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In a message dated 2/3/2004 8:05:43 PM Eastern Standard Time,
ddzimlew@... writes:
***I love words, but it's rare that I see one on a list that I don't
know. ***

Have you seen the 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue? I thought of
you and Sandra when I saw it. Not that you're vulgar, you understand.
<g>

School of Venus was one name for a brothel.
Dishclout was a dirty, greasy woman
A grave was sometimes called an earth bath.
A Hempen widow was someone who's husband had been hanged.

We have the book "The Word Museum", by Jeffrey Kacirk. We regularly use
words like quanked (overpowered by fatigue) and crapulous (given to
drunkenness.) <<<<


I *should* have said that there aren't many words that are used on an E-LIST
that I don't recognize. There are plenty of words I don't know! <G> I just
love words!

Cameron (who learned to hate all words, written or spoken, it seemed) has
again begun to enjoy words---asking for definitions, spellings, whatever. We're
both on the "word-a-day list" from Wordsmith. Here's one from this week:


>>>>mesne (meen) adjective

Intermediate; intervening.

[From Anglo-French, a variant of meen, from meien, from Latin medianus,
from medius (middle). Other words derived from the same root are median,
medieval, mediate, medium, intermediate, and mediocre.]

"In any case if the titles are in your favour, you can file the suit
for recovery of the licensed premises from the licensee in Civil Court
and also you can claim mesne profit from the date of termination of
license."
Divyakanth Mehta; Co-owners Can Give Premises to Family; The Economic
Times (New Delhi, India); Aug 10, 2003.

This week's theme: words with variant spellings.

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Cachinnate - To laugh hard, loudly, or convulsively; guffaw. Experience
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............................................................................
There is no one, no matter how wise he is, who has not in his youth said
things or done things that are so unpleasant to recall in later life that
he would expunge them entirely from his memory if that were possible.
-Marcel Proust, novelist (1871-1922)

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Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/mesne.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/mesne.ram<<<<<<<<


They have weekly "themes"---like this week: variant spellings.

Thanks for thinking of me and my vulgar tongue, Deb! <g>

When I was in college, I had a boyfriend who had a neat book----I *think* it
was called, _Famous Last Words_. Quotes from people about to die---many hanged
or otherwise executed, but some who were simply on their deathbeds. I always
thought it was interesting to read what folks found imperative to say----I
mean it's the LAST thing they'll say----and sometimes it was so strange! or funny
or profound....

I need to find that book!

~Kelly


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Deborah Lewis

***I mean it's the LAST thing they'll say----and sometimes it was so
strange! or funny
or profound....***

My dad always said he wanted "I told you I was sick!" on his
gravestone.<g>

Deb L, daughter of smart ass

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to
everything else in the universe."
~John Muir~