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 Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 6:12 pm
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 6:10 am
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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 6:12 am
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Taeryyn Matasoga I just have this mental image of ...scooping out... sweatdrop Blech. I'm not sure why I'm so squeamish about eyes, but I am. I dunno... You just gave me a pretty 1920s cartoon version of two anthropomorphic animals, one taking an ice-cream scoop and deocculating the other who reacts with overly-expressive cartoon style surprise, looking at the camera with his remaining eye, hands on his cheeks... What a weird thing to come to mind. Incidentally, I am quite sure that I agree with Firefox in its assessment that "deocculating" is absolutely not a word, but I forgot the correct one and didn't want to go looking. Furthermore, eyes are very sensitive, to say the least, so it stands to reason. |
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Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 5:26 pm
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Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 9:07 am
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umber
UHM-ber , noun;
1. North England Dialect. shade; shadow.
2. an earth consisting chiefly of a hydrated oxide of iron and some oxide of manganese, used in its natural state as a brown pigment (raw umber) or, after heating, as a reddish-brown pigment (burnt umber).
3. the color of such a pigment; dark dusky brown or dark reddish brown.
4. Ichthyology. the European grayling, Thymallus thymallus.
adjective:
1. of the color umber.
verb:
1. to color with or as if with umber.
Quotes:
"Sir," said Gouvernail, "see ye him not? I weened that ye had seen him, for yonder he hoveth under the umber of his ships, on horseback with his spear in his hand and his shield upon his shoulder."
-- Sir Thomas Malory, Morte d'Arthur
Yet despite the scorn that often issued from Lawrence's mouth, it was in the nature of that particular shade of umber that his eyes could express a limited set of emotions: tenderness, gratitude, injury, and need.
-- Lionel Shriver, The Post-Birthday World
Origin:
Beside the sense of "shade," umber more commonly describes a brown earthy pigment popular in the 1560s. The word has come full circle because the Latin root umbra refers to a "shadow" or "shade."
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Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 5:24 pm
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2013 5:50 am
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varia
VAIR-ee-uh , noun;
1. miscellaneous items, especially a miscellany of literary works.
Quotes:
This volume of Children's Literature differs from others in that its articles, varia, and many of its reviews were selected to illustrate a single theme...
-- Edited by Francelia Butler, Children's Literature, Vol. 15
There go the women, off to dig up tubers or gather other varia, the chores getting done by groups that seemed to agglutinate differently each time you watched.
-- Norman Rush, Mating
Origin:
Varia is the neuter or non-gendered plural of varius, a word transcribed directly from the Latin meaning "varied, different" and originally "spotted."
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Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2013 4:07 am
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xeric
ZEER-ik , adjective;
1. of, pertaining to, or adapted to a dry environment.
Quotes:
Tegene pointed out the subtle contouring that gradually ascended toward xeric slopes, where Lynden's army planted many surprises amidst the dry vegetation.
-- Robert Luis Rabello, The Long Journey
The range of plants selected tolerate this xeric, or very dry, regimen quite well.
-- Steven L. Cantor, Green Roofs in Sustainable Landscape Design
Origin:
Xeric, a relatively young word, was coined by ecologists W.S. Cooper and A.O. Weese in 1926 to replace the word xerophytic for a lack of moisture in both plants and animals.
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Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2013 4:37 pm
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Dragon:
Definition of dragon
noun
1a mythical monster like a giant reptile. In European tradition the dragon is typically fire-breathing and tends to symbolize chaos or evil, whereas in East Asia it is usually a beneficent symbol of fertility, associated with water and the heavens.
derogatory a fierce and intimidating woman:his wife is a real dragon
2 (also flying dragon)another term for flying lizard.
Australian any lizard of the agama family.
Phrases
chase the dragon
informal smoke heroin.
Symbolism and Meaning of Dragons
Dragon SymbolIntroduction to Dragon Meaning
More than any other image, the dragon is associated with the Orient. A symbol of the emperor himself, the dragon was master of all of the elements of nature. The sinuous dragon can take many forms and can be victorious in any circumstance. The dragon is often used in corporate logos and can be either male or female.
Dragon Symbolism in Feng Shui
A pregnant dragon is particularly auspicious as a symbol of future growth and expansion. The dragon is most useful in connection with fame, reputation and career. When the dragon symbol is applied in feng shui, the most effective placement is in the fame area of a home or in connection with a home office. An impressive representation of a dragon can be of tremendous positive benefit.
Dragon Symbolism In addition to Chinese dragons, there are nearly limitless tales of dragons in European mythology. Interestingly, the word dragon derives from two separate Greek words. One word means “a huge serpent or snake” and the other means “I see clearly”. Dragons in European traditions have wings, allowing them to soar freely above, resulting in a perspective that encompasses a huge panorama below. In this context, dragons can be thought to symbolize the ability to see the “big picture” as well as the ability to see far off danger or future circumstances.
Dragon Symbolism and Nature
In many cultures dragons are viewed as representing the primal forces in nature and the universe. They can alternately breathe fire, poison or ice. These abilities demonstrate that they are both creators and destroyers. Fire gives life (and sometimes death); ice and poison mete out death. Early muskets were named “dragons” due to their fire-spitting ability. Likewise, muskets can serve either to procure food and preserve life or to dole out death in battle.
