Words You Would Have Thought...

Graeme Cole · Post by **Graeme Cole** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 12:45 pm

PINATA.

It's in my ODE3 as piñata. The accented N should be allowed (DC suggested MAÑANA a couple of days ago). Is it not also in ODE2?

It does say "chiefly N. Amer.", but that to me implies it's an American word, rather than an American spelling of an English word.

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 1:29 pm

Graeme Cole wrote:PINATA.

It's in my ODE3 as piñata. The accented N should be allowed (DC suggested MAÑANA a couple of days ago). Is it not also in ODE2?

It does say "chiefly N. Amer.", but that to me implies it's an American word, rather than an American spelling of an English word.

Yep, exactly what you said. It'll be on apterous once we make the leap to ODE3.

Miriam Nussbaum · Post by **Miriam Nussbaum** » Mon Nov 15, 2010 1:07 am

TUBIST^ nearly lost me a game just now. Either it's more obscure than I thought or the world outside of the US has some special secret word for "tuba player" that I don't know. XD

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Mon Nov 15, 2010 10:02 am

Miriam Nussbaum wrote:TUBIST^ nearly lost me a game just now. Either it's more obscure than I thought or the world outside of the US has some special secret word for "tuba player" that I don't know. XD

Yeah, we just say tuba player (or, to put it another way, in my relatively extensive orchestral experience as a kid I never heard it called anything other than that).

Jon Corby · Post by **Jon Corby** » Wed Nov 17, 2010 12:30 pm

Michael Wallace wrote:
Miriam Nussbaum wrote:TUBIST^ nearly lost me a game just now. Either it's more obscure than I thought or the world outside of the US has some special secret word for "tuba player" that I don't know. XD
Yeah, we just say tuba player (or, to put it another way, in my relatively extensive orchestral experience as a kid I never heard it called anything other than that).

Miss Simpson, do you find something funny about the word 'tromboner'?

Nick Boldock · Post by **Nick Boldock** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 5:12 pm

I'd like to winge at the fact that WINGE isn't acceptable.

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 5:17 pm

Nick Boldock wrote:I'd like to winge at the fact that WINGE isn't acceptable.

Stick to whinging.

Nick Boldock · Post by **Nick Boldock** » Tue Dec 14, 2010 5:19 pm

Charlie Reams wrote:
Nick Boldock wrote:I'd like to winge at the fact that WINGE isn't acceptable.
Stick to whinging.

Bugger me I look a right thick twat now don't I...

...I think that was one of those "wood for the trees" moments...

Andrew Feist · Post by **Andrew Feist** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 3:10 pm

I was really happy about spotting ¶, until I didn't get any points for it.

Lesley Hines · Post by **Lesley Hines** » Fri Dec 17, 2010 3:58 pm

spored

Made worse by having valid, equal alternatives

Nick Boldock · Post by **Nick Boldock** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 11:39 pm

I just bombed out with FAJITA - surely one for the next dictionary??

Matt Bayfield · Post by **Matt Bayfield** » Sat Dec 25, 2010 12:19 am

FAJITAS, CORNFLAKES, and GOUJONS are just three of the food-related words which are only valid in ODE2r as plural nouns. Yes, it's daft.

Nik Mackintosh · Post by **Nik Mackintosh** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 2:05 am

Maybe suggested already,,,

'moonies'

Oliver Garner · Post by **Oliver Garner** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 2:26 pm

Nik Mackintosh wrote:Maybe suggested already,,,

'moonies'

Probably capitalised, if you referring to that Korean church movement.

Ian Volante · Post by **Ian Volante** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 5:47 pm

Oliver Garner wrote:
Nik Mackintosh wrote:Maybe suggested already,,,

'moonies'
Probably capitalised, if you referring to that Korean church movement.

One of the mistakes to cost me my fourth win on telly if I remember right.

Ian Volante · Post by **Ian Volante** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 3:07 pm

Appetise/appetize.

Nick Boldock · Post by **Nick Boldock** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 12:09 am

WENGE

It's a tree. As per - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenge

So why couldn't I have it?

It's now a common wood for furniture finishes so not exactly obscure.

Ryan Taylor · Post by **Ryan Taylor** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 9:21 am

Nick Boldock wrote:WENGE

It's a tree. As per - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenge

So why couldn't I have it?

It's now a common wood for furniture finishes so not exactly obscure.

Look's like it's capitalised.

Nick Boldock · Post by **Nick Boldock** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 12:48 pm

Ryan Taylor wrote:
Nick Boldock wrote:WENGE

It's a tree. As per - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenge

So why couldn't I have it?

