As earlier promised, I'll start a new game here based on vocabulary knowledge and bluffing skill. Here are the rules: A person (Yours truly to begin) will post an obscure word, and participants will submit replies via private message to me with what s/he thinks is the correct definition, or one that sounds logical but is purely fanciful - whatever one decides to do. I'll list all the submitted definitions, including the correct one, and each person will then individually vote for the definition s/he thinks is correct. Two points for a correct vote, and one point for each person fooled with a phony definition. The person posting the word does not vote, but gets three points if no-one selects the proper definition. Whoever gets the most points then submits the next word.

The first word is fiqh No fair looking it up! I'll post all submitted definitions Sunday evening USA time, or wee small hours in the morning Monday UK time.

Soooo, get creative and have fun!

Asa,

I've posted a PM with my definition.

As have I.

Here are the definitions submitted, including the correct one. You may vote on which one you think to be the correct one publicly - no need for anonymity now!

1. Eclipses of the sun are quite important to many Arabs, and are treated as holidays. The two-day period leading up to an eclipse is called a fiqh.
Arnie

2. A garment worn by the Tuareg and other nomadic desert peoples for protection against the bright sun
Haberdasher

3. Honor, from the Arabic "fiqh al kateer" meaning "Honor is everything" (or "all-encompassing") The concept of "fiqh" reflects the belief that no crime is too dishonorable if its ultimate goal is to preserve honor, particularly that of one's family or country.
CJ Strolin

4. An Arabic word meaning "testicle", especially of a camel.
Bob Hale

5. In Islam, jurisprudence based on theology.
The dictionary

6. A large turkey-like game bird from the jungles of tropical America.
Kalleh

[This message was edited by Asa Lovejoy on Mon Jan 12th, 2004 at 20:15.]

OK.

I'll choose number 1.

Every silver lining has a cloud.
Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

Number 3 is too detailed for me to pass up.

Wow, those are all good definitions! Someone has a good imagination. I'll guess 2, a garment.

Tinman

quote:

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
Number 3 is too detailed for me to pass up.

---

That was why I didn't choose it. I figured that Asa wouldn't post something so much more detailed than the others if it were true. It stands out too much.
On the other hand it could be a double bluff...
...or maybe that's what he wants us to think...

good game anyway.

Every silver lining has a cloud.
Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

I'll go for 5. Islamic jurisprudence. No-one else has guessed that yet...

Hmmm... OK, I'm going to join B.H. with a vote for #1. Rightly or wrongly, Arabs have a reputation for being warlike and an eclipse of the sun, especially a total one, would seem like a good time to attack someone who maybe wasn't paying all that much attention to their solar charts. A holiday could come from this I suppose.

Almost went for #2 but "...against the bright sun"?? As opposed to the shady one? The inclusion of the needless word "bright" soured this one for me.

#3 sounds good also but shouldn't that be "figh al-kateer" with a hyphen? A typo maybe, though I didn't choose it for another reason.

#5 was another first choice which I talked myself out of which, naturally, ensures its correctness unless, of course, I change my mind again in which case #1 will be the clear winner.

I almost went with #6 for no other reason outside of national pride.

Odd how all but the last choice had to do with the Middle East.

#5, jurisprudence based on theology: the legal foundation of religious, political, and civil life. It is, as most of you surmised, Arabic in origin. A rather significant word, considering the stuff going on in Iran right now! From the Barnes and Noble rendering of the Random House Dictionary of The English Language copyright 1994.

Arnie got it right, and takes the lead with 3 points, AND he fooled CJ and Bob Hale, giving him a whopping FIVE points!

Haberdasher gets a point for tripping CJ.

PS: CJ's definition seems to embody the spirit of the word, so I'm inclined to award him 1 1/2 points if the rest of you agree. Whaddaya say, y'all?

CJ gets one point for catching Kalleh.

So, Arnie, you get to select the next word and be in control of the next round! Well done!

I just knew I should have waited for Arnie to have guessed and then chosen his guess!

Refer back to the original definitions. I've added the names to them.

Asa

YEE-HA!

That was a lucky guess! I was rather surprised that my definition fooled anyone - looking at the excellent and likely-sounding other definitions, I doubt that I'd have chosen mine even if I hadn't known it was false, anyway.

I'll have to find a suitable candidate for the next word, and I'll post it here in a day or so.

quote:

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Refer back to the original definitions. I've added the names to them.

---

Great, now everyone knows that mine was the lame one!

