Siriasis

Siriasis is actually sunstroke. We're more likely to be prone to it down here in the southern hemisphere at the moment - although today's weather was pretty changeable. The garden was pleased of the rain though. Shari's entry was the favourite with the voters this time. Great work Shari.

Rictus

A rictus is the gape of an open mouth. Who knew that? Not me, that's for sure. However, mine's a rictus as I'm up so late watching Titanic on the telly. There was a tie on the voting poll between Sophie 8 and Habermans Habits. Well done, both of you.

Gnomon

The gnomon is the bit on a sun dial which shows the time by casting a shadow. So there you go. Another fascinating piece of information. I very much enjoyed the meanings on the blog today and agree with the voters who picked Sara's as the winning entry. Well done, Sara.

Bathybius

Bathybius isn't something you want in your bath at all. It's a slimy gelatinous substance dredged from the bottom of the ocean. Not sure why anyone would bother dredging it up or even giving it a name, but there you go. The dictionary's a bit like that. Anyway, there were some very creative meanings on the blog today and I'm happy to say that Madame C was the pick of the voters. Well done, Madame C.

Caprification

Caprification is actually nothing to do with caps or hats, funnily enough. It's far more interesting. Caprification is making figs ripen more quickly by subjecting them to the puncture of wild fig gall insects. Make sense to anyone? So there you go. It's holiday time and we're still learning something new. Sonnjea's meaning was chosen by the voters today. It was a close race though - even stevens right up to the last vote. Well done, Sonnjea.

Bastinado

Bastinado is terrible! It's punishment done by caning the soles of the feet! That's a word none of us needs to know, I'm sure. Albow's reference to pig dancing was a hit with the voters. Well done, Albow.

Nodosity

Nodosity is actually another word for knottiness. Now that's a useful word if you're into wowing your friends and co-workers. My daughter and I are both long haired blondes so nodosity is a constant companion. Sara's meaning won the day with the voters. Congratulations Sara.

Didapper

A didapper is a small diving waterfowl. There were some very intriguing entries on the blog and Floribunda's was the pick of the voters. I liked it too, Floribunda. Thanks for taking time out from your busy schedules everyone.

Uliginose

Uliginose means growing in muddy places. Not sure what actually does grow in muddy places but whatever it is, it's probably not that palatable. Perhaps someone could enlighten me. Molly Malone's entry was the favourite with the voters. Well done, Molly. Great to have you back on the blog.

Wentletrap

A wentletrap is actually a shellfish. It has a spiral shell with many whorls. I enjoyed reading the meanings on the blog today. Little Rhody's entry was voted the best. Well done and Merry Christmas Little Rhody.

Guddle

To guddle is to catch fish by hand by groping under stones and along stream banks. Sounds tricky. Floribunda was the favourite with the voters today. Well done, Floribunda. Enjoy the holiday season.

Ullage

Ullage is the correct word to describe the amount by which a container falls short of being full. So I suppose negative people look at the ullage instead of the liquid in a glass. I hope that makes sense to those reading. If not, I apologise. The voters chose Katy.did's invented meaning as the fave of the day. Katy.did well!

Testudinarious

Testudinarious describes the mottley red, black and yellow look of a tortoiseshell. We had a wonderfully friendly testudinarious kitten once. Unfortunately, she met a very sad end. On a brighter note, two clever word imps were equal first in today's poll. Congratulations to Jude and Yours Truly B.

Tabefaction

Tabefaction is actually emaciation caused by disease. So quite the opposite of what some word imps were thinking. Another great round of entries today. Thanks for your commitment this close to Christmas. I'm impressed. Voting was quite evenly spread between my three faves but Vicki B snuck in by a whisker. Congrats, Vicki B.

Plastron

Plastron is certainly an interesting word. It describes a variety of breast plates ranging from the chest piece on a suit of armour to the padded vest worn by fencers. It can even describe a woman's bodice. Another fabulous fact to be filed away for future use. I thought today's entries were all outstanding and Margie wowed the voters with her effort. Well done again, Margie.