It's now a common wood for furniture finishes so not exactly obscure.
Look's like it's capitalised.

Only in the Wiki title. Plenty of examples of normal usage when you look further down.

Oh well, wouldn't have mattered much anyway.

JimBentley · Post by **JimBentley** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 12:52 pm

Nick Boldock wrote:
Ryan Taylor wrote:
Nick Boldock wrote:WENGE

It's a tree. As per - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenge

So why couldn't I have it?

It's now a common wood for furniture finishes so not exactly obscure.
Look's like it's capitalised.
Only in the Wiki title. Plenty of examples of normal usage when you look further down.

Aye, it's in the two-volume Shorter Oxford and isn't capitalised. I guess it's just one of those deemed not common enough usage for the ODE.

Soph K · Post by **Soph K** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 2:24 pm

Charlie Reams wrote:
Graeme Cole wrote:PINATA.

It's in my ODE3 as piñata. The accented N should be allowed (DC suggested MAÑANA a couple of days ago). Is it not also in ODE2?

It does say "chiefly N. Amer.", but that to me implies it's an American word, rather than an American spelling of an English word.
Yep, exactly what you said. It'll be on apterous once we make the leap to ODE3.

What is ODE3?

Ryan Taylor · Post by **Ryan Taylor** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 4:01 pm

Soph K wrote:What is ODE3?

Oxford Dictionary of English 3rd edition.

Gavin Chipper · Post by **Gavin Chipper** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 6:18 pm

RUBBISHLY

Joseph Krol · Post by **Joseph Krol** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 8:35 pm

CASTED (bit of a cliche)

JimBentley · Post by **JimBentley** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 8:37 am

Gavin Chipper wrote:RUBBISHLY

I think RUBBISHILY would be more likely (RUBBISHY is specified as an adjective) but yeah, both should be in. Or neither. I don't know.

Rhys Benjamin · Post by **Rhys Benjamin** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 12:14 pm

sear and it's inflections.

Gavin Chipper · Post by **Gavin Chipper** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 1:47 pm

JimBentley wrote:
Gavin Chipper wrote:RUBBISHLY
I think RUBBISHILY would be more likely (RUBBISHY is specified as an adjective) but yeah, both should be in.

I suppose RUBBISHILY makes more sense as RUBBISH is supposed to be a noun, but in terms of usage, I would imagine RUBBISHLY wins hands down. Mass nouns can end up getting used as adjectives which is what has happened here, and then you get the LY on the end to make an adverb.

Andrew Feist · Post by **Andrew Feist** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 3:11 pm

Rhys Benjamin wrote:sear and it's inflections.

sear and it's inflections are valid words. (Since they are short words, they are often not maxes, though.)

Rhys Benjamin · Post by **Rhys Benjamin** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 4:47 pm

Andrew Feist wrote:
Rhys Benjamin wrote:sear and it's inflections.
sear and it's inflections are valid words. (Since they are short words, they are often not maxes, though.)

The only one in is SEARED.
SEARING^ is not valid.
SEARER(S)^ are not valid.

Joseph Krol · Post by **Joseph Krol** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 5:34 pm

Has FAJITA/GOUJON been added to the new dictionary? Would be useful for J's.

Ian Volante · Post by **Ian Volante** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 6:27 pm

Rhys Benjamin wrote:
Andrew Feist wrote:
Rhys Benjamin wrote:sear and it's inflections.
sear and it's inflections are valid words. (Since they are short words, they are often not maxes, though.)
The only one in is SEARED.
SEARING^ is not valid.
SEARER(S)^ are not valid.

SEARING is valid, not sure where you're looking.

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 7:17 pm

Ian Volante wrote:
Rhys Benjamin wrote: The only one in is SEARED.
SEARING^ is not valid.
SEARER(S)^ are not valid.
SEARING is valid, not sure where you're looking.

And SEARER is not an inflection of SEAR, so I think that concludes the discussion.

Joseph Krol · Post by **Joseph Krol** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 8:24 pm

Burier^.

Gavin Chipper · Post by **Gavin Chipper** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 11:15 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote:
JimBentley wrote:
Gavin Chipper wrote:RUBBISHLY
I think RUBBISHILY would be more likely (RUBBISHY is specified as an adjective) but yeah, both should be in.
I suppose RUBBISHILY makes more sense as RUBBISH is supposed to be a noun, but in terms of usage, I would imagine RUBBISHLY wins hands down. Mass nouns can end up getting used as adjectives which is what has happened here, and then you get the LY on the end to make an adverb.