Arnie, I bet you were good at multiple choice questions, right?

Great, now everyone knows that mine was the lame one!
________________________________________________
Not lame at all, but different. Now as for Bob's, his was just plain nuts!

The next word is abderian.

In the same way as before, please send me your definition of the word by private message. I'll post the definitions, plus the correct one, in a couple of days.

Remember, no looking up the word!

Just a reminder to send in your definition if you haven't already. I've only received four so far. I'll wait until about this time tomorrow before posting the definitions.

May I suggest that if at least six entries are not received that the person posing the word in question supply enough bogus definitions him/herself to bring the total to six?

If only two responses were received, guessing the correct answer would not be all that much of an accomplishment. (Plus, to tell you the truth, I enjoy making up bogus definitions but that's just me.)

That sounds like a good idea, CJ. I like making up bogus definitions, too, though mine aren't usually all that believeable. However, in the last game I thought yours was fantastic, CJ; that's why I chose it!

My reminder did the trick, because we now have six dodgy definitions, plus the one supplied by the dictionary.

The word is abderian, which means:

1. Relating to one who abdicates or to the period or life of a monarch after he has abdicated, so "Edward VIII's abderian residence was in France."

Bob Hale

2. Of or pertaining to having a particular kind of webbed footing, where there is a hind claw that is unattached

Kalleh

3. [From Abdera, a town in Thrace, of which place Democritus, the Laughing Philosopher, was a native.] Given to laughter; inclined to foolish or incessant merriment.

Webster's Dictionary

4. From Darius the Medo/Persian conqueror, a policy of rejecting the authority of a conqueror.

Asa Lovejoy

5. Denuded, bare-skinned. Not having the hair, fur, or feathers normally associated with animals of its species.

CJ Strolin

6. adj. Of or relating to the theological system of Jørn Thorkild Abder, 18th century Danish theologian and reformer. noun: a follower of that system.

wordnerd

7. From the buttocks [ab- away from + Late Latin deretro, from Latin de from + retro back].

Hic et Ubique

Let's have your votes for the correct definition!

[This message was edited by arnie on Wed Jan 21st, 2004 at 2:19.]

I'm torn between three of them but I think I'll go for number 2 please.

Every silver lining has a cloud.
Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

I'm guessing that it's a web-footed, laughing Medo-Persian with bare buttocks who has taken up residence in France.

Oh, it's NOT multiple-guess, eh? OK, I'll go with #3.

I am also torn, but I will take number 1.

I'll guess #1. I knew the ab part, but not the derian part. But the -ian ending sounds like it might refer to a period of time.

Tinman

I'm going to buck the trend and guess 5.

(Mostly because I'm really enjoying the mental image of a nekkid platypus or something saying, "You know what gets between me and my Calvin Klein jeans? Nothing.")

6 here.

I'm going for 3

This will probably make someone happy but I also will go with #3 thereby undoubtedly giving some clever Wordcrafter a third point for an inventive, if not correct, definition.

If it isn't correct, however, it will be when my new OED comes out.

3. [From Abdera, a town in Thrace, of which place Democritus, the Laughing Philosopher, was a native.] Given to laughter; inclined to foolish or incessant merriment.

Three people guessed correctly; Asa Lovejoy, shufitz and CJ Strolin. Each gets three points.

CJ also fooled WinterBranch with his fake definition, so gets another point, making his total four.

Bob gets two points for misleading Kalleh and tinman, and Kalleh gets a point for getting her own back on Bob. I'm not sure if wordnerd quite understands the purpose of the game, since he voted for his own definition! I suppose that theoretically he should get one point for fooling himself, but I'm not really inclined to allow the picking up of points so easily.

All this means that CJ was top scorer this time with four points, and so gets to choose the next word. Congratulations, CJ!

I've edited my earlier post giving the definitions to include the names of the authors.

Woo-Hoo!! Woo-Hoo-o-o-o-o-o-o!!!

Pardon the exuberance but this is a very big deal to me. (One of these days, I have got to get a life...)

So far I have fooled two people with my definitions, both of them female. What this says about me (or maybe women in general) I am afraid to hazard a guess.


May I offer for your review and approval the word Contesseration and, out of the goodness of my heart, the following three hints:

Hint #1 - I once formed and ran a company which produced and presented trivia contest fundraisers. The hours were long but, trivia fanatic that I am, the work was highly enjoyable. I named my company "Contesseration Enterprises."

Hint #2 - Hint #1 may be misleading.

Hint #3 - But then again, it might not. (Heh, heh...)


