<BUMP>

Just a reminder...

If you want to enter the competition please send your definition of telamon to me by private message. I've only received four definitions so far.

Here are the suggested definitions for our next word, telamon:

1. Telamon Jazz was a style of music popular in the late 1920s and early 1930s and named for the record label on which many of its pioneering performers were to be found.

2. A telamon is when the groom, before a Jewish wedding, attempts to give a talk on that week's Torah lesson to his male friends and family while they try their hardest to interrupt him.

3. A figure of a man used as a supporting column.

4. In Ptolemaic period Egyptian, the distance from Thebes to Giza.

5. A rare spice often used in Bedouin cooking. Part of the same family as black pepper, telamon piper telas is used to mask the taste of rotten meat.

6. Genetically engineered salmon which its (American) producers originally guaranteed would not be allowed to cross-breed with "natural" salmon. Naturally, hundreds have escaped into the wild much to the consternation of those who oppose all forms of genetic engineering. (Note: This is a questionable word for this game since it is an extremely recent coinage and I doubt it's in any dictionary yet.)

Vote now!

3 please arnie

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.

My first impulse was to go with #3 but the last time I sided with B.H. we ended up earning two points for Asa.

I'll cast my vote for #6. I'm aware of the problem (National Public Radio did an extensive story on the genetically enhanced salmon a few months ago) though the word itself is new to me.

In honor of my diet, I'll pick #5.

The last time I voted for Bob I lost too. However, I will take 3.

#3, of course. Doesn't everyone know this word?

Ooooh, I don't like the apparent trend this round is taking! I know there's a word for a female structure used as a column (and, no, I can't bring it to mind at the moment) but doesn't that genetically engineered salmon dodge sound like something Arnie would come up with? I assume changing one's vote would be frowned upon so I shall eagerly await the rest of the board to side with me and my damn salmon.


I had originally considered submitting a definition something along the lines of:

Inconsiderate dating behavior on the part of Jamaican males, taken from the common female complaint "You telamon you phone number but he never call!"

(...probably just as well I didn't.)

I'm guessing #4.

The correct meaning of the word telamon is: {drum roll}

3. A figure of a man used as a supporting column.

The word that CJ was looking for meaning a female supporting column is caryatid.

Bob Hale, Kalleh and wordnerd all got it right and earned three points each.

Asa and WinterBranch chose each other's answers -- Hmmm. Do I see a pattern here? Each gets one point.

CJ chose his own definition. I assume he was trying some form of misdirection. If so it failed miserably.

The authors of the definitions were:

1. Telamon Jazz was a style of music popular in the late 1920s and early 1930s and named for the record label on which many of its pioneering performers were to be found. -- Bob Hale

2. A telamon is when the groom, before a Jewish wedding, attempts to give a talk on that week's Torah lesson to his male friends and family while they try their hardest to interrupt him. -- Kalleh

3. A figure of a man used as a supporting column. -- Dictionary

4. In Ptolemaic period Egyptian, the distance from Thebes to Giza. -- Asa Lovejoy

5. A rare spice often used in Bedouin cooking. Part of the same family as black pepper, telamon piper telas is used to mask the taste of rotten meat. -- WinterBranch

6. Genetically engineered salmon which its (American) producers originally guaranteed would not be allowed to cross-breed with "natural" salmon. Naturally, hundreds have escaped into the wild much to the consternation of those who oppose all forms of genetic engineering. (Note: This is a questionable word for this game since it is an extremely recent coinage and I doubt it's in any dictionary yet.) -- CJ Strolin

The current standings are:

arnie - 11
CJ Strolin - 6 1/2
Asa Lovejoy - 5
Bob Hale - 5
Kalleh - 4
Shufitz - 3
wordnerd - 3
WinterBranch - 2
Haberdasher - 1

We now have a problem. Bob, Kalleh and wordnerd tied for first place, so we have no clear winner this time. As Grand Potentate, Poobah, Visir, and Lord of this game, Asa, what happens next?

Ladies first, of course!