Anyway Google says:

RUBBISHLY - 24,300
RUBBISHILY - 152 and the added embarrassment of "Did you mean: rubbishly"

Nick Deller · Post by **Nick Deller** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 5:58 pm

'yeasts' - it's possible that yeast is only defined in the mass noun sense in ODE, but having searched for it in the recaps it looks like it turns up as a plural in the definition for TORULA.

Rhys Benjamin · Post by **Rhys Benjamin** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 6:59 pm

futsal

DEFINITION - Indoor footy.

Eoin Monaghan · Post by **Eoin Monaghan** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 7:02 pm

Rhys Benjamin wrote:futsal

Indoor footy.

http://apterous.org/lexplorer.php?word=indoor
http://apterous.org/lexplorer.php?word=footy&dic=0

Keith Bennett · Post by **Keith Bennett** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 12:27 pm

Now as you will gather I haven't been here long but already have managed to upset the Gods of the Dictionaries on numerous occasions, and not always through optimistic spelling.

No doubt some of these have already been mentioned but I haven't had time to trawl through the whole thread, so apologies.

Inevitably I've been tricked into offering "conmen", and I'm sure I'm not the first. A friend in IT has often referred to her programs "abending" - this has clearly never occurred at OED. Still that's only been happening for 40 years or so, they'll catch up eventually. If I remember rightly it took them a long time to recognise remarriage as valid, despite Henry VIII's best efforts.

Personally my hair can apparently be uncut but not "unparted", even if it is. I can be fatter or thinner but not "rotunder". Playing cribbage I can not "outpeg" my opponent nor "redeal" the cards if I mess up the first time. I could swear I've done both of these.

And as a violinist in my youth I frequently used to mark my "bowings" on the copy, although perhaps to claim I might "overtune" my instrument was going too far.

In the interests of decency I can see why the GoDs would discourage "fannier" but I reckon I can bare my buttocks at them and be a "mooner" whether they like it or not. They don't.

Joseph Krol · Post by **Joseph Krol** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 12:32 pm

Keith Bennett wrote:Now as you will gather I haven't been here long but already have managed to upset the Gods of the Dictionaries on numerous occasions, and not always through optimistic spelling.

No doubt some of these have already been mentioned but I haven't had time to trawl through the whole thread, so apologies.

Inevitably I've been tricked into offering "conmen", and I'm sure I'm not the first. A friend in IT has often referred to her programs "abending" - this has clearly never occurred at OED. Still that's only been happening for 40 years or so, they'll catch up eventually. If I remember rightly it took them a long time to recognise remarriage as valid, despite Henry VIII's best efforts.

Personally my hair can apparently be uncut but not "unparted", even if it is. I can be fatter or thinner but not "rotunder". Playing cribbage I can not "outpeg" my opponent nor "redeal" the cards if I mess up the first time. I could swear I've done both of these.

And as a violinist in my youth I frequently used to mark my "bowings" on the copy, although perhaps to claim I might "overtune" my instrument was going too far.

In the interests of decency I can see why the GoDs would discourage "fannier" but I reckon I can bare my buttocks at them and be a "mooner" whether they like it or not. They don't.

*LIKE*

Steve Balog · Post by **Steve Balog** » Tue May 17, 2011 9:37 am

Drunken thread necromancy GO

terabyte, petabyte, and exabyte are all good. As are megabit and gigabit. So, why not terabit, petabit, and exabit?

Similarly, Propane, propene, and butane are good -- why not butene?

Damn having a scientific mind

Jayne Wisniewski · Post by **Jayne Wisniewski** » Sat May 28, 2011 12:16 pm

My opponent and i both declared denotable and we were both surprised it wasnt valid

Jennifer Steadman · Post by **Jennifer Steadman** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 3:03 pm

After yesterday's episode, it seemed particularly ironic that 'TOUGHED' was disallowed in a game I played last night...

Jon O'Neill · Post by **Jon O'Neill** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 4:56 pm

Jennifer Steadman wrote:After yesterday's episode, it seemed particularly ironic that 'TOUGHED' was disallowed in a game I played last night...

Hi, great avatar.

James Robinson · Post by **James Robinson** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 6:09 pm

Graeme Cole wrote:PINATA.

Haha, just keeping on seeing this at the top of the page makes me smile.

Jennifer Steadman · Post by **Jennifer Steadman** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 6:04 pm

KNIVED.

How is this not acceptable?!

Ian Volante · Post by **Ian Volante** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 6:12 pm

Jennifer Steadman wrote:KNIVED.

How is this not acceptable?!

KNIFED, I suspect. Plural takes the V.

