it was rejected. Oh well!

MK  ;D

2134
Words / Re: vernier
« on: May 30, 2013, 04:25:22 PM »
I have to admit that I do know the word because I used to teach an English course to trainee technicians and they had to learn about the Vernier caliper. However, in the text-book I used it was always written with a capital letter. Common? No way, unless in your job you have to measure very, very small distances.

MK

2135
Words / Re: chitin
« on: May 28, 2013, 08:32:35 PM »
Not wanting to labo(u)r the point, but 'diatom', another 'biology' word, and one which I've also learned from playing Chi, was 'uncommon' in yesterday's 'motivated' game.

MK

2136
Words / chitin
« on: May 27, 2013, 10:32:38 AM »
Chitin: I know it's been in Chi before, and I know it's probably in every o-level (10th grade) biology text-book ever written, but it does seem a little bit technical to be a common word. It's certainly not a word I'd expect to come across every day.

MK

2137
Words / Re: Schoolmarm?
« on: May 23, 2013, 09:10:37 PM »
According to the COD, it's 'chiefly N. American', so recognized perhaps,  but seldom used in Britain and elsewhere. As with many other 'American' words it may have become familiar through films and TV.

 Lady schoolteachers in UK are always addressed as 'Miss', irrespective of age or marital status, and never as 'Ma'am' (or 'Marm'), which I believe is common in US.

GC, I have to sympathize with you; I, too, was short of only the nine-letter word on a recent game, but I saw and was able to play 'nostalgic' with about two minutes remaining. Close.

MK



2138
Words / Re: Crosspatch
« on: May 22, 2013, 07:23:36 PM »
Gordon Bennett was the Australian General who commanded the Allied forces in Singapore at the time of the Japanese invasion. He became notorious for escaping from the island while his men were captured.
I think the exclamation 'Gordon Bennett!' is some sort of corruption of 'God damn it!' but I'm not sure.

MK

2139
Words / Re: flatlet
« on: May 22, 2013, 05:01:35 PM »
It was the only common word I missed in that game too, TRex. Sounds like estate agents' jargon to me. Two closets with one door = one flatlet .
It actually reminded me of the Monty Python 'package tour' sketch when they talk about staying in 'bijou roomettes'.

MK

2140
Words / for Homer
« on: May 19, 2013, 06:41:31 PM »
In yesterday's 'shouldered' 10-letter game,  'ohed' (said 'oh')  and 'ehed' (said 'eh', presumably) were both allowed as 'uncommon' words. I've also seen 'oohed' and 'ahed' in other games.  But no 'duhed'!!!
 Surely, as a tribute to one of life's great philosophers (Homer Simpson), this word should be accepted? duh!

MK ;D

2141
Whatever / Re: FACEBOOK
« on: May 19, 2013, 12:21:42 PM »

Quote from: Morbius on May 19, 2013, 10:48:15 AM
I choose to ignore the advertising, just as I choose to ignore the advertising in newspapers, on commercial TV stations and on other websites. .

I first read Vance Packard's 'Hidden Persuaders' nearly fifty years ago. Its messages have remained with me ever since. The only difference is that the advertisers have become much more subtle than they were in the fifties. They're like a swarm of flies - they can't be ignored.

MK

2142
Whatever / Re: FACEBOOK
« on: May 18, 2013, 08:50:26 PM »
What little I know of the history of Facebook was gleaned from the excellent movie 'Social Network'', so it may not be altogether accurate. It seems to me that what started out as a way for close college friends to keep in touch with one another has become yet another multi-billion dollar industry. Having gigantic multi-national corporations flashing 'Join us on Facebook' messages can hardly be what the founders of Facebook had it mind.
Or am I just being naïve?
Maybe it is inevitable that advertising agencies will see social networks such as Twitter and Facebook with their worldwide membership as fair game, but I prefer to have as little to do with the (m)admen as possible.
Or am I just paranoid?

MK

2143
Words / Re: word suggestion: caron
« on: May 16, 2013, 11:27:29 PM »
Interesting list of diacritics: I've heard of most of them, but 'ogonek' is new to me (and to the wretched spell-checker which has just underlined it!)  One which appears to be missing is German 'umlaut'.

MK

2144
Whatever / Re: map of regional American dialects
« on: May 14, 2013, 02:40:29 AM »
Quote from: birdy on May 13, 2013, 11:43:16 AM

This is a labor of love by a man who does this for a hobby.


Much scholarship and research in earlier times was done by enthusiastic, wealthy 'amateurs' with time on their hands - the Brothers Grimm who devoted their lives to the study of language and the collection of folk-lore are but one example. There were lots of others.

MK

2145
Words / braille
« on: May 12, 2013, 10:41:59 AM »
I tried 'braille' on spec in yesterday's 'liberally' standard, and was actually pleasantly surprised when it was allowed. Some dictionaries, including the COD, show it only with a capital (Braille). Taking this as a precedent, I wonder if there's also a case for including 'morse' as a common word - another system of communication named after its inventor?

MK

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