After I guessed, I went to find the word. I thought that support column thing was wrong because the Houston Children's Museum has supports in the the shape of kids. You know, standing on their head, running. In some story I read about the museum they called them a word I cannot find! It's like karatydid or charabid. Grrrrrr. I can't remember the word, but telamon did not look like it.

So I thought, "Ha HA!"

I was wrong.

(By the way, a friend of mine and I took her two kids to the Children's Museum. Basically--she took three kids to the Museum. I am the proud owner of my attempt to milk a fiberglass cow. I'm so thankful that's all the pictures that exist. Screaming "Let's jump on the velcro wall!" etc. is so unseemly in an adult.)

I might have guessed that CJ's was number 6. I almost chose it because I thought it was sooo unlikely! And then he voted for his own? Now, that's strategy!

Asa,
what happens next?
________________________________________________

Kalleh PMed me and reminded me, "Ladies first." However, in this case, the one who submitted the correct answer first shall be our next poobah.

Asa the soon to be in the doghouse with Kalleh!

Originally posted by Asa Lovejoy:

quote:

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in this case, the one who submitted the correct answer first shall be our next poobah.

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Fair enough. That makes it Bob. He is also the one out of the three who has the highest score overall, which is another good way to decide.

Yoohoo, Bob! Next word please!

BTW, WinterBranch, the word you mean is caryatid, as I mentioned in my post of 3 February. That means a column in the shape of a female, however. I doubt that there is a separate word for a column in the shape of a child.

Very well.

Ladies and gentlemen start your dictionaries please, this week's word is

flokati.

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.

quote:

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
I might have guessed that CJ's was number 6. I almost chose it because I thought it was sooo unlikely! And then he voted for his own? Now, that's strategy!

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"Unlikely"??! I'm insulted!

This actually is a problem that actually was covered by an NPR special. "Tele," meaning distance (as in telephone) linked with the last half of the word "salmon" seemed plausible to me if not to anyone else.

And yes, voting for my own definition was nothing more than my own half-assed attempt to lure other unsuspecting Wordcrafters into earning points for yours truly. Maybe if I hadn't telegraphed this move in my Jan 26th post of this thread it might not have turned out to be such an abysmal failure.

I have to redeem myself. Success is only a flokati away!

quote:

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Originally posted by arnie: I'm not sure if wordnerd quite understands the purpose of the game, since he voted for his own definition!

Originally posted by Kalleh: CJ voted for his own? Now, that's strategy!

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Feeling like Rodney Dangerfield here.

I'm following up on arnie's discussion ofd caryatid and telamon, but I'm doing it in a separate thead to avoid tangling it with our bluffing game.

CJ, as the current bluff-master, what would you think of putting each bluff round in a separate thread (rather than all rounds in this one thread), so that we could after the round we could discuss? Your call.

[This message was edited by wordnerd on Wed Feb 4th, 2004 at 19:55.]

quote:

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However, in this case, the one who submitted the correct answer first shall be our next poobah.

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Bah, Humbug! I demand a recount! No one ever mentioned that you need to post these answers quickly! BTW, Asa in the doghouse, who was the first to send you a definition?

quote:

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"Unlikely"??! I'm insulted!

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CJ, I was referring to your comment about the word not being in a dictionary. The definition itself was quite believeable. However, I couldn't imagine a bluffer saying that it isn't in a dictionary yet, and, still, it didn't seem plausible that the one who posted the definition would say that either.

quote:

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it didn't seem plausible that the one who posted the definition would say that either.

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It does if the poster is CJ...

I have four definitions at the moment - plus the original. Anyone else want a go ?

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.

quote:

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Originally posted by wordnerd:
CJ, as the current bluff-master, what would you think of putting each bluff round in a separate thread (rather than all rounds in this one thread), so that we could after the round we could discuss? Your call.

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Not exactly. B.H. is the current BluffMaster (good name but I prefer the non-hyphenized spelling) although, since you asked, I'd prefer all the words in the same thread as we've been doing so far. One reason for this would be that it would make it easier for newcomers to get the hang of the game if it were all in one thread. We can start new threads when this one gets unwieldy as we've done elsewhere.

quote:

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
CJ, I was referring to your comment about the word not being in a dictionary. The definition itself was quite believeable. However, I couldn't imagine a bluffer saying that it isn't in a dictionary yet, and, still, it didn't seem plausible that the one who posted the definition would say that either.