Macula

A macula is really a dark permanent spot as in a spot on the sun, in a mineral or on the skin. Now I know. However, John suggested something much more interesting - if slightly unsavoury. And the voters liked it, so he's the winner for today. Well done, John.

Just a note about comments

I notice some people have been having trouble commenting in the last few weeks. I think it's a problem that could be explained by the following comment that I cut and pasted from the help section. Hope this is useful: Logging in with an old Blogger account to post a comment on the new Blogger is giving a “please try again later” error. Until we fix this, it may work to log in first at http://www.blogger.com/login.g, and then go to the comments page on the new version of Blogger in beta. — latest update on Thursday, December 14, 2006

Knittle

A knittle is a nautical term for a small line made of yarn. I think another definition of knittle could be a little gremlin who makes it hard for some would-be commenters to add their entries onto this blog. If you're having trouble, all I can say is keep trying, or do it anonymously like Shari did and include your name in the meaning. In fact, speaking of Shari, her inventive meaning was the favourite with voters. Good work, Shari.

Duniwassal

A duniwassal is a Scottish highland gentleman of secondary rank. I was pleased that Sara's entry won as it made me laugh out loud when I read it and I often thought about it during the day. It's a scenario I'm sure most parents can relate to. Thanks for that Sara and well done!

Animadvert

Animadverting is actually commenting unfavourably about something or someone. So basically, being highly critical. For those wishing to use animadvert in a sentence (she said, not expecting a rush from the crowd) the word is usually followed by "on". Hope that helps. I think I'll just stick to criticising. It seems a lot simpler. For the first time, all three voters on the poll received the same number of votes. So congratulations to Meg4Meg, Kathy and Vicki B who are all winners today. Well done, you three.

Crepitate

To crepitate is actually to make a crackling sound. Apparently, it also describes the action some beetles perform when they emit a shot of pungent fluid. Fortunately, I haven't witnessed such crepitation. I enjoyed the meanings of all the inventive bloggers out there, especially the winning entry by Angelfeet. It conjured up a particularly funny picture for me. Not in the slightest bit gory either.

Vang

Okay. So vang is a nautical term which will probably only make sense to the nautically minded. Vangs are the guy ropes that go from the end of the gaff to the deck. Any the wiser? Again, the blog meanings seemed far more interesting. Gregory's acronym was the favourite with the voters. Good thinking, Gregory!

Whimbrel

A whimbrel is actually a greyish brown wading bird with a white streaked breast. There was a good range of meanings on the blog and Reese came out tops today. Her description of a whimbrel as a person who whistles at the slightest provocation was delightful. Thanks, Reese.

Wassail

Wassail is all about drinking and making merry on festive occasions. Some of you were well aware of that. Maybe it's the time of year. I guess I can blame my non-drinker status for never having come across wassail before. Interesting pronunciation too. It seems to be either "woesil" or "waysil". Some interesting meanings made their way to the blog, with the voters choosing Haberman's Habits this time. Congratulations!

Dragonnade

Dragonnades were persecutions of Protestants under Louis XIV. Not sure how gruesome they were, but I decided not to go into too much detail. Thanks for an interesting selection of meanings for this word today. The voters decided Sonnjea B was the favourite today. Well done again Sonnjea.

Hellebore

Hellebore are various ancient plants believed to provide a cure for madness. Interesting. Not so many word imps today, but there may have been some trouble with comments and blogging. Shari and Sonnjea B share the honours on the voting poll today. Well done, ladies.

Specktioneer

A specktioneer is really a whaling term. It's the title give to the chief harpoon flinger. Not my cup of tea at all, but an interesting word nevertheless. I was relieved that so many word imps managed to think laterally and find lots of different meanings for specktioneer. I'm pleased to say the voters picked my favourite again. I must be on track. Vicki B takes the honours today. Excellent work!