It's presently 2 pm Wednesday afternoon, my time and I will be out-of-pocket all Saturday and Sunday. If I receive at least 5 guesses by Friday afternoon I'll post them then but if not, we'll have to wait until Monday morning. Sorry, it's work related. All weekend I'll be watching well-dressed women spit.

Hey, here's a thought! Since no one has said I can't do otherwise, for my "term in office" on this thread, I hereby offer one bonus point for the first person who correctly identifies just what work-related task I will be performing this weekend. As I think most of you know, I am retired Air Force and presently sell "The World's Finest Cutlery" and other kitchen products. As before, all word guesses need to be sent in via private message BUT your bonus point guesses may be posted on this thread. In the event of multiple winners, the first one posting gets the point.

As always, no googling. We're all friends here and the fact that, this week anyway, I was able to crush you all under my heel in humiliating defeat is no reason for cheating.

The standings so far:

Yours truly - 6 1/2
Arnie - 5
Asa Lovejoy - 3*
Shufitz - 3*
Bob Hale - 2
Habadasher - 1*
Kalleh - 1*
Hic et ubique, Tinman, & WinterBranch - 0
Richard English, Duncan Howell, LadyBeth, Jerry Thomas, & TrossL - minus 2**
(If I've missed anybody, my apologies.)

* In case of a tie, alphabetisation rules.
** Minus one point per round assessed to Wordcraft regulars for non-participation. Newcomers, as always, are given a break and each person's penalty points will be dropped as soon as they join in.


This list is a bit misleading for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I'm the only person to have scored in both of the first two rounds and, since no one objected to Asa's judging generosity, I've included his 1 1/2 points awarded for my fiqh definition. Secondly, and more importantly, by the structure of the game, Arnie and Asa weren't even eligible to score points in one round each. Arnie, therefore, is averaging five points a round compared to, say, my 3 1/4 or Kalleh's half a point (heh, heh).

Another suggestion, primarily to Arnie & Asa (since only they can make the appropriate changes) but also to all future original word selectors: Instead of just going back to the original list of word definitions to add the names of the Wordcrafters who supplied the bogus definitions, how about we copy the list after the correct answer is posted and then add the names to that list instead of to the original. This will allow new people coming to this thread to play along with the old rounds for the fun of it if not for the points. Yes? No?

[This message was edited by C J Strolin on Wed Jan 21st, 2004 at 12:59.]

Another suggestion, primarily to Arnie & Asa
_______________________________________________

Because I began this game, and therefore feel the divine right to declare myself, not CJ, as Grand Potentate, Poobah, Visir, and Lord of this game, I disallow any presumptuous changes in the rules. However, your suggestion makes one heck of a lot of sense, sooooo, I hereby decree that I must have thought of that, despite CJ's articulating it, and hereby adopt the rule.

Good King Asa the Wise

CJ has been having trouble logging on and asked me to post this for him. I wonder how many others have had similar problems? I was having problems on Monday and Tuesday, but now I can log on just fine. I did contact Sarah and wordcrafter who called the server. Apparently there were some problems, but supposedly they have been solved.

Anyway, here is what CJ says:

"Only four people so far have PTed me with definitions for 'Contesseration' which means that I'll have to post the guesses, as previously outlined, on Monday. Also please pass the word that what I said may have been misleading regarding how I'm spending my weekend since I will also be watching well-dressed men spitting as well. I've received one very good guess on this so far but, sorry, no cigar."

OK, a couple of items first. When I relayed that message via Kalleh Thursday, I was under the mistaken assumption that it was Friday. That was totally my screw-up. We underwent the change to Daylight Savings Time a while ago and I neglected to turn back all my calendars.

Also, when I said I had received only four entries so far, that didn't include the one I already had (the correct one) and so, thinking it was Friday I should have come up with a bogus sixth answer myself and posted the quiz. In other words, the two screw-ups cancelled each other out. (Wouldn't it be great if that happened more often in life?)

Since then, two more entries came in making a total of seven choices to pick from. In the future, do we want to play with the first six (or other pre-determined number) of entries that come in? In this case, the seventh and last entry was, frankly, one of the better ones and one which I predict will earn beaucoup points for its author. Maybe double points if 10 or more people suggest definitions? And do we want to set a specific time to allow people to guess? I probably won't be able to post again till Monday so does three days sound fair? It's my belief this thread may run forever and, if that's correct, a few ground rules in the beginning would be helpful.