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Yeah, I guess I blew it. I came to a similar conclusion after PMing my entry and was going to rePM a correction but was too late.

My own damn fault for being too wordy, a fault I will address.


Regarding timliness of entries, I may be out of luck this time around. I'll be out of the local area on business much of the weekend and may have to wait until Monday to post next.

quote:

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Regarding timliness of entries, I may be out of luck this time around. I'll be out of the local area on business much of the weekend and may have to wait until Monday to post next.

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That's exactly why I don't think timeliness should be a part of the rules. Now, of course I was joking that the rule should have been "ladies first." Bob surely deserved the nod as his knowledge of words and language is exceptional. However, once we get into who posts first, well, there are too many variables. What with the time changes, work schedules, etc., I don't think that should be a part of the rules.

But, I guess I was in the minority with that thought.

I now have six including the original. I'll post them tomorrow afternoon with any other late entries that I get tonight or tomorrow morning.

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.

Here, in no particular order are the definitions for flokati.



1. A Greek hand-woven shaggy woollen rug. Comes from a moden Greek word (phlokate) meaning "peasants' blanket".


2. An old, broken-down horse. From the Romany (Gypsy language) word flokati, meaning horse.

3. Harmless optical illusions in the forms of opaque specks or threads crossing one's field of vision, caused by minor irregularities within the vitreous (the gelatinous matter between the lens and the retina) and commonly referred to as "floaters." They are more often experienced by individuals under the age of 30 than by seniors

4. A Japanese delicacy.

5. An exotic, beautiful, yet sturdy shrub which grows in the wet and fertile soil of Lake Victoria... home to the Bantu people of Africa.


6. The detritus that collects in underclothes

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 with #1 though I would have liked this choice better had it said "peasant's blanket" instead of "peasants' blanket. Then again, if they're peasants, I suppose a certain amount of sharing is par for the course.

Numbers 2 & 3 seem intriguing but I don't suppose we should get into vote-splitting.

Regarding timing, it would seem to be the fairest way to break a tie. Opting to give the nod to the overall leader might discourage newcomers from joining in since they would be at a disadvantage this way. Do I get any points for being first to guess? I postponed a work appointment so that I could babysit my grandkids and am presently on my daughter's computer.

I'll go with #2.

(CJ is shamelessly schmoozing for points just for being first ! Don't give him any!)

I'll vote for 1.

Number 5

4.

Tinman

Sounds Greek to me, so I'll assume it's what one sits on while eating spanikopita (sp?) and gulping ouzo. That would be #1, I'm guessing.

1. A Greek hand-woven shaggy woollen rug. Comes from a moden Greek word (phlokate) meaning "peasants' blanket".
Genuine, Collins English Dictionary

2. An old, broken-down horse. From the Romany (Gypsy language) word flokati, meaning horse.
arnie

3. Harmless optical illusions in the forms of opaque specks or threads crossing one's field of vision, caused by minor irregularities within the vitreous (the gelatinous matter between the lens and the retina) and commonly referred to as "floaters." They are more often experienced by individuals under the age of 30 than by seniors
CJ

4. A Japanese delicacy.
Kalleh

5. An exotic, beautiful, yet sturdy shrub which grows in the wet and fertile soil of Lake Victoria... home to the Bantu people of Africa.
KHC


6. The detritus that collects in underclothes
Asa

Three people: CJ, arnie and Asa correctly guessed that it was number 1, more than I thought would get it.

The scores therefore are
CJ 1
KHC 1
arnie 3
Kalleh 1
tinman 0
Asa 2

Which makes arnie the winner AGAIN ! We're gonna have to do something to handicap him. (Matbe supply him with the word without the vowels or something !)

Someone might want to check that though, my counting has been known to be at fault.
The running totals are therfore.

arnie - 14
CJ Strolin - 7 1/2
Asa Lovejoy - 7
Bob Hale - 5
Kalleh - 5
Shufitz - 3
wordnerd - 3
WinterBranch - 2
Haberdasher - 1
KHC 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.

