Word of the Day

[D. Allan]

insensate

1519, from L.L. insensatus "irrational, foolish," from L. in- "not" + sensatus "gifted with sense." Insensate means "not capable of feeling sensation," often "inanimate;" insensible means "lacking the power to feel with the senses," hence, often, "unconscious;" insensitive (1610), from M.L. sensitivus, means "having little or no reaction to what is perceived by one's senses," often "tactless."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

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insensate \in-SEN-sayt; -sit\, adjective:

1. Lacking sensation or awareness; inanimate.

2. Lacking human feeling or sensitivity; brutal; cruel.

3. Lacking sense; stupid; foolish.

The religion of primeval humans, he suggested, held that souls inhabited not only human beings but also animals, trees, plants--even rocks, rivers, and other natural features we regard as insensate.

-- Bill Strubbe, "The world as self, the self as world", The World & I, June 1, 1997

The cutting room is a cruel place, where writing that may have cost blood to commit to paper is kneaded and pummelled like so much insensate clay.

-- Jasper Rees, "Blood and ink on the floor", Independent, April 13, 1997

Europe needs security and, having experienced the insensate forces loosed by this war, wonders if security is a mirage.

-- Arthur Irwin, "Looking beyond VE-day", Maclean's, May 1, 1995

But then, without warning, the conflict degenerated, and the insensate killing began.

-- Jay Winik, "Between Honor and Glory", American Spectator, February 1, 2001

You'd have to be insensate not to know that the ad is designed to undermine Wellstone's popularity in this year's Senate race.

-- Greg Gordon, "Loopholes loom large as parties find a way around spending limits", Minneapolis Star Tribune, May 23, 1996

Insensate comes from Late Latin insensatus, from in-, "not" + sensatus, "gifted with sense, intelligent," from Latin sensus, "sense."

Dictionary.com

[D. Allan]

nugatory \NOO-guh-tor-ee; NYOO-\, adjective:

1. Trifling; insignificant; inconsequential.

2. Having no force; inoperative; ineffectual.

Tygiel's forte as a historian is his eye for what may appear nugatory or marginal but, when focused upon, illuminates the temper of a given moment.

-- Roberto Gonzlez Echevarria, "From Ruth to Rotisserie", New York Times, July 2, 2000

Jacoby's offense was no offense -- or an error so nugatory as to demand no more than a one-sentence explanation.

-- Lance Morrow, "In Boston, a Foolish Consistency of Little Minds", Time, July 19, 2000

Socialism no longer restrains; trade unions do so much less than they did; moral inhibitions over the acquisition and display of wealth are nugatory.

-- John Lloyd, "If not socialism, what will persuade the rich willingly to pay more taxes to help the poor and preserve a decent society?", New Statesman, August 2, 1996

- from Dictionary.com

nugatory

"trifling, of no value," 1603, from L. nugatorius "worthless, futile," from nugator (gen. nugatoris) "jester, trifler," from nugatus, pp. of nugari "to trifle," from nugæ (gen. nugarum) "jokes, jests, trifles," of unknown origin.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

[D. Allan]

pet·ty [PET-ee] –adjective, -ti·er, -ti·est.

1. of little or no importance or consequence: petty grievances.

2. of lesser or secondary importance, merit, etc.; minor: petty considerations.

3. having or showing narrow ideas, interests, etc.: petty minds.

4. mean or ungenerous in small or trifling things: a petty person.

5. showing or caused by meanness of spirit: a petty revenge.

6. of secondary rank, esp. in relation to others of the same class or kind: petty states; a petty tyrant.

[Origin: 1325–75; ME peti(t) small, minor < OF petit < Gallo-Romance *pittīttus, of expressive orig.]

—Related forms

pet·ti·ly, adverb

pet·ti·ness, noun

—Synonyms 1. nugatory, negligible, inconsiderable, slight. Petty, paltry, trifling, trivial apply to something that is so insignificant as to be almost unworthy of notice. Petty implies contemptible insignificance and littleness, inferiority and small worth: petty quarrels. Paltry is applied to something that is beneath one's notice, even despicable: a paltry amount. Something that is trifling is so unimportant and inconsiderable as to be practically negligible: a trifling error. Something that is trivial is slight, insignificant, and even in incongruous contrast to something that is significant or important: a trivial remark; a trivial task. 3. small. 4. stingy, miserly.

—Antonyms 1. important. 4. generous.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)

Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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petty

1393, "small," from O.Fr. petit "small" (see petit). In Eng., not originally disparaging (cf. petty cash, 1834, petty officer, 1577). Meaning "of small importance" is recorded from 1523; that of "small-minded" is from 1581. An old name for "Northern Lights" was petty dancers.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

[D. Allan]

pet·tish [PET-ish] –adjective

petulantly peevish: a pettish refusal.

