eye dialect eye-DY-uh-lekt noun

Unusual or nonstandard spelling to represent an uneducated or youthful speaker or to convey dialectal or colloquial speech.

Examples: wuz for was, wimmin (women), enuff (enough), warez (wares), peepul (people), Strine (Australian).

[First used in print by George Phillip Krapp (1872-1934) in The English Language in America to denote spellings in which “the convention violated is one of the eyes, not of the ear.”]

latitudinarian lat-uh-too-din-AIR-ee-un; -tyoo-, adjective:

Having or expressing broad and tolerant views, especially in religious matters.

noun:
1. A person who is broad-minded and tolerant; one who displays freedom in thinking, especially in religious matters.
2. (Often capitalized) A member of the Church of England, in the time of Charles II, who adopted more liberal notions in respect to the authority, government, and doctrines of the church than generally prevailed.

Latitudinarian comes from Latin latitudo, latitudin-, “latitude” (from latus, “broad, wide”) + the suffix -arian.

ketch·up (kchp, kch-) also catch·up (kchp, kch-) or cat·sup (ktsp, kchp, kch-)

n.
A condiment consisting of a thick, smooth-textured, spicy sauce usually made from tomatoes.

——————————————————————————–
[Probably Malay kicap, fish sauce, possibly from Chinese (Cantonese) k-chap, equivalent to Chinese (Mandarin) qié, eggplant + Chinese (Mandarin) zh, sap, gravy.]
Word History: The word ketchup exemplifies the types of modifications that can take place in borrowingboth of words and substances. The source of our word ketchup may be the Malay word kchap, possibly taken into Malay from the Cantonese dialect of Chinese. Kchap, like ketchup, was a sauce, but one without tomatoes; rather, it contained fish brine, herbs, and spices. Sailors seem to have brought the sauce to Europe, where it was made with locally available ingredients such as the juice of mushrooms or walnuts. At some unknown point, when the juice of tomatoes was first used, ketchup as we know it was born. But it is important to realize that in the 18th and 19th centuries ketchup was a generic term for sauces whose only common ingredient was vinegar. The word is first recorded in English in 1690 in the form catchup, in 1711 in the form ketchup, and in 1730 in the form catsup. All three spelling variants of this foreign borrowing remain current.

suasion SWAY-zhun, noun:
The act of persuading; persuasion.

Suasion comes from Latin suasio, from suadere, “to present in a pleasing manner,” hence, “to advise.” It is related to suave, “gracious or agreeable in manner.”

Hobson-Jobson HOB-suhn JOB-suhn noun

Adaptation of a foreign word or phrase to fit the sound and spelling patterns of the borrowing language.

From the title of a book of the same name.

Examples –

Juggernaut from Sanskrit Jagannatha.
Plonk (cheap wine) from French [vin] blanc.
Mary Jane/Mary Warner/Mary Jane Warner for Mexican/Spanish marijuana.
Hocus-pocus from Latin hoc est corpus.

cavort kuh-VORT, intransitive verb:
1. To bound or prance about.
2. To have lively or boisterous fun; to behave in a high-spirited, festive manner.

Cavort is perhaps an alteration of curvet, “a light leap by a horse” (with the back arched or curved), from Italian corvetta, “a little curve,” from Middle French courbette, from courber, “to curve,” from Latin curvare, “to bend, to curve,” from curvus, “curved, bent.”

intrepid in-TREP-id, adjective:

Fearless; bold; brave; undaunted; courageous; as, an intrepid soldier; intrepid spirit.

Intrepid comes from Latin intrepidus, “calm,” from in-, “not” + trepidus, “anxious, disturbed.”

Synonyms: dauntless, resolute, daring, valiant, heroic.

Tom posted 25 things you need to keep in mind if you write a newspaper column by Keith Waterhouse and suggested that they apply to weblogs as well. Very interesting stuff…especially points #2, 5, 12, 16, 19, and 24.

Working on some writing, but doing it on paper, via pen. I’ll transcribe what I find to be interesting.

along hatt-baby, and such… what is this – http://www.btinternet.com/~david.st/b3ta/ ???

deracinate dee-RAS-uh-nayt, transitive verb:
1. To pluck up by the roots; to uproot; to extirpate.
2. To displace from one’s native or accustomed environment.

Deracinate comes from Middle French desraciner, from des-, “from” (from Latin de-) + racine, “root” (from Late Latin radicina, from Latin radix, radic-). The noun form is deracination.

cormorant KOR-muhr-uhnt noun

1. Any of the seabirds of the family Phalacrocoracidae, having a hooked bill with a pouch under it, a long neck and webbed feet.
2. A greedy person.

Middle English cormeraunt, from Middle French cormorant, from Old French cormareng, from corp, raven + marenc, of the sea, from Latin marinus.

scud (skud) verb intr.

1. To run or move swiftly.
2. In nautical parlance, to run before a gale with little or no sail set.

noun

1. The act of scudding.
2. Clouds, rain, mist, etc. driven by the wind.
3. Low clouds beneath another cloud layer.

Uncertain origin, possibly from Middle Low German schudden, to shake.

agon AH-gahn; ah-GOHN,
plural agones uh-GOH-neez noun:

A struggle or contest; conflict; especially between the protagonist and antagonist in a literary work.

Agon comes from Greek agon, “a struggle or contest.” It is related to agony.

I prefer to scud around the multiple LJ agones that seem to pop up like mushrooms after a rainstorm.

When Dinos Roamed America

What Dinosaur lived in your backyard?

I got –

Ichthyosaurus
Lived about 230-65 million years ago.

Description: The sharp-toothed Ichthyosaurus swam the seas with staggering speed, reaching 25 mph with a few tail flicks, and used this swiftness to make meals of many a fish and octopus. It grew 6 feet long and weighed 200 pounds, and had large ear bones and eye cavities, which indicate it had acute senses of sight and sound. Unlike dinosaurs, it gave birth to live young.

caterwaul KAT-ur-wol, intransitive verb:
1. To make a harsh cry.
2. To have a noisy argument.

noun:
A shrill, discordant sound.

Caterwaul is from Middle English caterwawen, “to cry as a cat,” either from Medieval Dutch kater, “tomcat” + Dutch wauwelen, “to tattle,” or for catawail, from cat-wail, “to wail like a cat.”

vexatious vek-SAY-shuhs adjective

1. Causing vexation or irritation.

2. A legal action instituted on insufficient grounds and brought solely to annoy the defendant.

From Middle English vexacioun, from Latin vexation, from vexatus, past participle of vexare, to vex.

inculpate (in-KUHL-payt) verb tr.

To accuse; to incriminate.

[From Late Latin inculpatus, from Latin in- + culpatus, past participle of culpare to blame, from culpa fault.]

“`It had not been there the morning before.’ `How do you know?’
`Because I tidied out the wardrobe.’ `That is final. Then someone came
into your room and placed the pistol there in order to inculpate you.'”
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Problem of Thor Bridge.

militate MIL-ih-tayt, intransitive verb:
To have force or influence.

Militate comes from Latin militatus, past participle of militare, “to serve as a soldier,” from miles, milit-, “a soldier.”

warren WOR-ehn noun:

1. A place where rabbits live or are kept.
2. A building or area that is overcrowded or has a complicated layout.

From Middle English warenne, area for breeding game, from Old French, possibly of Germanic origin.