Lastly, by making previous suggestions, it was not my intention to challenge or threaten or usurp the authority of our good King Asa on this thread. Having said that, however, I reserve the right to do exactly that at a later date should the spirit move me. (Bwaa-ha-ha-etc.)


And so, without further ado, here in alphabetical order are the suggested definitions for Round Three's word CONTESSERATION:

#1 Accumulation of mucus in the lungs.

#2 The act of making friends.

#3 The art of making all manner of trivial pursuits into a contest.

#4 A fractal construct that involves obtuse angles.

#5 A mosaic, collection of tiles in a pattern. From Latin con, a coming together, and tesserae, tiles.

#6 Taking action against a particular proposition or the result of taking such action.

#7 The Victorian word for the completion of jigsaw puzzles, a hobby which was popular among both the middle and upper classes.


The bonus point regarding well-dressed men and women spitting in my presence over the weekend has been won via an email message but will only be added to that person's total point total and will not count in regards to selecting the next round's leader.


See you all Monday!

I'll have 5 please, CJ.

Every silver lining has a cloud.
Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

Does #4 refer to ignorant Englishmen? Oh, well, this obtuse Saxon will choose it.

5

Tinman

I vote for #3...

OH Darn! I came up with a fabulous definition last night and was going to change the lame one that I had already sent to CJ. I thought I had plenty of time to change it since he wouldn't be posting until Monday. But, here they are! Mine would have been better than the real definition, I bet!

Now, before I post my wrong answer, I want to welcome KHC! It is so good to see a new poster, and please bear with us as we get some of our computer problems straightened out!

I am going to choose # 5.

I also have a guess for what you are doing this weekend, CJ, and I will still send you a PM about that.

I'll go for No. 2

Well, the results are in and I saw this one coming a mile off. Arnie's definition (the seventh and last I received) fooled three of you, B.H., Tinman, & Kalleh, a record so far. Additionally, he was the only Wordcrafter to correctly divine the correct answer #2, "The act of making friends," an obscure but favorite word of mine which I first saw in "Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary." SIX POINTS, people! We're getting creamed! (Actually, Arnie being Arnie, I pretty much saw that coming from the beginning as well.)

WinterBranch leaps into the standings with one point for fooling Asa. KHC pulled a wordnerd and chose her own answer which I suppose is OK if you actually think it's correct or if you sneakily choose it in hopes that others with follow your lead. Aside from Arnie, I wouldn't count on this working. And sorry, KHC, but no points for fooling yourself.

Members previously assessed a two-point penalty for not participating are hereby upgraded to zero points. The penalty was to encourage participation but since it apparently failed miserably in this regard, I'll drop it. I do think, however, it should not be outside the realm of the powers of each word's suggestor to stretch the rules and/or push the envelope as he or she sees fit.

One last suggestion before I relinquish my oh-so-temporary leadership: How about 3 points to the suggestor if nobody guesses the correct definition? That way, everyone will be eligible for points each round.

A sidenote: Dictionary.com mentions Contesseration as: "[Latin contesseratio from contesserare, to contract friendship by means of the tesserae (friendship tokens)] An assemblage; a collection; harmonious union [Obs.]" With this in mind, I suppose Arnie would have gotten 1 1/2 points for getting the gist of it, more or less, had he not gotton the damn thing on the nose.

Round Three's definitions were supplied by:

#1 Accumulation of mucus in the lungs. Asa Lovejoy

#2 The act of making friends. Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary

#3 The art of making all manner of trivial pursuits into a contest. KHC

#4 A fractal construct that involves obtuse angles. WinterBranch

#5 A mosaic, collection of tiles in a pattern. From Latin _con_, a coming together, and _tesserae_, tiles. Arnie (Grrrrr!)

#6 Taking action against a particular proposition or the result of taking such action. Kalleh

#7 The Victorian word for the completion of jigsaw puzzles, a hobby which was popular among both the middle and upper classes. Bob Hale


I would have gone with #7 but, sorry B.H., no point for that.

[This message was edited by C J Strolin on Mon Jan 26th, 2004 at 15:32.]

[This message was edited by C J Strolin on Sat Jan 31st, 2004 at 9:02.]

The Standings:

Arnie - 13 (!!)
Yours truly - 6 1/2
Asa Lovejoy - 4 (including 1 bonus point from Round Three)
Shufitz - 3
Bob Hale - 2
Habadasher - 1
Kalleh - 1
WinterBranch - 1

I can concede that Arnie is twice the linguist I am but is he thirteen times better than Kalleh?? Or almost as good as all of the rest of us put together?? I'd like to think not. Leadership of this thread once again passes to Arnie's capable hands.