[Origin: 1585–95; see pet2, -ish1]

—Related forms

pet·tish·ly, adverb

pet·tish·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)

Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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pettish

adjective

easily irritated or annoyed; "an incorrigibly fractious young man"; "not the least nettlesome of his countrymen"

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

[D. Allan]

pee·vish (pē'vĭsh) adj.

Querulous or discontented.

Ill-tempered.

Contrary; fractious.

[Middle English pevish, possibly from Latin perversus, past participle of perversus; see perverse.]

pee'vish·ly adv., pee'vish·ness n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

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peevish

1393, peyvesshe "perverse, capricious, silly," of uncertain origin, possibly modeled on L. perversus "reversed, perverse," pp. of pervertere "to turn about" (see pervert). Meaning "cross, fretful" first recorded c.1530. The verb peeve is a 1908 back-formation; pet peeve "the thing that provokes one most" is first attested 1919.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

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peevish

adjective

easily irritated or annoyed; "an incorrigibly fractious young man"; "not the least nettlesome of his countrymen"

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

[D. Allan]

peeve (pēv)

verb - peeved, peev·ing, peeves

To cause to be annoyed or resentful. See Synonyms at annoy.

noun

A vexation; a grievance.

A resentful mood: in a peeve about the delays.

[back-formation from peevish.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

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Pet peeve

- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

A pet peeve (or pet hate) is a minor annoyance that can instill great frustration in an individual.

Origin

The term originated from the word 'peeve', and is relatively recent - its first usage was in 1919. The term is a back-formation from the 14th-century word 'peevish,' meaning ornery or ill-tempered.

Description

Pet peeves involve complaints about specific behaviors, rather than general dissatisfaction. Pet peeves often involve specific behaviors of someone close, such as a spouse or significant other. These behaviors may involve disrespect, manners, personal hygiene, relationships, and family issues. An example of a pet peeve involving disrespect is someone not using their turn signal while driving. While some drivers feel frustrated when another driver does not use their turn signal, other drivers do not care very much, or consider something else, such as cellphone usage while driving more annoying. Pet peeves associated with driving can result in road rage, where the person who feels peeved seeks some sort of retribution for the action. Road rage itself is considered a pet peeve by many. Other driving-related pet peeves include drivers who speed up to keep others from changing lanes (Gap Snatchers), or distracted drivers talking on cell phones (Motor Mouths).

Often a pet peeve will seem illogical to others. For example, a supervisor may have a pet peeve about people leaving the lid on the copier up and react angrily, be annoyed when others interrupt when speaking, or by messy desks of their subordinates. That same supervisor may witness employees coming into work late, and not feel any annoyance whatsoever.

[D. Allan]

bin·na·cle (BIN-ə-kəl) noun

A case that supports and protects a ship's compass, located near the helm.

[Alteration of Middle English bitakille, from Old Spanish bitácula or from Old Portuguese bitácola, both from Latin habitāculum, habitation, from habitāre, to inhabit; see ghabh- in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

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Binnacle

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

A binnacle is a case or box on the deck of a ship, generally mounted in front of the helmsman, in which navigational instruments are placed for easy and quick reference as well as to protect the delicate instruments. A binnacle may be subdivided into sections and its contents typically include one or more compasses and a oil lamp or other light source. Other devices such as a sand timer for estimating speed may have been stored in the binnacle as well.

The construction of many early binnacles used nails (mid 1700s), which were later discovered to cause magnetic deviations in compass readings. As the development of the compass and understanding of magnetism progressed greater attention was given to binnacle construction to avoid compass disturbances caused by iron.

With the introduction of iron-clad ships the magnetic deviation observed in compasses became more severe. Methods of compensation by arranging iron or magnetic objects near the binnacle were developed. In 1854 a new type of binnacle was patented by John Gray of Liverpool which directly incorporated adjustable correcting magnets on screws or rack and pinions. This was improved again when Lord Kelvin patented in the 1880s another system of compass and which incorporated two compensating magnets.

The ship's Binnacle List is the medical department's report of personnel at sick bay, excused from that day's duty.

Etymology

Before 18th century bittacle, through Span. bitacula, from Lat. habitaculum, a little dwelling

References

Alan Gurney, Compass: A Story of Exploration and Innovation, W.W. Norton & Company, 2004, ISBN 0-393-32713-2.

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia © 2001-2006 Wikipedia contributors (Disclaimer)

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Last updated on Saturday December 29, 2007 at 12:02:52 PST (GMT -0800)

[D. Allan]

co·nun·drum (kə nun′drəm) noun

1.a riddle whose answer contains a pun (Ex.: “What's the difference between a jeweler and a jailer?”“One sells watches and the other watches cells.”)