Tabaret

Tabaret actually describes a type of upholstery fabric with alternating stripes of satin and watered silk. Presumably that will mean something to some of the word imps out there. Frankly, I'm not really any the wiser. My favourite entry was devised by Shari who was also the favourite in the voting. I loved her description of a tabaret as a tabby cat get together. Reminded me of a gorgeous picture book called Fred. If you haven't seen it yet Shari, seek it out.

Spillikin

Funnily enough, spillikins are splinters of wood or bone that are used for games. Perhaps named because they're easy to spill? Not sure. Anyway, I'll remember that word next time I'm playing crib. Your invented meanings all made me smile, as always. The one that made me smile most was written by Margie, who was also the favourite amongst the voters. The spot of food which finds its way to my top when I'm eating will forever more be known as a spillikin thanks to you, Margie.

Penannular

The dictionary meaning of pennanular is "almost ring-like" which actually doesn't help a lot. I think I'll stick with made up meanings for words. It seems a lot simpler and far more interesting. Eve's Lungs invented the meaning which gained the most votes. Well done!

Cerumen

Cerumen is the correct term for ear wax. Voters chose the invented meaning of Meg4Meg - a first time winner! Well done, Meg4Meg. Hope you like it enough to keep coming back.

Gamp

A gamp is actually a large untidy umbrella which got its name from a character in Charles Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit. The meaning offered by Sonnjea B was the favourite among voters today. I liked it too. Good to have you back, Sonnjea.

Opopanax

Opopanax got all of our mind marbles rattling and resulted in some quirky meanings on the blog. The real meaning, however, is pretty ordinary. It's a gum resin used to make perfume, among other things. I much prefer the meanings provided on the blog. Voters chose Sophie 8's meaning as the favourite this time. Well done, Sophie.

Gharry

A gharry is an Indian carriage which is usually horse-drawn and plies for hire. I guess some of the Indian bloggers out there probably knew that one. I particularly liked the meaning suggested by Floribunda and so did the voters. Well done, Floribunda. Welcome back!

Kourbash

A kourbash is nothing to do with food - despite the wonderful meanings dreamed up by our contributors today. It's actually a whip used for punishment in Turkey and Egypt. Voters preferred the entry from Madame C who described kourbash as the Polish equivalent of Greek plate breaking - only it's glasses that get broken. Good thinking Madame C.

Graupel

Graupel is actually snow pellets. We won't be seeing any graupel here this Christmas as it's almost summer in New Zealand - although I believe graupel was forecast for the South Island this week. I was pleased to see some more word imps join the fray again today. Greta and Molly Malone shared first place in the voting. Great to have you both back!

Imbricated

When something is imbricated, it's overlapping in a regular pattern. That could be a word that's worth keeping up my sleeve for future reference. The meaning dreamed up by Shari was chosen by the voters. Well done, Shari.

Contumacy

Contumacy is obstinate resistance to authority. Sonnjea B's suggestion that contumacy is an affliction suffered by bookworms was the favourite amongst pollsters. Thanks again, Sonnjea!

Arsis

In reality, arsis has a very odd meaning. Make of it what you will: originally it was the unaccented or shorter part of the foot of a verse. Now, however, it is the accented or longer part of the foot of a verse. So, somehow, the meaning of arsis has done a complete about turn to mean the opposite of what it meant originally. Very peculiar. The meaning invented by Ponderlicious was the favourite among the voters and, also, much easier to understand.

Haruspex

I'm back from school camp - tired and happy. And I'm back with a wonderful word for your edification - or maybe just your education. Haruspex. It sounds like a friendly enough kind of word, but it has a dark side. A haruspex was an Ancient Roman priest who practised divination by inspecting animal entrails. The precursor to tea leaves one presumes. Jude's invented meaning was chosen by the voters as the best of the bunch. Well done, Jude. I like it too. And yes, I'll keep an eye out for those emails!

Kylix

A kylix is really a tall stemmed, shallow drinking cup with two handles which was used in Ancient Greece. I'm finally back from an exhausting time at camp and have made the blog a priority over emptying bags and doing laundry, you'll be pleased to know. Ali and Eve's Lungs share the honours with the voters this time. Well done, you two.