Regarding spitting... Two people guessed watermelon seeds, Kalleh was close with beer, but Asa nailed it when he guessed a wine tasting party. I was an exhibitor at the second annual Food & Wine Exposition in support of the St. Louis Repertory Theatre, an event which charged $30 (!!) a head just to get in. By comparisson, most others are completely free and even the occasional $5 charge is seen as an affront by many.

At these events, which are seen as high-class enough to require the finest in finery, men and women make a great show of swirling different wines in their glasses, breathing in the bouquets, taking a sip and then unceremoniously spitting same into buckets provided for this purpose. I realize that this is how it's done but, my God, it makes for quite a sight! A beautiful woman in an exquisite gown swirls her wine, takes a sip, and then PA-TOOEY!!!

Oh, yeah. That's elegant.

Oh, I'm feeling a little embarrassed now!

Getting the correct definition was purely guesswork, based mainly on the same criterion as in the first contest: no-one else had chosen it.

I confess I was rather proud of my fake definition and had high hopes of it fooling some of the others. I happened to know that the Latin for "tiles" was tesserae and thought that it might ring a (false) bell. I even wondered if I might have stumbled on the right answer by accident, but (luckily) I didn't have the courage to vote for my own definition.

BTW CJ, your suggestion of three points to the suggestor if nobody guesses the correct definition is already part of the rules! From Asa's first post in this thread:

quote:

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The person posting the word does not vote, but gets three points if no-one selects the proper definition.

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Give me a little while to find a suitable word for the next contest and I'll post it here.

quote:

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I can concede that Arnie is twice the linguist I am but is he thirteen times better than Kalleh?? Or almost as good as all of the rest of us put together??

---

Frankly, I think so! However, arnie did have an advantage. He didn't have to contend with that marvelous definition that he created. Good job, arnie!

[Hmmm, don't I remember arnie saying that his sister doesn't let him play Trivial Pursuits with them anymore? Perhaps we can see why! However, we want you to continue playing. After all, you provide quite the challenge!]

quote:

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Originally posted by C J Strolin:
_The Standings:_

Arnie - 11 (editted Jan 27 to correct total)
Yours truly - 6 1/2
Asa Lovejoy - 4
Shufitz - 3
Bob Hale - 2
Habadasher - 1
Kalleh - 1
WinterBranch - 1

---

Well (surprise, surprise) in my brief tenure of temporary-Grand-Poobah-of-this-thread, I've screwed things up. In my semi-defense, I apparently am not alone.

I thought I had the rules down so, naturally, I didn't need to review them before totalling the scores. According to the rules in the first post, a correct guess is worth just two points although we've been giving three from the start. I was wrong twice, however, when I grandly awarded Arnie FIVE points for getting Contesseration correct. Don't know where my head was. (I'm also mildly surprised that I didn't have 15 PTs and emails advising me of what a lunkhead I can be at times but that's another matter.)

Anywho, the standings have been adjusted. Rather than totally change them to conform with the original scoring rule, I left a correct answer worth three points. Congratulations, Kalleh! Arnie is now only 11 times the linguist you are.

Also, there is another prospective Wordcrafter (another female - Woo-Hoo!) who tried to join in but who is apparently in the 1% of the population with less computer experience than yours truly. I'll email her back and hopefully get her up to speed for Arnie's next word. Don't know where she's from but, for what it's worth, she also got the "well-dressed-women-spitting" question correct.

[This message was edited by C J Strolin on Tue Jan 27th, 2004 at 17:46.]

CJ gets 5 extra points for all these new people! Thanks, CJ! We do appreciate your efforts!

I would just like to thank Asa for picking my answer.

(Mails him the fiver I promised him.)

telamon

As before, please send your definitions of this word to me by private message. I'll post the list of definitions along with the correct meaning in a few days.

Remember, no looking up the meaning!

quote:

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
CJ gets 5 extra points for all these new people!

---

Sorry, no change in the standings or totals since only the Grand Poobah du jour can award points. Thanks for the positive feedback, though. Now let's hope the newbies join in this thread.


Which, in another example of cross-threading (World's Best Jokes) brings up a favorite line I've used on friends a dozen times in restaurants over the years: "Try the 'Soup du jour.' I had it here yesterday and it was real good!"

(I definitely don't mind playing the fool if it gets a laugh.)