My favorite Spanish word is “cosquilloso.” Koss-kee-yo-so.
Means “ticklish.”
My second favorite Spanish word is “por supuesto.”
Means “of course.”
Cosquilloso, por supuesto. Cosquilloso, por supuesto. Feels good, doesn’t it?
Repeat as needed. 🙂
Tag Archives: nifty trivia
another word to *not* name your kid.
hector HEK-tur, noun:
A bully.
transitive verb:
To intimidate or harass in a blustering way; to bully.
intransitive verb:
To play the bully; to bluster.
Hector derives from Greek Hektor, in Greek mythology the chief Trojan warrior and the eldest son of Priam, King of Troy.
mulct & horrent
mulct MULKT, noun:
A fine or penalty.
transitive verb:
1. To punish for an offense or misdemeanor by imposing a fine or demanding a forfeiture.
2. To obtain by fraud or deception.
3. To defraud; to swindle.
Mulct comes from Latin multa, “a fine.”
horrent HOR-ehnt adjective
Standing up like bristles, bristling.
From Latin horrent-, stem of horrens, present participle of horrere (to bristle).
chimera / tantivy
chimera ky-MIR-uh, noun:
1. (Capitalized) A fire-breathing she-monster represented as having a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail.
2. Any imaginary monster made up of grotesquely incongruous parts.
3. An illusion or mental fabrication; a grotesque product of the imagination.
4. An individual, organ, or part consisting of tissues of diverse genetic constitution, produced as a result of organ transplant, grafting, or genetic engineering.
Chimera comes from Latin chimaera, from Greek chimaira “she-goat, chimera.”
tantivy tan-TIV-ee adverb
At full gallop; at full speed.
noun
A fast gallop; rush.
adjective
Swift.
interjection
A hunting cry by a hunter riding a horse at full speed.
Of obscure origin, perhaps from the sound of a galloping horse’s feet.
sitting in a tin can…
Just installed starry night – backyard., and it’s fricking *amazing*. a total hoot.
has a 15 day trial period, and I think most people that are willing to sit through a 15 meg download (on dial-up- busy server, to my laptop it took about an hour, on dsl, it’d probably shoot down in 10 minutes or less) it’s a ton of fun. Even more so on the laptop, because you can take it outside and do stuff, compare to the real stars. more fun than just astronomy, though is the “view from any point” stuff…I like flying back out into space, and looking at satellites orbiting earth, and such. It’s peaceful, listening to soft music, imagining ones self in a out in vacuum.
recherche / chichi
recherche ruh-sher-SHAY, adjective:
1. Uncommon; exotic; rare.
2. Exquisite; choice.
3. Excessively refined; affected.
4. Pretentious; overblown.
Recherche comes from French, from rechercher, “to seek out,” from re- + chercher, “to look for, to seek.”
chichi SHEE-shee, adjective:
Affectedly elegant.
noun
1. Showy stylishness
2. A person with such quality.
From French of the same.
cecity
cecity (SEE-si-tee) noun
Blindness.
[From Latin caecitas, from caecus (blind).]
hubris HYOO-bruhs, noun:
Overbearing pride or presumption.
Hubris comes from Greek hybris, “excessive pride, wanton violence.”
Thanks a lot, ya dang Hussites!
Random historical tidbit:
The wagensburg was based in its organization on that of the Hussites. An Ordinance of 1480 speaks of two lines each of 50 wagons, a line either side of 100 each, and two outer lines of 300. Colored signal flags were used, largely of red and white, four of them bearing the symbols of a cannon, crossbow, halberd, or pike as easy recognition signs. An executioner and gallows accompanied the army; robbery brought the loss of a hand, while deceit concerning the enemy might mean being clubbed through the wagon lines.
hmm… braggadocio
braggadocio brag-uh-DOH-see-oh; -shee-oh; -shoh, noun:
1. A braggart.
2. Empty boasting.
3. A swaggering, cocky manner.
Braggadocio is from Braggadocchio, a boastful character in Spenser’s Faerie Queene.
epicene – – in honor of Neutered Newton.
epicene EP-uh-seen, adjective:
1. Having the characteristics of both sexes.
2. Effeminate; unmasculine.
3. Sexless; neuter.
4. (Linguistics) Having but one form of the noun for both the male and the female.
noun:
1. A person or thing that is epicene.
2. (Linguistics) An epicene word.
Epicene derives from Latin epicoenus, from Greek epikoinos, “common to,” from epi-, “upon” + koinos, “common.”
debouch
debouch dih-BOWCH; -BOOSH, intransitive verb:
1. To march out (as from a wood, defile, or other narrow or confined spot) into the open.
2. To emerge; to issue.
transitive verb:
To cause to emerge or issue; to discharge.
Debouch comes from French déboucher, from dé- (for de), “out of” (from Latin de) + bouche, “mouth” (from Latin bucca, “cheek, mouth”). The noun form is debouchment.
“Ripple”
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
– Proverbs 27:17
I’m glad I have the loved ones I do.
Words by Robert Hunter; music by Jerry Garcia.
If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine
And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung
Would you hear my voice come through the music
Would you hold it near as it were your own?
It’s a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken
Perhaps they’re better left unsung
I don’t know, don’t really care
Let there be songs to fill the air
Ripple in still water
When there is no pebble tossed
Nor wind to blow
Reach out your hand if your cup be empty
If your cup is full may it be again
Let it be known there is a fountain
That was not made by the hands of men
There is a road, no simple highway
Between the dawn and the dark of night
And if you go no one may follow
That path is for your steps alone
You who choose to lead must follow
But if you fall you fall alone
If you should stand then who’s to guide you?
If I knew the way I would take you home
clerisy
clerisy KLER-uh-see, noun:
The well educated class; the intelligentsia.
Clerisy is from German Klerisei, “clergy,” from Medieval Latin clericia, from Late Latin clericus, “priest,” from Late Greek klerikos, “belonging to the clergy,” from Greek kleros, “inheritance, lot,” in allusion to Deuteronomy 18:2 (“Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the LORD is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them”).
dishabille – how I am now, right before work.
dishabille dis-uh-BEEL, noun:
1. The state of being carelessly or partially dressed.
2. Casual or lounging attire.
3. An intentionally careless or casual manner.
Dishabille comes from French déshabiller, “to undress,” from dés-, “dis-” + habiller, “to clothe, to dress.”