Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Tintinnabulate
To tintinnabulate is to ring a bell, as many of you would have been aware. However, it's a beautiful word that I'm sure could do with more extensive use. So, dear word imps, go forth and tintinnabulate. Your invented meanings showed a degree of inventiveness for which I was particularly proud today. Vicki B was the winner in a close race on the poll. Well done, Vicki.
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17 comments:
Tintinnabulate - the special ability of being able to channel the spirit of that beloved Hollywood animal actor, Rin Tin Tin. Quite a rare talent, indeed.
You are not far off actually. What it really means is to repeat pronouncation correctly after someone has just pronounced a word incorrectly. i.e. American says 'tomayto' and immediately an English person would say a sentance with the word 'tomarto' in it. Fancy a nice bacon and tomarto sarnie?' To tintinnabulate. See, easy.
Tintinnabulate (v) - to walk or prance about on tiptoe possibly with bells on ones feet like english Morris Dancers.
..what's that rhyme which goes "...with rings on her fingers and bells on her toes..." or something like that?
tintinnabulate - The sound made inside of a house with a tin roof during a rainstorm.
Tintinnabulate-
To fight strongly with only chickens.
Thinks: Something like "... Tintinnabulating wherever she goes."
Which she might be doing if she was working in a bar, since tintinnabulation is the shaking action used when making cocktails. It's named for the sound of the ice.
"Martini, Dry, Tintinnabulated, not stirred"
Tintinnabulate - the irritating habit of trying to investigate and confirm everything one hears. (Emulating Herge's fictional character - detective boy, Tintin.)
e.g. I can't lie to my mom about the rock concert... She would Tintinnabulate and find out anyway!
P.S. YeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeHaaaaaaa!! I won my last entry! Thnx, but it was a tie! M still elated!!
I'm gonna win solo of these days! I so am! watch out!
It sounds like ringing in the ears to me but isnt that tinnitus!?
In answer to thinks! question re the rhyme...
Ride a cock horse to Bambury Cross
To see a fine lady upon a white horse
With Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes
She shall have music wherever she goes.
TO all you Americans out there ...
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!
Tintinnabulaters are sufferers of an OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder)which means that they are unable to enter a supermarket or store without tintinnabulating......to tintinnabulate is to feel the need to count each and every single tin can on the shelves in every aisle. This can be a very time consuming process due to the fact that while the tintinnabulater is counting the tins, if they see someone take a tin of say, peaches, off the shelf, they have to go back to the beginning and start all over again. This OCD, as with all OCD's can take over one's life, however there is some light at the end of the tunnel, a large proportion of tintinnabulaters gain successful employment as stocktake staff at supermarkets.
To "Tininnabulate" someone is to cause them to be suddenly and permanently obsessed with Tintin books.
Tintinnabulations are the mathematical calculations used by Professor Calculus to get Tintin's rocket to the moon in "Tintin: Destination Moon".
Ex.
Professor Calculus: Just a few more tintinnabulations Tintin, and I think we're ready for takeoff!
Tintin: You tintinnabulate away Professor. Snowy and I don't want you to make any mistakes on this one.
tintinnabulate (v)- to ring doorbells and run away. Used to be quite common, not so much now.
(PS- thank you for nominating me again! I'm honored)
tintinnabulate (v) to rise and play clanging musical instruments while fast sleep.
At band camp, Mary's habit of rising in the middle of the night and tintinnabulating with her cymbals infuriated her roommates.
WordImp --
Love your blog, wanted to play this word, but it's one of my favorite onomatopoeias, plus it's in one of my favorite poes, The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe, so the real meaning just kept ringing in my ears.
Your blog's denizens did a great job of redefining it.
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