The next word is: terp. Short, maybe sweet, who knows?

Send me a PM with your daffynition. Remember not to delete the message from your PMs until after the game is over and the results published.

Found a good word, so I'm participating this time in the hope of submitted it next time. Dafffynition sent.

Just sent mine.

Wordmatic

Mine has been sent.

I have returned and have sent you a PM. No, not a Prime Minister, a Private Message - the word is "terp," not "twerp!"

Just a sidenote on asa's twerp: It may be an eponym! Etymomlogy online says (my emphasis), "the "Dictionary of American Slang" gives a first reference of 1874 (but without citation), which, if correct, would rule out the usual theory that it is from the proper name of T.W. Earp, a student at Oxford c.1911, who kindled wrath "in the hearts of the rugger-playing stalwarts at Oxford, when he was president of the Union, by being the last, most charming, and wittiest of the 'decadents.' "

Five daffynitions received so far; from the four above and Bob Hale. Come on you lot!

Regarding twerp, that's interesting. Wiktionary seems to be the only one to state that there is a difference in UK and US usage. I wouldn't think of defining twerp as "contemptible".

In my weakened condition (advancing symptoms of premature middle age) I find it impossible to resist the temptation to seek the "real definition" via Google, Dictionary, or whatever ....

Therefore I recuse.

posted mine

Last chance to enter! I've received a lot of great daffynitions. I'll give it a few more hours then post them.

Here are your daffynitions for terp

On further investigation I found a second, quite different, meaning for the word. Your mission, should you care to accept it, is to guess both of the true meanings from the list below.

1. to twist violently
2. (slang) An interpreter
3. a mesophilic starter used in making cheeses
4. a measure of depth
5. hip-height of cattle
6. (Frisian) an artificial mound or hillock, the site of a prehistoric village
7. a dancer, from Terpsichore, the muse of dance
8. a flat nail used to temporarily hold a horseshoe in place while the fixing nails are driven into the hoof
9. an aromatic wood resin
10. acronym for "Training Exercise Reconnaissance Patrol"

Guess away! And remember, we need two real definitions this time!

Weird.

None of them look remotely convincing and yet it seems there are two.

Oh well.

I'll take seven and ten please so that'll be twelve and tuppence change.

I'll take 1 and 8, please.

Wordmatic

Gosh, I like my own daffynition better than any of the rest! Uh, oh... I'll guess 3 and 8.

Good game, arnie!

Wow, 2 definitions!

Numbers 4 & 6, please.

The final calculations of scores will be complicated.

BTW, newbies, if you haven't written a daffynition, it makes no difference; you can still make your choices...and good luck!

I'll guess 1 and 3. Lovely to have 2 chances.

I'll try 2 and 6

2 and 8 pliz.

Only seven guesses so far. Any more before I post the answers?

8 and 10, please

Answers for terp:

1. to twist violently
   
   produced by shu - guessed by Wordmatic. CW
   
   
2. (slang) An interpreter
   
   True - see http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Terp - guessed by Myth Jellies, bethree5
   
   
3. a mesophilic starter used in making cheeses
   
   Produced by Kalleh - guessed by Asa, CW
   
   
4. a measure of depth
   
   Produced by Wordmatic - guessed by Kalleh
   
   
5. hip-height of cattle
   
   Produced by bethree5 - guessed by no-one
   
   
6. (Frisian) an artificial mound or hillock, the site of a prehistoric village
   
   True - see Tsuwm's WWFTD site at http://home.comcast.net/~wwftd/rst.htm#terp * - guessed by Kalleh, Myth Jellies
   
   
7. a dancer, from Terpsichore, the muse of dance
   
   Produced by Asa Lovejoy - guessed by Bob
   
   
8. a flat nail used to temporarily hold a horseshoe in place while the fixing nails are
   
   driven into the hoof
   
   Produced by Bob Hale - guessed by Wordmatic, Asa, bethree5, shu
   
   
9. an aromatic wood resin
   
   Produced by Myth Jellies - guessed by no-one
   
   
10. acronym for "Training Exercise Reconnaissance Patrol"
    
    Produced by Caterwauller - guessed by Bob, shu

Special congratulations to Myth Jellies, who guessed both meanings correctly. Also to Bob, who managed to fool four people with his daffynition.

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Those who are more observant than I am will notice that there is a third definition of the word on Tsuwm's site - theater slang'stage dancer' or chorus girl. When I looked up the word I didn't notice this other meaning. Still, I suppose asking people to give three meanings would be a little too much.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: arnie,

On second thoughts, Asa's "dancer" daffynition should really be counted as correct, as the word terp in the third meaning is almost certainly derived from terpsichorean. That means that Bob also got one right!

quote:

Asa's "dancer" daffynition should really be counted as correct. That means that Bob also got one right!

And Asa did too!

quote:

And Asa did too!

No, he got it wrong! he's supposed to make up a wrong definition!

Cool word, Arnie! Thanks!

Was it cheating to base my answer on the only two definitions with parenthetical comments?

Rather pleased. Half right on the answer and fooled a good number of people with my own daffynition. Much better than I normally manage anyway.

Same here, Bob. I fooled 2 and 1 of my guesses was correct. Not bad for always-wrong Kalleh!