Word of the day strikes back

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Kelantan
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Word of the day

Post by Kelantan » Thu Aug 19 2021 9:28am

THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021 - https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/

Phlegethon

[ fleg-uh-thon, flej- ]
noun

a stream of fire or fiery light.

THE ORIGIN OF PHLEGETHON
In addition to referring to “a stream of fire or fiery light,” Phlegethon retains its original meaning as the river of fire that surrounded Hades, the underworld, in Greek mythology. Its name literally means “burning” or “flaming” in Ancient Greek. The Phlegethon was one of five rivers in Hades; the others were the Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, and Styx. While the Phlegethon was known as the river of fire, the Acheron was the river of sadness, the Cocytus was the river of weeping, the Lethe was the river of forgetfulness, and the Styx was the river of hatred. All five rivers coalesced at the center of Hades, and Charon ferried the souls of the dead either along the Acheron or the Styx, depending on the author.

HOW IS PHLEGETHON USED?
[T]he Baptistery shone with ice, and the porch-lions of the Cathedral looked as though some eighteenth-century Farnese had fitted powdered wigs upon them. The Torrente from its bridges seemed a Phlegethon, a river of whirling smoke, but felt like what it really was: a reservoir of benumbing vapor. EDWIN HOWLAND BLASHFIELD AND EVANGELINE WILBOUR BLASHFIELD, ITALIAN CITIES, VOL. 1, 1900

The buckets dropped; the water sizzed and steamed on the sand. The boy barely missed stumbling into a Phlegethon of molten iron as he dodged the murderous missile. ISAAC K. FRIEDMAN, BY BREAD ALONE, 1901

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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Sarah » Fri Aug 20 2021 12:12pm

Word of the day from Susie Dent today:
Word of the day is 'feckful' (16th century): responsible; full of efficiency and vigour. The opposite of 'feckless'.
https://twitter.com/susie_dent/status/1 ... 78688?s=20
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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Sarah » Tue Aug 24 2021 9:41am

Posted by Susie Dent today:
A reminder, for those of us in need of a smile, that penguins were once known as 'arse-feet', eggs were 'cacklefarts', your hands were your 'daddles', and sausages were 'bags of mystery', because you never quite know what's in them.
https://twitter.com/susie_dent/status/1 ... 42017?s=20
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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Sarah » Wed Sep 08 2021 11:56am

Word fact of the day from Susie Dent today:
Word fact of the day: ‘wend’ was once a regular alternative to the verb ‘go’. It is fossilised in the phrase ‘wend our way’. ‘Go’ eventually took over, but we still use the past tense of ‘wend’ - ‘went’ - rather than ‘goed’.
https://twitter.com/susie_dent/status/1 ... 24899?s=20
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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by macliam » Wed Sep 08 2021 9:32pm

Can Susie suggest a word meaning "total waste of space"?

It would be useful for some of the recent "offer" posts on iMutual........
Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get me

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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Chadwick » Thu Sep 09 2021 11:52am

macliam wrote:
Wed Sep 08 2021 9:32pm
Can Susie suggest a word meaning "total waste of space"?

It would be useful for some of the recent "offer" posts on iMutual........
Like many of us, I already have an engraved antique piano and simply haven't got space for another, no matter how good the deal.
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macliam
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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by macliam » Thu Sep 09 2021 2:15pm

Chadwick wrote:
Thu Sep 09 2021 11:52am
macliam wrote:
Wed Sep 08 2021 9:32pm
Can Susie suggest a word meaning "total waste of space"?

It would be useful for some of the recent "offer" posts on iMutual........
Like many of us, I already have an engraved antique piano and simply haven't got space for another, no matter how good the deal.
I think Lidl are doing a centre-aisle offer on French Commodes too......... ;)
Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get me

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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Sarah » Fri Sep 10 2021 10:38am

Word of the day from Susie Dent today:
Word of the day is 'blatteroon' (17th century): a babbler of nonsense.
https://twitter.com/susie_dent/status/1 ... 32524?s=20
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sanity clause
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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by sanity clause » Fri Sep 10 2021 4:07pm

macliam wrote:
Wed Sep 08 2021 9:32pm
Can Susie suggest a word meaning "total waste of space"?

It would be useful for some of the recent "offer" posts on iMutual........
A Boris
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Re: Word of the day strikes back

Post by Richard Frost » Fri Sep 10 2021 5:08pm

sanity clause wrote:
Fri Sep 10 2021 4:07pm
macliam wrote:
Wed Sep 08 2021 9:32pm
Can Susie suggest a word meaning "total waste of space"?

It would be useful for some of the recent "offer" posts on iMutual........
A Boris
A bit late to realise that now. Plenty of people voted for him and he has another three years to go (at least).

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