No fair looking 'er up, now:

WINKLEPICKER

Even if you know what this word means, go ahead and email me your daffynitions.

Count me in...

I've sent a PM.

PM on the way

Well, I'm pleased to record the daffy contributions of BobHale, jo, Caterwauller, Kalleh, Asa Lovejoy, Arnie, and Haberdasher.

Everyone else: No more lollygagging! Send your best cerebrations by private message pronto (or I might have to pick your winkles).

Oh...please don't pick their winkles! Come on, guys!

BTW, I love that word "lollygagging!"

*drum roll*

And the daffynitions-plus-one are:

1. In Victorian England, the job of sorting through the sand by hand at low tide for shellfish to sell in the cities.

2. Australian slang for a basket made of stiff wire, attached to a long pole, for picking the winkles that are very high on the winkle tree.

3. WWII British Military slang for any long-nosed jet fighter; for example, the German FW190D.

4. An eponym from a character in a children's book; refers to one who has sleep in his eyes.

5. A style of boot with pointed toes so extreme that they're said to be usable for picking winkles from their shells.

6. An ornately carved walking stick made from a walrus or whale baculum.

7. A type of scarf worn by dancers in the early 1900's.

8. An informal name for the employee in a pickle factory who runs the capping machine. The sound made when the air rushes in as you twist open the lid is known as a "wink," and the name "pickle-winker" was affectionately changed to winklepicker. (This is similar to the linguistic shift that occurred when the facial hair on General Burnsides became known as "sideburns," and the flutter-by became a "butterfly.")

9. A padded codpiece.

10. A term used in Maine, referring to elderly fishermen who hang about the docks, exchanging stories of their youthful exploits on the fishing boats.

Get your thinking winkles on, and send in your best guesses!

Number T H R E E gets my vote.

~~~ jerry

I love this word! I don't even care what it means, I'm going to use it whenever I possibly can. I'm going to guess it's #5 simply because I just about bought a pair of purple winklepickers like that last night!

I'm going to have to change my view on shoe ownership, too. My foray into a shoe store last night might turn me into a "Kalleh"! lol

(BTW - I didn't buy the winklepickers, but I did buy a cool pair of slip ons that match my purple car!)

Just to maintain my tendency towards absurdity, I'll guess #9, although #5 or #8 seem most likely.

Whatever it is, it's a fine first foray into this fooling folks game, Rose!

Oh, I'll take # 1. Winkles, and prawns, and oysters, and clams, and what-have-you...

I can't wait to hear about this word! I decided on 9, but I really hope it is one of the more fun ones!

Well, logically, a winklepicker should have something to do with picking winkles, but I doubt that it does. But I'm going to pick 2, in hopes that there really is a winkle tree.

Tinman

I'll leave the daffynitions up one more day, then Monday afternoon I'll post the answer. Get your guesses in!

5 please

5 for me too, please.

And me please.

Well, as happened with the marvelous MARVER, the correct definition tallied the most votes. Winklepickers are pointy-toed boots, rumored to be popular amongst Gothically-inclined youth. (In Amurka we call 'em roachkillers.)

1. In Victorian England, the job of sorting through the sand by hand at low tide for shellfish to sell in the cities. (This was Cat's daffynition, which received a thumbs-up from haberdasher.)

2. Australian slang for a basket made of stiff wire, attached to a long pole, for picking the winkles that are very high on the winkle tree. (tinman liked this one, which was offered by jerry thomas.)

3. WWII British Military slang for any long-nosed jet fighter; for example, the German FW190D. (BobHale's contribution, which picked up jerry thomas's vote.)

4. An eponym from a character in a children's book; refers to one who has sleep in his eyes. (This was Kalleh's charming daffynition, and the one I'd make be true if I could.)

5. A style of boot with pointed toes so extreme that they're said to be usable for picking winkles from their shells. (DING DING DING--Congratulations to Arnie, Caterwauller, BobHale, and Cat.)

6. An ornately carved walking stick made from a walrus or whale baculum. (Asa Lovejoy thought this one up. Oddly enough, I handled a whale baculum--sans whale--this past weekend.)

7. A type of scarf worn by dancers in the early 1900's. (Caterwauller's intriguing daffynition, which made me wonder what the "winkle" part might be...)

8. An informal name for the employee in a pickle factory who runs the capping machine. The sound made when the air rushes in as you twist open the lid is known as a "wink," and the name "pickle-winker" was affectionately changed to winklepicker. (This is similar to the linguistic shift that occurred when the facial hair on General Burnsides became known as "sideburns," and the flutter-by became a "butterfly.") (I can't believe nobody picked haberdasher's assiduously assembled etymological tale.)

9. A padded codpiece. (Thanks to Arnie for this one--I enjoyed imagining a meeting between the codpiece and the winklepicker. Kalleh and Asa Lovejoy both went for this daffynition.)

10. A term used in Maine, referring to elderly fishermen who hang about the docks, exchanging stories of their youthful exploits on the fishing boats. (This was Jo's contribution, which sounded perfectly plausible to me, but it didn't get any takers.)

So...to whom should I pass the baculum?

We had a slight advantage. If not exactly in common use the word is certainly well known in the UK.

As for Hab's daffynition, I nearly chose it because I loved it too. However, I have been losing lately because I have been taking the longer ones. So this time I took the short one, and truthfully it didn't sound right to me at all. It's just that it was short. Figures it was arnie's!

Does anyone have a good word for the next game?

The retrospectoscope knows all.

My definition might have sounded more authentic had I refrained from using the word
"affectionately..."

Or, maybe had you just used fewer words? Personally, I loved it and hung over it for awhile before deciding against it. On the other hand, I have been known for not being the greatest guesser here, so you probably shouldn't feel complimented!

Hab, we haven't had a word from you in a long time. How's about it? Pretty Please???

Rose, my compliments on a job very well done! Now, about that whale baculum you handled... Ya gonna tell us about it?

quote:

---

Oddly enough, I handled a whale baculum--sans whale--this past weekend.)

---

I'm gonna have to back off from hosting for a little on account of life getting dense...but I'll take my turn again soon enough.

Meantime - maybe someone wants to try collecting daffynitions for "baculum"? :-)

Sure, Hab...we all know about those "dense" times!

Okay, who's up? Asa? Bob? CW? Jerry? Cat? Tinman (have you ever done it?) Arnie? I know that Jo is in Chicago, and she can't right now.

Next time maybe. This week we're right in the middle of inspections at the college and I can't give any time to it.

Unless someone steps up, I guess we can put this game aside for a few weeks.

Okay, I've got one.

Tinman