Mr. Mxy's Word Corner

[SgtTanner]

nice keepem comin i feel smarter just by readin this topic

[MrMxyzptlk]

Okay.  Time to blow off the dust and get back to some kewl words!!

NEXT UP!:


ob·fus·cate [ob-fuh-skeyt, ob-fuhs-keyt]


–verb (used with object),-cat·ed, -cat·ing.
1. to confuse, bewilder, or stupefy.
2. to make obscure or unclear: to obfuscate a problem with extraneous information.
3. to darken.


1536, from L. obfuscatus, pp. of obfuscare "to darken," from ob "over" + fuscare "to make dark," from fuscus "dark."

I was going to scribe an elongated, convoluted diatribe full of trepidation and angst,
but alas, beckoning to me from afar were dulcet harmonies in curt hemi-demi-semiquaver.  
Hence I decided on this simple razor:

"Teller of Untruths, Teller of Untruths, your trousers are in a state of conflagration!*"

'That enough obfuscation for ya??

* "Liar, liar, pants on fire!"

[BFM_Kiwi]

 Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation!

[jim360]

Ah, the noble art of obfuscation! I remeber one particular master at it was the fictional character in a British comedy, Sir Humphrey Appleby. A few samples, with translations:

1. "Yes, I do see that there is a real dilemma here, in that while it has been Government policy to regard policy as the responsibility of ministers and administration as the responsibility of officials, questions of administrative policy cause confusion between the policy of administration and the administration of policy, especially when responsibility for the administration of the policy of adminstration conflicts or overlaps with the responsibility for the policy of the administration of policy."

Translation: No-one can be blamed for anything.

2. "Prime Minister, I must express in the strongest possible terms, my profound opposition to the newly instituated practice which imposes server restrictions on the ingress and egress of senior members of the heirarchy, and will, in all probability, should the current deplorable innovation be prepetuated, precipitate a constriction of the channels of communication and culminate in a condition of organisational atrophy and administrative paralysis that will render effectively impossible the coherent and coordinated discharge of the function of governmetn within Her Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland."

Translation: "I've lost my key."

3. "It's clear that the Committee has agreed that your new policy is really an excellent plan. But in view of some of the doubts being expressed, may I propose that I recall that after careful consideration, the considered view of the Committee was that, while they considered that the proposal met with broad approval in principle, that some of the principles were sufficiently fundamental in principle, and some of the considerations so complex and finely balanced in practice that in principle it was proposed that the sensible and prudent practice would be to submit the proposal for more detailed consideration, laying stress on the essential continuity of the new proposal with existing principles, the principle of the principal arguments which the proposal proposes and propounds for their approval. In principle."

Translation: "Don't say anything about your new policy just yet."

[BFM_SüprM@ñ]

Newton's three laws are rather cut and dry for the most part, yet my physics professor still manages to obfuscate the information by going off on tangents that rarely relate to the respective subject, and in retrospect apologizes before repeating the procedure.

[MrMxyzptlk]

Not getting the coverage that thsi thread used to get, but I'll keep on pluggin' anyway!

Therefore!:


flysch [flish]


–noun Geology
an association of certain types of marine sedimentary rocks characteristic of deposition in a foredeep.


1845–55;  < G < Swiss G flīsch  referring to such deposits in the Swiss Alps; perh. akin to Swabian dial. flins  slate (akin to flint)


NOTE: This word ties (at least) two others for longest word without a "traditional" vowel. (And one of the other two can be a letter LONGER when plural!)

While playing scrabble^TM the other day
I had no vowel tiles and only the letter "Y" to use as a vowel on the board.

I figured that I could play either 1) the planetary alignment of three (or more) celestial bodies, or 2) a regular, recurring symmetric motion, or 3) some underwater sedimentary rock.

Which do you think I played?

[BFM_Kiwi]

Hmmm.... syzygy, rhythm or flysch?  I'd say flysch.

[BFM_JANE]

What do you mean, "traditional" vowel? The letter Y is a vowel! The only time I've ever not called it a vowel, or at least implied that it wasn't a "traditional" vowel, was when I was trying to spell this guy's last name (Wieand). I was saying I have no clue how to spell his name, just that it "has, like, all the vowels in it. It's something like W-A-E-I-O-U-and-sometimes-Y-N-D". It wouldn't have been funny without the "and-sometimes-Y". It possibly wasn't funny with it, but I digress.

I would say that Y is more traditional than the other vowels, and I think Chaucer would agree. What do you say, Geoff?

"But al thyng which that shyneth as the gold,
Nis nat gold, as that I have herd it told."

So, what, are you suggesting that Y isn't really a vowel, even if They say it is? Some of Them do... This is why no one reads Chaucer anymore, hmph!

Anyway, all those stuck-up vowel traditionalists looking down their noses at the letter Y, deigning to make concessions for us with their patronizing quotation marks... "Traditional". Well, I never! Those unduly hard-headed folks can start a club for themselves, and the ironic Flysch Fellowship will one day cause an archaeological upset that will delight spiteful logophiles for many years after.


* * * *


And THAT is how you use "flysch" in a REAL sentence. I win this round. Unless someone can top it.

[ToAsTy (CaptObvious)]

first time visiting the word corner and i gotta say... awesome 
i find it wierdly interesting haha. keep em coming

[MrMxyzptlk]

Okay then, next, for your

edification [ed-uh-fi-key-shuhn]


–noun
1. an act of edifying.
2. the state of being edified; uplift.
3. moral improvement or guidance.


1350–1400;  ME (< AF) < L aedificātiōn-  (s. of aedificātiō ), equiv. to aedificāt ( us ) (ptp. of aedificāre ) built ( aedi-  s. of aedēs  house + -fic-,  comb. form of facere  to make + -ātus -ate¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

Heh.  This thread is nothing but edification,
in the sense of linguistic morality, at least!
 

[BFM_SüprM@ñ]

Oh nose! I missed flysch, but hopefully this will give me a bit of edification for my lack of attendance. And you need to correct your sig.... >.>

[BFM_Kiwi]

edification = getting schooled by Edison

[MrMxyzptlk]

So now - by popular request! (That means YOU, Supee!   ) - the new Word Corner word!

The Brit's should know THIS one!:

con·stab·u·lar·y¹  [kuhn-stab-yuh-ler-ee]


–noun
1. the  body  of  constables  of  a  district.
2. a  body  of  officers  of  the  peace  organized  on  a  military  basis.


1350–1400;   < ML  constabulāria,   fem.  of  constabulārius   constabulary  ²  ;  r.  ME  constablerie   < OF  < ML  as  above  


con·stab·u·lar·y²


–adjective
pertaining  to  constables  or  their  duties.

Also,  con·stab·u·lar


1815–25;   < ML  constabulārius;  see  constable

After a long night at the Hart & Garter my mates and I were nicked by some bobbies on our way about.
It took the whole lot of the constabulary, but they got us all locked up!

[BFM_JANE]

[nerd]

I love this word! Was just thinking about it earlier actually. Not in a sentence, just the word itself. I like the change from CONstable to conSTABulary. Emphasis FTW! It certainly makes MY day.

[/nerd]

[BFM_SüprM@ñ]

After the concert let out, it took the entire constabulary of Atlanta to quiet the crowd and get the under control.


Woot, took me a moment to think of a good-ish sentence Mxy. Nice pick. = )