Dictionary Theasaurus challenge

nomiyah · Post by **nomiyah** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 2:36 pm

Find 1 or several words or phrases that are unheard of. If anyone has heard of it, they get a point. If someone can elaborate on the meaning or history, they get a bonus point. If nobody has heard of it, you get the point.I'll go first. I have 4 terms from Roget's Theasaurus that I had never heard before.A "tub-thumper" is a protesterA "Stakhanovite" is a hard workerTo be active is to "kick up a shindy" or "go at it nineteen to the dozen"

horacejesse · Post by **horacejesse** » Sat Dec 30, 2006 2:43 pm

Good idea. But what is to keep people from running to their own reference books before they answer? I didn't know any of your phrases.

edteja · Post by **edteja** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 5:20 am

Tub thumper used to band on tubs at rallies to raise the noise level of their protests. I vaguely remember Stakhanovite, which I think is a WWII expression (wasn't that Stakahn a Russian shipyard?) , but don't remember the specifics. Shindy is a new one, for sure.

nomiyah · Post by **nomiyah** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 8:21 am

Quote:Good idea. But what is to keep people from running to their own reference books before they answer? I didn't know any of your phrases.The honor system applies. For the further explanation of the terms, I encourage research.

nomiyah · Post by **nomiyah** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 8:23 am

Quote:Tub thumper used to band on tubs at rallies to raise the noise level of their protests. I vaguely remember Stakhanovite, which I think is a WWII expression (wasn't that Stakahn a Russian shipyard?) , but don't remember the specifics. Shindy is a new one, for sure. Nice going Ed!!You get 2 points for hearing of tub-thumper and Stakhanovite. Plus you get 2 points for shedding some light both terms. 4 points total, first winner of the game.Tub-thumper, that makes sense!!!!!! Ok, it's a new day, anyone have a new word or term?

edteja · Post by **edteja** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 6:59 am

Okay, you know the trademarked game Scrabble, but scrabble is also a useful word, with both noun and verb usages. "She scrabbled..." is good English, but do you know what it means?

hummingbird · Post by **hummingbird** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 9:27 am

"She scrabbled in the dust for a living" is typical usage - scrabbled in this sense means to grope, as with fingers...that's my take on it... (having scrabbled a little mysel' in my time)H

edteja · Post by **edteja** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 11:39 am

Hey Ms Bird, you got it in one. That is actually the second use, according to Roget. Creeping is another one. It also finds ocassional use as a synonym for scrambled, which is how I ran across it. I thought that Jimmy Webb had used the wrong word when he wrote: "songwriters scrabbling..." But he was right.

nomiyah · Post by **nomiyah** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 7:41 pm

Heard of scrabbling before but never realized it was the same word as the game. Wonder what the connection is, maybe groping with fingers for the little square letters. I have a friend who is competes in Scrabble tournaments, I'll ask her.This thread really helps sharpen the old badinage.Hmmm... badinage... anyone know that one?

nomiyah · Post by **nomiyah** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 7:42 pm

Or you can go climb a monadnock...

Dictionary Theasaurus challenge

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