Sybarite

Sybarite lends itself to many possible meanings. Here's one suggestion: A sybarite is a person who prefers to use words of only one syllable, making it very difficult for them to explain the meaning of sybarite.

Oh well, we can't be on form all day every day. The assorted word imps out there in Word Imperia will have to suggest some more appropriate, yet quirky, meanings for sybarite. I look forward to reading your responses.

Isinglass

An isinglass is a gelatine which is found in some freshwater fish. Rather a boring meaning and nowhere near as interesting as my own invented meaning. However, I didn't think I could choose my own meaning as the winner. Instead, I have chosen the well thought out suggestion of Anonymous who said:

"Isinglass (Ising-Lass). This is the term used to refer to a young lady that comes from the town of Ising. People from the town of Ising have a habit of running alltheirworsdtogetherwhentheyspeakwhichmakesitveryhardforanyo..."

Burnous

A burnous is a long circular cloak with a hood. Sounds gorgeous, doesn't it? The burnous I pictured in my mind is red with white velvet on the collar and cuffs... However, I digress. And my dictionary would disagree with my vision because it says that a burnous is a garment particularly worn by Arabs. I'm sure they're hot enough without adding velvet cuffs to their ensembles.

The invented meanings for burnous were well thought out and enjoyable. I have decided that today's winner will be Hey Jude, for the following little offering:

A burnous is a traditional Himalayan walking stick, used to assist the native people when climbing in the Himalayas. The most famous burnous is the one Sherpa Tensing used when he accompanied Hillary on the successful expedition of Mt Everest, when they "knocked the bastard off".

Furze

Furze is very simple and not at all French or cuddly, I'm sad to say. It is apparently another name for that scourge of New Zealand farmland - gorse! So there's something new for me. I enjoyed the meanings created by those word imps who are still active and debated long and hard about a winner.

The chosen one was Laura, for her very elaborate and well planned meaning. Read on:

Furze: A rare dog breed with its origins in Sweden. The Furze breed is characteristic for a dog which is born with tufted clumps of fur but gradually loses these clumps by the time they are 18 months, leaving the dog virtually hairless.

The shed clumps of Furze fur are usually collected and woven into a type of yarn that is mainly used for rugs, due to it's water resistant properties. This is why many people familiar with the word Furze, mistake Furze as type of rug, when in reality it is what the rug is made from.

Blandishments

Thanks for your excellent invented meanings for blandishments. I loved them all, as I always do. But it's true.

Blandishments - in reality - are compliments which are intended to coax or persuade. Now that's a great word to add to our everyday communication.

As I said, it was tricky choosing from the entries, but I settled on realityjunkie as today's winner. Welcome back, realityjunkie! Here's the winner:

Blandishments are punishments that don't actually fit the crime.
"Emily should've been sent to bed without supper for hitting her little brother. Her mother took pity on her and gave her the blandishment of having a time out instead."

Gazunder

Gazunder is a business term. It occurs when a buyer reduces their offer on a property just before the contract is exchanged, even though they agreed to a higher price earlier. Or something like that anyway. Whatever it is, it sounds a bit suspect. I actually loved every one of the entrants in today's competition, so I had to close my eyes and point...

Raelha is the random winner - because her meaning is great and because she won the random lucky point which occurs when I can't choose between the entrants. Here it is:
Gazunder (n.) is the rumbly noise your tummy makes after eating too many beans before the expelling of any gas takes place.

May I also say that I realise I have been invisible for far too long. I will try to make up for it. Somehow.

Tumbril

A tumbril is actually a bit gory! It's a cart used to transport prisoners to the guillotine during the French Revolution. I'm always harping on about how I love all the invented meanings and how hard it is to choose between them. Well, this time it was super hard - they were all soooo good. Of course, that's not the reason that it took me so long to judge the entries. That was due to being overworked and deadline focused. I had to choose a winner, so here it is:

Meira came up with a great one: Tumbril, noun: a rare and lethal disease which affects users on Tumblr.com, in which the user becomes so addicted to the site that site and user are physically inseparable. Brain atrophy is a common side effect.