Well, I thought it was # 1. However, I was late in getting to my computer, and 2 others had already chosen # 1. So, because of that blankity blank new timeliness rule, I chose another definition since I wouldn't have won anyway. See why I hate that new rule?

quote:

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
Well, I thought it was # 1. However, I was late in getting to my computer, and 2 others had already chosen # 1. So, because of that blankity blank new _timeliness_ rule, I chose another definition since I wouldn't have won anyway. See why I hate that new rule?

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You need to suggest a new rule to replace it. I'm sure no-one would object to a different tie-breaker, just don't suggest overall score as the tie-breaker because the dice are loaded in arnie's favour quite enough as it is.

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 am not sure what would be more fair as I haven't played this game before. I would almost like to see the job of posting the words being passed from one to the next, not according to the one who wins. After all, the final scores denote the winner, and that is always made clear in each game. That way, everyone has a chance to post words once in awhile. However, that may be a self-centered concept!

quote:

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
I I would almost like to see the job of posting the words being passed from one to the next,

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Actually that's the way the original version of it does work.

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.

that's the way the original version of it does work.
_______________________________________________
If we were to adopt that manner of selection, we would have problems with new posters. However, were we to go in rotation, but give any new poster(s) the next round(s) as wordmaster, it just might work, with the added benefit of keeping newbies involved. Although I, as Grand Poobah of this game, could exercise my Imperial powers and make this a decree, I shall condescend to let the plebes take a vote. What say you, one and all?

Well, if that is the way it is always played, far be it for me to change the rules! I can abide by that rule. I just wish it would have been stated earlier, as it really does change the strategy.

It may be that this just isn't the game for me!

One point (1)... Hooray for me! Thanks, Tinman, for voting for my shrub definition.

In about 10 more years, I may catch up with The Masters..

Uhhh, I took yours, KHC! Tinman took mine...and I am sooo grateful to him!

[This message was edited by Kalleh on Mon Feb 9th, 2004 at 5:59.]

Sorry, Kalleh - I wasn't paying attention! Thanks for picking my definition!

A good rhyme

quote:

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Originally posted by Kalleh: See why I hate that new rule?

Originally posted by BobHale: You need to suggest a new rule to replace it. ... just don't suggest overall score as the tie-breaker because the dice are loaded in arnie's favour quite enough as it is.

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Higgledy piggledy,
Playing at Balderdash,
Arnie's consistently
Hosting, we've found.

Would I be speaking too
Undiplomatically
If I suggest that we
Pass it around?

Hic et U: I'm very impressed! A DD within the word bluffing game.. I'm overwhelmed by the talent. I vote to let Kalleh "host" the next bluff game.. who's it going to hurt? Bob and Arnie can have a few days' respite.. and we can still be dazzled by their skill. I'm still reworking by Theodore Roosevelt DD... and everyone has outdone me from the get-go! There are not enough hours in the day to play..

Well, I certainly have no objections to passing the hosting around. I'd rather be playing the game than running it, anyway.

All we need to do next is decide on who hosts the next game.

My vote, FWIW, goes to Kalleh.

I feel a bit like the squeaky wheel. However, I would love to do the bluffing word, and, unless someone objects, I will post one this evening. Thanks!

No objection here.

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.

Not an objection as such but may I point out that unless Arnie completely fools us with whatever word he comes up with, it is impossible for him to earn points in rounds in which he is the WordMaster. Every time he wins a round (which, yes, has been rather frequently as of late) his score for the next round is pretty much guaranteed to be zero thereby giving the rest of us an opportunity to catch up a bit.

If he remains on top we have only ourselves to blame for not coming up with better bluffs.


Also, request someone recount the scores from that last round. A correct guess used to be worth 3 points, right? And one point for someone voting for your false definition? (And while I'm thinking of it, my last two fraudulent definitions have both been corkers and together earned be a grand total of doodily squat! For what it's worth, everything contained in my last effort was absolutely true except for the fact that it had nothing to do with the target word itself. With a definition so intriguing, I was sure I'd pick up at least a couple of points. You're not trying, people!


One last sidenote: This thread is now on its 2nd page. I'm betting we'll hit five easily.