A fishy glossary: weigh in with your own words

[windhoek]

I thought I'd start a thread for words. Whether weird, wonderful or whatever, if you like how a word looks, sounds or seems, feel free to share it. Who knows, we might end up building something worthwhile!?

I was trying to think of a word that meant something similar to solidarity but I wanted a word which began with 'c' to make an alliteration and although some words were close - such as commonality, comradeship and community - none were quite what I was after.

I then stumbled across esprit de corps and although the direct alliteration takes a hit, the poetic phrasing not to mention its meaning hits the nail right on the head - the money shot if you will.

So that's my starter for ten: esprit de corps

 

[madmike]

Well for starters "esprit de corps" isn't even a word, its three, and its French !!!!

That's really ruined my joie de vivre this morning.

How about "Anteprepenultimate" ?

 

[DevillEars]

There's always that one which emerged from one of John W. Campbell Jnr's editorials in Astounding SF:

"HYPERINFRACANIPHILIA"

An excessive and irrational love of the underdog. (Attributed by Campbell to be an American cultural defect).

 

[windhoek]

I'm familiar with antepenultimate, but "Anteprepenultimate"? That's not even a word !!!!

That's really restored my joie de vivre this morning.

 

[matthewr]

To (mis)quote Stephen Fry, do you use words like this out of perverse desire to be sesquipedalian?

 

[Euan]

"Brocolli" is an excellent word. Makes me smile everytime I hear it.

"Shrubbery" and "Strawberry" are also good words but don't quite reach the giggly heights of "Brocolli."

 

[windhoek]

I heard someone say mooching the other day; a fine word to have at hand when you've got plenty of time to kill with no particular place to be.

 

[PaulMB]

If you mean the green stuff you eat, it has 2 "C"s and one "L." But maybe this is something else...

 

[foxwelljsly]

Crepuscular. Sounds far more sinister than it actually is.

 

[Joe Hutch]

Liminal. Used much less frequently than subliminal. for some reason.

 

[madmike]

As a lawyer I get to exchange correspondence quite frequently with other lawyers most of whom I get on with fine. We do have our little willy waving competitions metaphorically speaking of course.

We say things like "I refer to the penultimate paragraph of your letter dated..."

The paragraph before that is the prepenultimate and the paragraph before that is the anteprepenultimate.

Now where do I send my bill ?

 

[rbrown]

I heard someone say mooching the other day; a fine word to have at hand when you've got plenty of time to kill with no particular place to be.

Or if you need to take your pooch for a mooch.

Rich

 

[droodzilla]

I find the language of Physics delightfully arcane. For example:
Hilbert space
Brillouin zone
Grand canonical ensemble

 

[windhoek]

As a lawyer I get to exchange correspondence quite frequently with other lawyers most of whom I get on with fine. We do have our little willy waving competitions metaphorically speaking of course.

We say things like "I refer to the penultimate paragraph of your letter dated..."

The paragraph before that is the prepenultimate and the paragraph before that is the anteprepenultimate.

Now where do I send my bill ?

Anywhere you like as long as it doesn't find me

 

[windhoek]

I find the language of Physics delightfully arcane. For example:
Hilbert space
Brillouin zone
Grand canonical ensemble

Geology: the foundation stone of the incomprehensibly arcane.

Take your pick here

 

[windhoek]

Crepuscular. Sounds far more sinister than it actually is.

Oh, I like that!

 

[Vinniemac]

I find the language of Physics delightfully arcane. For example:
Hilbert space
Brillouin zone
Grand canonical ensemble

On the other hand, it also gave us gluons, which bind or 'glue' quarks (another good word, thank you Mr Joyce) together.

 

[droodzilla]

On the other hand, it also gave us gluons, which bind or 'glue' quarks (another good word, thank you Mr Joyce) together.

Not to mention the Strong Force and the Weak Force. Whoever came up with those was seriously off their game.

 

[MJS]

Crepuscular. Sounds far more sinister than it actually is.

Well my Uxbridge English Dictionary defines it as a muscly crepe.

 

[Jo Sharp]

Not to mention the Strong Force and the Weak Force. Whoever came up with those was seriously off their game.

Presumably Darth Vader; as in "the force is strong with this one"?