2.any puzzling question or problem

Etymology: 16th-c. Oxford University L slang for pedant, whim, etc.; early sp. quonundrum

- www.yourdictionary.com

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Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus - Cite This Source

Main Entry: conundrum

Part of Speech: noun

Definition: puzzle

Synonyms: brain-teaser, closed book, enigma, mystery, mystification, poser, problem, puzzlement, riddle, why

Source: Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)

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Translations

Français (French)

n. - devinette, énigme

Deutsch (German)

n. - Rätsel

Ελληνική (Greek)

n. - αίνιγμα, γρίφος

Italiano (Italian)

indovinello, enigma, rompicapo

Português (Portuguese)

n. - enigma (m)

Русский (Russian)

шарада, головоломка

Español (Spanish)

n. - acertijo, adivinanza, enigma

العربيه (Arabic)

‏(الاسم) لغز, أحجيه‏

עברית (Hebrew)

n. - ‮חידה, בעייה‬

-source http://www.answers.com/topic/conundrum

[Woody]

dAb ... I found this one recently in an old Ellen White book from the 1800s ....

Quote:

Mrs Bigger has a baby. Which is bigger, Mrs. Bigger or the baby?

ANSWER: --- The baby is a LITTLE Bigger

Just one more snippet brought to you by REDWOOD.

[D. Allan]

Cool

Mrs. White was telling jokes? Wow.

Thanks for the snippet. Hey you can start a thread here on WOD, 'Snippet of the Day' if you like.

[Woody]

dAb ...

I'm sorry. I would love to give EGW the credit. But I think I mislead you. Let me clarify.

I found this joke in an old 1800s EGW book. But it was a

Snippet

It had been snipped from somewhere else and placed in the EGW book as a book mark. So, I found it in the EGW book but it wasn't from her.

Sorry for the confusion.

[D. Allan]

No problem! It just didn't sound like her! Too bad.

[Woody]

No problem! It just didn't sound like her! Too bad.

Oh Well ... Being the self-proclaimed gurue of Ellen G. White snippets ... you have just given me a challenge. I would love to find a joke that she told. I have no idea if she ever told one ... but I will search. She spoke against jokes ... so I doubt it. But I am going to take up the challenge.

Does anyone else know?

[nuff sed]

There ought to be something in that famous book,"Sr. White Says"..(Out of Print)

[Woody]

Glad ... I checked out Ebay for that title and could not find any. Are you sure that is the correct title?

I need to find a joke. I am having joke fix.

[D. Allan]

Quote:

There ought to be something in that famous book,"Sr. White Says"..(Out of Print)

:D

[nuff sed]

heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

[D. Allan]

macroverbumsciolist, noun

[D. Allan]

What a lovely word we have for today! Why have I never heard of it? And a quote from that mellifluous author, Sir Thomas Browne!

canorous \kuh-NOR-us; KAN-or-uhs\, adjective:

Richly melodious; pleasant sounding; musical.

I felt a deep contentment listening to the meadowlark's complex melody as he sat on his bragging post calling for a mate, and the soft canorous whistle of the bobwhite as he whistled his name with intermittent lulls.

-- Donna R. La Plante, "Remember When: The prairie after a spring rain", Kansas City Star, March 16, 2003

But birds that are canorous and whose notes we most commend, are of little throats, and short necks, as Nightingales, Finches, Linnets, Canary birds and Larks.

-- Sir Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica

Canorous comes from the Latin canor, "melody," from canere, "to sing." It is related to chant, from French chanter, "to sing," ultimately from Latin canere.

Dictionary.com

[D. Allan]

Here are a few "babble" words from the internet:

babblegram - A long rambling voicemail.

babbleonian - One who continually talks . . . who babbles on and on and on and. . . .

babblescent - A pre-teen or adolescent, based on the characteristic behavior of such young people -- they are always talking.

babbling brooke - A person who can’t kept her mouth shut, or keep a secret.

babbling ram - A verbal technique used to suppress opposition by using forceful, senseless babbling.

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bab·ble (bāb'əl) v. bab·bled, bab·bling, bab·bles

v. intr.

To utter a meaningless confusion of words or sounds: Babies babble before they can talk.

To talk foolishly or idly; chatter: "In 1977 [he] was thought of as crazy because he was babbling about supply side" (Newt Gingrich).

To make a continuous low, murmuring sound, as flowing water.

v. tr.

To utter rapidly and indistinctly.

To blurt out impulsively; disclose without careful consideration.

n.

Inarticulate or meaningless talk or sounds.

Idle or foolish talk; chatter.

A continuous low, murmuring sound, as of flowing water.

[Middle English babelen.]

source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

related: babblingly adv.

babblery obs. Sir Thomas Moore

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from the Online Etymology Dictionary

babble

1230, babeln "to prattle," akin to other Western European words for stammering and prattling (cf. Swed. babbla, Fr. babiller) attested from the same era, some of which were probably borrowed, but etymologists cannot now determine which were original. Probably imitative of baby-talk, in any case (cf. L. babulus, Gk. barbaros). "No direct connexion with Babel can be traced; though association with that may have affected the senses" [OED]. Meaning "to repeat oneself incoherently, speak foolishly" is attested from c.1418.