Odalisque

An odalisque is actually a female slave or a concubine in a harem. I loved the suggestions for an alternative meaning and the one I loved most was the favourite on the poll too. It was from Squishy Mama, who said it's the way you feel after a good odal. I need one about now.

Fuliginous

Fuliginous means sooty. Simple, isn't it? In a strange coincidence, yesterday we had visitors for pancakes who brought with them a cute little dog called Sooty. Sooty is a dachshund chihuahua cross. But I digress. Shari and Angelfeet were joint winners in the poll. Well done, you two.

Euripus

A euripus is really a sea channel with turbulent currents. Sonnjea B's suggestion that Euripus is the hero of a Greek tragedy won the most votes. Well done again, Sonnjea.

Nullifidian

A nullifidian is really a sceptic with no religious beliefs. It was interesting to see the way most of the meanings you sent in overlapped each other today. Sara's meaning attracted the most votes, and I liked it best too. Well done Sara.

Maigre

Maigre really means not containing meat or meat juices. One of my friends who reads the blog emailed me today to say it's also a French word meaning not containing much fat, in reference to meat or a slender person. So there you go. I checked on dictionary.com and it also mentioned a European fish as another meaning for maigre. Aren't we all learning a lot? Well done to Vicki B and Greta who tied with the highest number of votes on the poll.

Bunraku

Bunraku is traditional Japanese puppet theatre. Lots of clever people thought it was something Japanese. Well done. There were some very funny guesses for this one but Annika Rose's boomerang thingy was a clear winner. Sounds like she could market them quite successfully too!

Deodand

Believe it or not! A deodand is an object which caused the death of a person and has been confiscated by the crown to be used for charitable purposes. I presume they wiped the blood off first. That has to be the spookiest real meaning I've found so far. Thanks for your impressive guesses. No one came close, but that's hardly surprising. I like Ali's meaning far more and so did the voters. Well done, Ali.

Feria

A feria is actually a religious term referring to a day when no feasts are observed. So quite an ordinary day really. Today, for example, was a feria in our household. The guesses on the blog today, however, were far from ordinary. The winner was Amalia. Thanks everyone.

Pharisaical

The real meaning of pharisaical is hypocritically self-righteous. Not something I'd like on my CV. Some of this week's entries were quite close to the real meaning of pharisaical. The voters picked Clare's meaning as the best this time round. Congratulations, Clare. Very imaginative.

Jorum

A jorum is a large drinking bowl. In fact, that's the way I like my latte. And my moccacino, for that matter. So perhaps I'll ask for a jorum of latte next time I'm in a cafe. Sonnjea B, word imp extraordinaire, got the most votes for her picture of a jorum as a group of people at a jousting match. Well done, Sonnjea.

Effulgent

Effulgent means radiant. So, in theory, Charlotte's Web could have featured effulgent instead of radiant. But perhaps it doesn't have quite the same ring. Voters chose Billie's meaning - always good to see someone new to the game Billie. Well done.

Panegyric

Oddly enough, panegyric is a synonym for encomium. If that sentence sounds bizarre to you, perhaps you haven't been playing the game long enough. Or maybe too long! It's a eulogy. Well done to all today's word imps. Shari's entry received the most votes. I'm glad, because I loved her idea that a panegyric was my double from a parallel universe. I would find a double very useful.

Vellicate

To vellicate really means to twitch. I don't think any of your meanings came close to the truth but, fortunately, that's not the point of the game. Thanks for coming up with wonderful, quirky meanings yet again. The voters chose the rather scary meaning of Madame C who described a vellicate as someone who eats jelly babies head first.

Quotidian

Quotidian actually means recurring daily. It also means commonplace or trivial. You all excelled yourselves with your made up meanings for this word. I enjoyed reading them. The voting was even between Molly Malone and Cynthia Bostwick. So, well done to you both! I agree with the voters' analysis.

Umbrageous

Umbrageous is an old word for shady. Thanks for the superb meanings from our dedicated band of word imps. Sonnjea B's entry describing umbrageous as the opposite of courageous was the favourite with the voters.

