1.
A community event celebrating a milestone, such as 100 years in existence.

2.
a Victorian musical instrument in the brass section

3.
mythological figure guiding souls to the land of the dead

4.
extravagant ritualistic formality for no purpose other than to manipulate the beholder into thinking something is important. Compare "psychobabble".

5.
One with an inflated ego

6.
An imaginary parade

7.
an elaborate dish combining several different meats with fruits and vegetables

8.
A hallucinogen

#8 makes the most sense, I think.

Mebbe so, but I like #5.

Added: 6 is pretty close, too. Same principle, though different instantiation.

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

No idea, but I like #4.

If there are no more guesses I will post an answer tomorrow.

Unlikely as it seems the answer is 3.

Here are the contributors.

Kalleh
A community event celebrating a milestone, such as 100 years in existence.

me
a Victorian musical instrument in the brass section

real
mythological figure guiding souls to the land of the dead

haberdasher
extravagant ritualistic formality for no purpose other than to manipulate the beholder into thinking something is important. Compare "psychobabble".

Geoff
One with an inflated ego

An imaginary parade

A hallucinogen

me
an elaborate dish combining several different meats with fruits and vegetables

Sorry I got distracted!
Good one, Bob!
I would probably have voted for an imaginary parade

I knew the definition but kept my mouth shut until it was over. Remember Joseph Campbell's "The Power of Myth?" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Myth

quote:

Originally posted by Geoff:
I knew the definition but kept my mouth shut until it was over. Remember Joseph Campbell's "The Power of Myth?" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Myth

Geoff did indeed PM me the correct answer. I was very impressed. When I heard this word on an episode of the No Such Thing As A Fish podcast it struck me as an extremely unlikely meaning of the word and so perfect for the game. I hadn't expected anyone to know it.

Here's more about Joe Campbell and psychopomps:
https://www.aspiritguide.com/l...-dead-and-the-dying/ They oughta bring him back to light these days, I think.

Wow, fascinating indeed, Bob & Geoff. Both halves of the word are misleading, if you like me have only routine grasp of Greek word roots.

‘Psycho’ makes me think of the mind, thanks to Freud et al. I always forget the Greek means soul or spirit.

And who knew ‘pomp’ goes back to a word meaning simply to send? We tend to think of procession and overblown fol-de-rol. Etymonline.com traces it to an ancient Greek word, ‘pempein.’ Googling ‘pempein’ I got exactly one hit, referencing the original Greek of Acts 25:25 (New Testament), translated as “to the Emperor I decided [New American Standard] or have determined [King James Version] to send him.”

It was through my association with Oregon Friends of C. G. Jung that I learned much of what I know about the subject, and, as I've mentioned, the Joe Campbell series on PBS.
https://ofj.org/ My girlfriend at the time was a cultural anthropologist with a strong interest in shamanism, and she introduced me to it.

Great word, Bob. Who would like the next turn?

I've posted one.

I posted one in Wordplay. Please go there and send me a PM with your daffynition.

If you mean baggywrinkle I sent some ages ago.

Right, Bob, but only one other person has.