Jennifer Steadman · Post by **Jennifer Steadman** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 7:10 pm

Oh, god, of course... SERIOUS STUPID MOMENT THERE. I'm wearing my mortified face.

Though 'knived' sounds better than 'knifed'. In my head, at least.

Gavin Chipper · Post by **Gavin Chipper** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 8:58 pm

Jennifer Steadman wrote:Oh, god, of course... SERIOUS STUPID MOMENT THERE. I'm wearing my mortified face.

Though 'knived' sounds better than 'knifed'. In my head, at least.

Makes sense really. If you called a thief a fieth (you might do this so go along with it), someone who stole something coul be said to have fiethed it. And think how you would pronounce that. It's the same linguistic rule. How would you pronounce SHEATHED?

Jennifer Steadman · Post by **Jennifer Steadman** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 12:50 pm

PORNOS.

and, carrying on the sex note, 'RANDIER' - how is 'RANDIEST' allowed but not its comparative version? OUTRAGEOUS

Graeme Cole · Post by **Graeme Cole** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 8:44 pm

Jennifer Steadman wrote:and, carrying on the sex note, 'RANDIER' - how is 'RANDIEST' allowed but not its comparative version? OUTRAGEOUS

RANDIER is allowed.

(Edit: looks like you had it disallowed earlier, but that's because there wasn't an N.)

Jennifer Steadman · Post by **Jennifer Steadman** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 9:57 pm

Graeme Cole wrote:
Jennifer Steadman wrote:and, carrying on the sex note, 'RANDIER' - how is 'RANDIEST' allowed but not its comparative version? OUTRAGEOUS
RANDIER is allowed.

(Edit: looks like you had it disallowed earlier, but that's because there wasn't an N.)

oh god, I'm such a fail at life.

Liam Tiernan · Post by **Liam Tiernan** » Sat Jul 09, 2011 2:16 pm

Onboard has caught a lot of people out. It was even accepted without question at a Co-event.

Edit: Matt should ask for a rematch.

Graeme Cole · Post by **Graeme Cole** » Sat Jul 09, 2011 2:24 pm

Liam Tiernan wrote:Onboard has caught a lot of people out. It was even accepted without question at a Co-event.

ONBOARD should be allowed. The usual sense meaning situated on or in a vehicle is hyphenated, but ODE3 gives a second sense ("denoting or controlled from a facility or feature incorporated into the main circuit board of a computer or computerized device") without the hyphen.

Mark Deeks · Post by **Mark Deeks** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 10:39 pm

I'm not saying that these should be in - they were rejected for reasons ranging to hyphens to capital letters to American spellings to just plain old not being words. But I am surprised that they weren't allowed.

SURFERS
MORESO
COMBOVER
UNDERWAY
MEAGER
ARBITORS
TOODLES
ROASTIES
MOUSEMAT
UNPOSTED
DRUIDS
UPDATER
AEGILOPS
BOWTIE
HOTCAKES
ENROLLS
MAZINESS
HENTAI
SEESAW

And OUTSETS, obviously.

And SCATMEN.

But maybe not SEDUCTED.

Graeme Cole · Post by **Graeme Cole** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 8:02 am

Mark Deeks wrote:SURFERS

SURFERS is allowed on apterous, it's just that you only had the one S.

Mark Deeks · Post by **Mark Deeks** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 1:17 pm

See, that's why you're better than me.

Mark James · Post by **Mark James** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 3:04 pm

Mark Deeks wrote:HENTAI

I had CREAMPIE disallowed. The porn industry is clearly way ahead of the people who make dictionaries.

Matt Morrison · Post by **Matt Morrison** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 3:12 pm

Mark James wrote:
Mark Deeks wrote:HENTAI
I had CREAMPIE disallowed. The porn industry is clearly way ahead of the people who make dictionaries.

HOGTIED is my personal classic "oops, porn only" word.

Liam Tiernan · Post by **Liam Tiernan** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 4:33 pm

Matt Morrison wrote:
Mark James wrote:
Mark Deeks wrote:HENTAI
I had CREAMPIE disallowed. The porn industry is clearly way ahead of the people who make dictionaries.
HOGTIED is my personal classic "oops, porn only" word.

Not a "porn only" word to those of us who grew up watching the likes of "Bonanza" "The High Chapparal" "The Virginian"or "The Big Valley". In my defence I have to say that: a) I was 8 b) westerns were still fashionable (though not for much longer) and c) we only had one channel.

Matt Morrison · Post by **Matt Morrison** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 4:34 pm

Feel free to hang around in the corner with the clowns who see an innocent use for CREAMPIE too.