[D. Allan]

mien \MEEN\, noun:

1. Manner or bearing, especially as expressive of mood, attitude, or personality; demeanor.

2. Aspect; appearance.

He raised and answered the question with the dispassionate mien of a professor advising a student on a course of study.

-- Edith Anderson, Love in Exile

For her part, Amy soon learned to cloak her self-assurance and pride in her achievements in a modest mien.

-- Adrienne Fried Block, Amy Beach: Passionate Victorian

Here Mnemosyne shows her true face, and she is no young beauty. Not for her the unlined mien of the younger Muses.

-- Vera Schwarcz, Bridge Across Broken Time

Mien perhaps derives from French mine, "bearing, expression," from Breton min, "beak, snout," hence "a person's face."

Dictionary.com

[D. Allan]

pareidolia

There is an universal tendency among mankind to conceive all beings like themselves, and to transfer to every object, those qualities, with which they are familiarly acquainted, and of which they are intimately conscious. We find human faces in the moon, armies in the clouds; and by a natural propensity, if not corrected by experience and reflection, ascribe malice or good- will to every thing, that hurts or pleases us. --David Hume*

Pareidolia is a type of illusion or misperception involving a vague or obscure stimulus being perceived as something clear and distinct. For example, in the discolorations of a burnt tortilla one sees the face of Jesus Christ. Or one sees the image of Mother Teresa or Ronald Reagan in a cinnamon bun or a man in the moon.

Under ordinary circumstances, pareidolia provides a psychological explanation for many delusions based upon sense perception. For example, it explains many UFO sightings, as well as the hearing of sinister messages on records played backwards. Pareidolia explains Elvis, Bigfoot, and Loch Ness Monster sightings. It explains numerous religious apparitions and visions. And it explains why some people see a face or a building in a photograph of the Cydonia region of Mars.

Under clinical circumstances, some psychologists encourage pareidolia as a means to understanding a patient, e.g., the Rorschach ink blot test.

Astronomer Carl Sagan claimed that the human tendency to see faces in tortillas, clouds, cinnamon buns, and the like is an evolutionary trait. He writes:

As soon as the infant can see, it recognizes faces, and we now know that this skill is hardwired in our brains. Those infants who a million years ago were unable to recognize a face smiled back less, were less likely to win the hearts of their parents, and less likely to prosper. These days, nearly every infant is quick to identify a human face, and to respond with a goony grin (Sagan 1995: 45).

I think Sagan is right about the tendency to recognize faces, but I don't see any reason to think there is an evolutionary advantage in seeing replicas of paintings, ghosts, demons, and the like, in inanimate objects. There is, of course, an evolutionary advantage in seeing images of dinner or predators against a varied environmental background. There would be no advantage for, say, a hawk to be dive-bombing shadows on rocks, however. It seems likely that the modern mind is making associations with shapes, lines, shadows, and the like that are connected to current desires, interests, hopes, obsessions, and the like. Most people recognize illusions for what they are, but some become fixated on the reality of their perception and turn an illusion into a delusion. A little bit of critical thinking, however, should convince most reasonable people that a potato that looks like the Hindu god Ganesh, a cinnamon bun that looks like mother Teresa, or a burnt area on a tortilla that looks like Jesus are accidents and without significance. It is more likely that the Virgin Mary one sees in the reflection of a mirror or on the floor of an apartment complex or in the clouds has been generated from one's own imagination than that a person who has been dead for 2,000 years should manifest herself in such a mundane and useless fashion.

See also apophenia, face on Mars, Our Lady of Watsonville, Rorschach, subliminal, and unconscious.

- from the Skeptics Dictionary http://skepdic.com/pareidol.html

[LynnDel]

Interesting info on pareidolia. I wouldn't take parallels to the extreme, but I'd try to impress others in my conversation with that knowledge -- if only I knew how to pronounce the word.

[D. Allan]

This pronounciation for pareidolia was found at wordspy.com where the adjective pareidolic is given. That will give you twice the ability to impress others! Happy usages!

pareidolia (payr.eye.DOH.lee.uh) n. The erroneous or fanciful perception of a pattern or meaning in something that is actually ambiguous or random.

—pareidolic adj.

(For a great collection these and more example of pareidolia, visit http://thefolklorist.com).

To see the images you need java and a fast connection. That leaves me out. If anyone finds a fancinating pareidolic picture, they can post it here. thanks

[D. Allan]

This afternoon I yahooed for some pareidolic images and here is my favorite.

Pareidolic rock, Interstate Park, Wisconsin, spleenboy on flickr