Dragon Meaning in the Orient
Dragons in the Orient are associated with wisdom and longevity. They usually possess some form of magic or supernatural power. Chinese dragons tend to be benevolent; European dragons are often malevolent.
Asian dragons are usually associated with water in some way. Japanese dragons, in particular, are often depicted as huge water serpents. In early Jewish religious texts, dragons are seen as sea-monsters. In contrast with this, the early Vedic dragons were representations of lack of water or drought.
Origin of the Dragon Symbol
Dragon SymbolismDragons have captured the imagination of man for millennia. Some theorists believe that dragon myths originated from primitive peoples finding large skeletons of dinosaurs and postulating how they appeared during life. Others believe that forms of dragons still exist on earth today. The Loch Ness Monster is the primary modern example of a potential “water dragon”.
Some anthropologists believe that fire-spitting creatures are a real possibility. Animals with chambers for gases such as methane and a way to rub stones together in a large gizzard could conceivably breathe fire. Bombardier beetles, for example, spit vaporized acid out of their abdomens.
Dragons are one of the most complex and universal symbols on earth. Their popularity in contemporary literature and films seems to assure their ongoing place in literature and in the imagination of mankind.
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Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2013 9:54 am
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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 2:10 am
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zakuska
zuh-KOOS-kuh , noun;
1. an hors d'oeuvre.
Quotes:
"Do you have anything for zakuska, Tractvanna?" Oleg took stock of the table: boiled potatoes, bread, canned peas and sardines, a clove of garlic.
-- Marina Sonkina, "Tractorina's Travels," Lucia's Eyes and Other Stories
I drink a shot, take a bite of marinated mushrooms in sour cream. Humankind has yet to invent any better zakuska. Even Nanny's half-sour pickles can't hold a candle to this.
-- Vladimir Sorokin, Day of the Oprichnik
Origin:
This Russian word for a snack, zakuska, entered the lexicon in the mid 1880s as a derivative of kusát meaning "to bite."
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Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 10:48 am
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zephyrean
zef-uh-REE-uhn , adjective;
1. of, pertaining to, or like a zephyr; full of or containing light breezes.
Quotes:
Now, walking toward them, a gauzy, lavender shawl fluttering in her wake and her long, tight, burgundy curls flying every which way, she exuded zephyrean lightness.
-- Hyatt Bass, The Embers
Oh and her name; her name was softer than a rose petal at dawn, more yielding than the last rays of a dying sun, a zephyrean music that invoked heaven's envy.
-- Massud Alemi, Interruptions
Origin:
Zephyrean first appeared in print in the 1830s, from the Greek word zéphyros referring to the west wind.
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Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 3:27 pm
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Mitzvot- 613 commandments listed in the Torah- first 5 books of the Bible
NOW TO BLOW YOUR MINDS- THERE ARE NOT 10 COMMANDMENTS IN THE BIBLE BUT.........
The 613 commandments
Hebrew numerical value of the word "Torah" is 611, and combining Moses's 611 commandments with the first two of the Ten Commandments which were the only ones heard directly from God, adds up to 613.
These principles of Biblical law are sometimes called connections or commandments (mitzvot) and referred to collectively as the "Law of Moses" The word mitzvot is plural; singular is mitzvah. The 613 mitzvot have been divided into three general categories.
-A category of mitzvoth are called Mishpatim. These include commandments that are deemed to be self-evident, such as not to murder or not to steal. -Another category of mitzvot are called Edot ("testimonies"). They stand as testimonies in religious branches of Judaism. For example, the Shabbath is said to testify to the story that Hashem created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day and declared it holy.
-A third category of mitzvot are called Chukim. These commandments have no known rationale, and are perceived as pure manifestations of the Divine will.
Many of the mitzvot cannot be observed now, following the destruction of the Second Temple, although they still retain religious significance. According to one standard reckoning, there are 77 positive and 194 negative commandments that can be observed today, of which there are 26 commands that apply only within the Land of Israel. Furthermore, there are some time-related commandments from which women are exempt. Some depend on the special status of a person in Judaism (such as kohanim), while others apply only to men and others only to women.
(SO ` only 245 of the original 613 Commandments are relevant today outside of Israel... And unless you happen to be a Priest (Kohan- of which my Father and my male cousins happen to be- thanks to being direct descendants from Aaron-King David- and yes Jesus - you didn't know that Jesus was a Kohan did you? Follow the lineage people.) not even all 245 of those.
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Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2013 7:22 am
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ziggurat
ZIG-oo-rat , noun;
1. (among the ancient Babylonians and Assyrians) a temple of Sumerian origin in the form of a pyramidal tower, consisting of a number of stories and having about the outside a broad ascent winding round the structure, presenting the appearance of a series of terraces.
Quotes:
The social structure of our summer world was as fixed and hard of climbing as a ziggurat.
-- John Banville, The Sea
After talking for a moment about the new strawberry bed, a kind of earthen ziggurat in the middle of the garden, Alice hung up, unable to tell them after all.
-- Jane Smiley, Duplicate Keys
Origin:
Born in 1877, ziggurat is derived from the Assyrian ziqquratu meaning "height," or "pinnacle."
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