Cordwainer

A cordwainer is really a shoemaker. I thought the meanings suggested by visitors to the blog were much more interesting than that, though. The one that got the most votes was the wonderful description of corduroy from Next Stop Oregon, including "cordwainers" and "cordmonders".

Opsimath

An opsimath is actually a person who learns late in life. Sounds like a good word to describe me with my newfound blogging skills. Thanks for joining in with your suggested meanings. Voters picked the entry of Eve's Lungs who linked opsimath with foresight.

Farinaceous

Farinaceous refers to anything containing flour, meal or starch. As well as the usual variety of meanings, there was some interesting banter between participants in the blog. Nothing too farinaceous, but getting a bit personal in plACEs. I liked Ali's meaning - especially from a newcomer. The voters chose Reese's entry which described farinaceous as deep and brooding. Well done, Reese.

Martinet

A martinet is a strict disciplinarian, named after Jean Martinet, 17th century French army officer. Madame C's description was the winner. She described a martinet as the fastening on a farthingale. Thanks to everyone for their wonderful descriptions.

Tumulus

A tumulus, oddly enough, is a mound of earth or stones placed over an ancient grave. Some of you happened upon the graveyard connection in your meanings. Spooky. This word has to rate up there with panoply as one of my favourite words so far in this game. And thanks to new player, 3 Elements, for the winning entry which described the Nissan Tumulus as the newest midsized SUV. Great name for a car.

Cornuted

Cornuted means with horns or horn-like projections. So next time you're down on the farm you can sound incredibly intelligent and describe a horned animal as cornuted. Sonnjea B won the vote with her idea that cornuted related to cost cutting by companies with no thought of the end result for the poor consumer. Keep up the good work Sonnjea B!

Encomium

I think your meanings for encomium are much better than the dictionary meaning - which is a tribute of high praise. Who knew that? Next Stop Oregon gained the most votes with the suggestion that encomium was akin to encouragement. Congratulations!

Stertorous

Stertorous refers to snorelike noises. Interestingly, several people made reference to noises in sleep or different ways of talking in their invented definitions. The voting was close there for a while, but eventually Sonnjea B's version of stertorous as the lurching, jerking gait of monsters and toddlers surged ahead as the winner.

Quern

A quern is really something very simple. It's a hand-operated mill for grinding corn. So Rhonda was spookily close with her mention of corn for dinner! Valentine's wonderful space-time glitch meaning got the most votes. Well done, Valentine. And a first timer as well! Check out the blog of Kimono Hime, winner of the threnody vote a few days ago. She has posted two photos on her blog referring to threnody. Now, that's what I call dedication. Thanks Kimono. I see what you mean! Here's the link: www.midnightnoise.blogspot.com

Panoply

Panoply seems to have a variety of meanings including an impressive display, a suit of armour, any protective covering or ceremonial attire. I think this could become my new favourite word since it covers so many things (pun intended) - and that's not even counting the numerous meanings from the good people who visit my site with satisfying regularity. Special mention of course to Angelfeet who is a first time player. Thanks for trying out the blog, Angelfeet. The public voted and chose the anonymous entry which described romance in the kitchen. Well done, anonymous. Happy panoply!

Regnant

Regnant means reigning as in Queen Elizabeth II, still. I thought a few people might know this. Others suggested connections with pregnancy, which were thought provoking. All in all, I found this a satisfying word and I enjoyed reading your entries immensely. The votes have been counted and the most popular from my top three was the entry of Amalia who renamed a woman's belly post-birth as regnant. Great thinking, Amalia. Obviously, lots of us could relate to that from one point of view or another.

Threnody

Threnody is actually a funeral lament - which Shari described very poetically in her guess at the word's meaning. Well done, Shari. However, three other entries were put on the poll and voters chose Kimono Hime's wonderful suggestion about the crazy loose woven threads on the back of a tapestry. I'm sure the new meaning for this word will be used in her studio often.

