Single Counts

[whisky]

I am always mildly pleased when I find a word, and I am the only player to have found it.
I have not yet before had 2 single count words.

Maybe I will pour myself a wee dram in celebration.

[Jacki]

Well,what were they?

[whisky]

Now that the ADJUSTABLE game has closed, I can reply.

By the end of the game, those words were;

Astable - Count 4
( having some electronics background helped me here )

Ablute - Count 30

[Jacki]

I was shocked the first time I played ablute and it was rare. To me the saying "I'm going to ablute myself" or the likes of it is something I've heard a lot.
The other word, astable, I'm not familiar with.

[whisky]

Astable is one of the classic types of multivibrators ( electronics term for a flip flop ).

Bistable
Stable in either state ( on or off ) much like a light switch

Monostable
Only stable in one state, but can be tripped in to the other state temporarily, much like a light timer switch.

Astable
Not stable in either state, will flip back and forth from one unstable state to the other.

Hope that's of interest.
Michael

[birdy]

Jacki, do you use ablute as a regular word, or is it a kind of joking word?  I ask because, though I know the word ablutions, I've never seen or heard ablute.

Whisky, I would never have got any of those "stable" words. Obviously I need to know more about electronics!

[mkenuk]

Ablution in Catholicism is the part of the Mass following the Communion where the priest performs a ceremonial washing of his hands.

I don't know about the US, but friends tell me that in the UK military, the 'ablutions' are the same as the latrines;
on a ship they are known as 'the heads'.

COD doesn't have an entry for ablute, only for ablution.
I've heard the word often enough, but always as a kind of humorous euphemism, like 'powder my nose' or 'spend a penny'.

[Jacki]

Birdy, in our household we say frequently "I abluted myself" or words to that effect to signify we have gone to the toilet, washed our hands, cleaned ourselves up,etc.