I think everybody has responded who intends to.

Is GRABEN

A) gra-ben (n), plural grabens: the counterbalance component of a gyroscopic mechanism, functioning as a neutralizer to the forces of the gyroscope
offered by jerry thomas

B) a weevil that destroys alfalfa
offered by Kalleh

C) the small bit of fabric used to stabilize a zipper in delicate clothing
offered by caterwauller

D) (n) a fine powder used by silversmiths to polish surfaces that have been etched by acid
offered by jo

E) the valley between two horsts
It's The Real Thing! See here, among may other sites.
correctly identified by Asa Lovejoy, Dianthus, Jerry Thomas, jo, Kalleh, and Tinman

F) archaic: pale-skinned, ashen
offered by Bob Hale

G) Any of several species of wading birds of the plover family, with a strong, wedge-shaped beak and stout legs
offered by Sunflower
guessed by Caterwauller

H) long or unmowed grass
offered by arnie
guessed by Bob Hale

I) the spool from which yarn is fed on early Jaquard-type looms
offered by Asa Lovejoy

J) graves, from German der Grab, die Graben, from graben, to dig
Red Herring #1
Actually it's not far from right: the German for grave is der Grab, die Gräber.

K) a high mountain cirque
offered by tinman.
guessed by arnie and KHC
Got the field right, certainly: a cirque is a crater that filled with water to become a lake.

L) (also, griven) the remnants of skin and onions left after rendering poultry fat; cracklings
Red Herring #2. That's the definition for "gribbines." The accent is on the first syllable (GRIB-in-ness).


I think this may be the first word ever proposed to have been gotten correctly by more entrants than all the other guesses combined. What a most geologically aware group we are!


The book that inspired this little set of words was the Mars trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson. It chronicles the exploitation and transformation of Mars by an overcrowded, overcommercialized Earth, and the social, psychological, political, ecologic evolution as it unfolds. Much time and many words are devoted to describing the surface of the planet in great detail as it develops through many, and at times drastic, changes. Lots and lots of words from geology.

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

As for J, here is what online Webster's says about graben: "Etymology: German, ditch, from Old High German grabo, from graban to dig"

When I looked up the word after choosing E, I thought J was correct. I was kicking myself because I almost chose J, but I thought it was too obvious.

...like a good red herring should...

But although it was tempting, it didn't convince anyone, really.

quote:

it didn't convince anyone, really.

It almost convinced me, though.

Who would like the next word?

quote:

Originally posted by haberdasher:
L) (also, griven) the remnants of skin and onions left after rendering poultry fat; cracklings
Red Herring #2. That's the definition for "gribbines."

Are you sure? I couldn't fined either gribbines or griven.

That's because you're looking in the wrong dictionary. Actually I'm not sure any more exactly where I got the citation from (I would never have called it "griven" on my own) but there's a small bunch of quotations on Google like this one. Go down to the fifth paragraph or so.