Maunder

Maundering is talking or acting aimlessly or in a confused way. The word sounds a bit like its meaning so some of you picked up on that with your guesses. Again, it was really hard to choose, especially because there was a record number of entries. So I chose my favourite three and added a voting poll for visitors to choose. The winner was Blue Eagle! Well done.

Bowyang

I found bowyang in my Heinemann New Zealand Dictionary and I suspect it must be a very Kiwi word because I haven't found it anywhere else, including Dictionary.com. It means the ties used below the knees to keep trousers from dragging on the ground. Apparently they're used by sheep shearers, but I can think of a few teenagers I see around town who could definitely do with a bowyang or two. The competition is certainly heating up, with new people visiting the blog today and contributing creatively. Thanks for your interest. I really appreciate it. It was hard choosing a winner, so I chose two. Even that was difficult. Well done to everyone, especially Sonnjea B's idea about the bow tie going askew and Molly Malone's detailed description of a bowyang as a dull person who can't keep up with colourful conversation full of hyperbole and local metaphor. I loved the Antiques Roadshow one as well.

Termagant

It turns out that a termagant is a noisy and quarrelsome woman. Fortunately, I didn't come across any such people today. I enjoyed all your contributions and chose the meaning sent in by Clare who gave a wonderfully descriptive picture of a termagant as a small game bird with a plaintive ter-ter ter-ter call. I liked her suggestion about the "invisible p" at the beginning. Thanks for visiting, Clare. I hope you'll join us again.

Disport

To disport yourself is to divert or amuse yourself. Hopefully, I'll have heaps of people disporting themselves with my blog before too long. Thanks for your contributions. I chose Sophie's guess which suggested that the cancellation of an exciting upcoming event left her with a feeling of disport.

Deracinate

To deracinate actually means to uproot. My daughter and her friend did some deracinating in the garden today, under the guise of creating a pixie hollow. It's getting harder each day to choose a "best guess" from the many great guesses contributed. Today I couldn't decide between Lachlan, who likened deracinating to eliminating embarrassing members of the royal family, and Ace, who suggested that deracinating could refer to eliminating or mitigating racially distinctive features, using the example of Michael Jackson. So Ace and Lachlan are both well deserved winners. Thanks to everyone who had a go. I hope you come back soon.

Funambulist

A funambulist is actually a rope walker. Today's entries were all great. It was very hard to decide on a winner. However, I have decided on Alan's entry which suggests a funambulist fakes an injury to get a ride in an ambulance. It made me laugh out loud the longest.

Sequacious

Sequacious actually describes someone who is a follower rather than a leader. Someone who lacks originality! Obviously none of my blog visitors are sequacious at all. You're all exhibiting bucketloads of originality. Today I've chosen Annika Rose who thought sequacious might mean something sticky that makes a gooey sound like when you squish your feet in mud. Thanks Annika Rose.

Frippery

It had to happen. But I didn't expect it to happen so soon. JC's guess at a meaning for frippery was so close to perfect, it was uncanny. The official meaning is unnecessary adornment. So if there were prizes, JC would get the prize for fluking the correct answer. However, today's best entry goes to Vicki.B. who suggested frippery was how a frog might describe a slimy lily pad. Great thinking, Vicki. B. and JC.

Prestidigitation

Great guesses everyone! Prestidigitation is actually the sleight of hand that magicians are famed for. We've chosen the guess of Jessmess who used very technical skills to come up with her suggestion that prestidigitation could be the act of using prejudicial treatment for certain numerals. Thanks Jessmess. Hope you'll be back.

Dunnage

Dunnage is the loose stuff used to pack around goods to prevent damage! The winner of today's challenge was definitely JC who suggested it might mean the contents of a long drop toilet. Excellent work JC.

Perspicuous

Perspicuous - it actually means understood easily or expressed clearly.
Thanks for your suggested alternative meanings. We enjoyed reading them. Today's winner is Anonymous who thought perspicuous could be the feeling you get when you're seen through perspex. Well done everyone. We hope you'll be back for more.