Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Serinette
It's seldom in this game that the word and its meaning are both attractive. However, it's happened with serinette. Granted, your invented meanings were way up there. But I'm afraid the real meaning is even more lovely. Here it is: a serinette is an instrument used to teach cage birds how to sing! I never knew such a thing existed and I have no idea how to get one or how to recognise one if I saw it languishing in a second hand shop. However, now we all know. Thanks again for a great range of well thought out meanings and a bit of argy bargy between a couple of the word imps. It all adds to the flavour and colour of the day. Anyway, back to business. In a hard fought battle, Dancerella took first place on the poll today. Great work Dancerella.
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A ginglymus is used by judges in gin competitions. It measures the composition of the gin being judged, enabling the judges to find the best gin without having to taste it. Naturally though, they do taste each one, just to make absolutely sure.
You've lost me there Jude! Anyway, to get back to a serinette. This, of course, is a serenade cut short due to some unfortunate circumstance.
Wayne's serenade turned serinette when having just got to the end of the first line of his romantic rapping beneath Chantelle's bedroom window, his face became wrapped in a custard pie.
Oh! Finally, one that I know! Serinette is the sound of a balloon losing its air. There is a group here in LA that actually performs a Serinette concert...four serinette musicians (the name of their group is "The Serinette's) line up with varying sizes of balloons and by letting the air out at different intervals and speeds, a beautiful light and airy sound forms the music. "Come on, Get Happy" is my favorite! And they do this WITHOUT an ounce of helium!!!
A serinette is an item of 19th century drug paraphernalia--a tiny spoon for taking opiates, used by ladies, made of ivory or mother of pearl.
These are very dainty, very petite, very precious, highly ornamented visual aids used by turn-of-the century ladies who were too vain to wear glasses or use the less elegant version--the lorgnette. Faberge used to make custom versions with enamel and gemstones for the Russian royal family. Today they are highly collectible and sell for millions at auction.
Serinette - noun, mermaid hand-towel
"These serinettes be damned", shouted Eric to Ariel in a huff. "They leave more water than they wipe up!"
a short little song, sung to girls sitting in windowsills.
Apologies Jude! You were caught in a time space continuum. I put ginglymus up as the new word then suddenly realised that it was a word I'd used once in the dim dark past. 2007 to be specific. Anyway, I deleted it and put up a newer new word of the day and there's where the confusion arose. So, word imps, Jude is not losing it. She was just too quick. And good meaning anyway Jude. You're in a world of your own today.
I will leave no mark today, forlorn gazing out my window. Why should I even try, perfection already scribed by the Chindo.
It's a portable-sized ceremonial sword carried by monarchs for whenever they need to bestow a knighthood in a hurry.
"Come On, Get Happy" [he smiles big]
Often referred to as Faker's Ballads, Serinettes are any of several Anglo folk ditties that Americans sing to prove their Irish/Scottish/Welsh/ Australian/New Zealander/Whatever heritages when no other evidence is available. Usually, a Serinetteer will claim a particular ancestry, argue with a friend (Come on, dude. You were born in Topeka. You're as Irish as I am), then begin to sing the first lines of his or her Pet Serinette. Of course they never know all of the words, so they end up humming or improvising the rest. Common Serinettes include:
When Irish Eyes are Smiling
Waltzing Matilda
The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond
Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport
Danny Boy
Mary of the South Seas
The Parting Glass (works for Ireland, Scotland, and Wales)
There are few who will claim English ancestry outright, but they are limited to two Serinettes: Rule Britannia and Jerusalem.
TMF
clam up fishicist. I know all the words of Sunday Bloody Sunday. That's me heritage and i'm stickin widdit.
serinette is the French word for a tear or run in pantyhose.
"Ah non, ai une serinette dans mes bas!!!"
Aahhh! The Chindo and his sparring partner The Mad Fishicist are back in full force. Life is good.
Check out Flight of the Conchords, Chindo. You might change your national identity.
PS. U2 Serinettes are the worst Faker's Ballads ever. They do not say, "I'm Irish." They say, "I listened to the radio at least once between 1986 and 2009."
Might as well use Brown Eyed Girl or The Boys are Back in Town.
(Incidentally, Serinette is closely related to Busillette, or Faker's Lingo. Busilletteers are Americans who always refer to Australia as Oz, Ireland as Eire, traditional Celtic music as Trad, Word Imperfect as "Great Craic", and New Zealand as Inner Earth)
Serinette:
There are two stages a mermaid must go through before she can become a Serin (Serin is the origin for siren, people translated it incorrectly so it became Siren to us). There is the Seriness, which is when a mermaid is about 500 years old they go to school for an other 100 years to learn how to act like a serin and if they pass that stage they move into the serinette stage. The serinette stage is when the mermaid learns how to hypnotize with her outstanding voice. Very few mermaids can master this technique, so very few of them actually become Serins or Sirens (whatever you want to call them)
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FABulous day in the life of wordimpers! I don't know about the Chindo or TMF...competition runs deeply! How could you begin to choose?
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