OK, let me have your daffynitions by PM please for sordine.

Sent mine.

WM

Mine, too.

Well, Arnie, when are we going to find out if sordines come in a little tin with a key on the back????



Wordmatic?

Aren't they angry university officials ??

Five daffynitions received so far. Any more takers? Last call!

Isn't "Sordine" the name of a scandalous French woman?

you're thinking of Sordide!

Daffynitions for sordine:

1. A type of medieval plainsong
2. a coarse but strong clothing, made to protect against soiling those doing dirty work (cleaning slop buckets, removing the bodies of victims of the plague, etc - cf. "dungarees")
3. A damper. a cone-shaped mute for a trumpet
4. Causing evacuation or emission. From F. sortir, leave, depart
5. left handed
6. unstable, moody
7. a variety of pansy found only in Iceland
8. a medieval refuse dump.

Guess away!

Wild guess: #1.

WM

I'll try 6

It's a medieval plainsong sung by unstable, moody, coarse clothing-wearing left-handed Icelandic pansies playing muted trumpets while evacuating in ye olde refuse dump.

I'll Join Wordmatic on singing the praises of #1 But then if it were a sniglet I'd say it's a small, stinky, bruised fish.

Just so you don't think I was influenced by others, I had already chosen 1 before seeing the other choices.

It's probably wrong anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by Kalleh:
Just so you don't think I was influenced by others, I had already chosen 1 before seeing the other choices.

Right or wrong, we've got us a choir! When's practice?

Daffynitions and answers for sordine:

1. A type of medieval plainsong
   
   Bob's effort - fooled Wordmatic, Asa Lovejoy, and Kalleh
   
   
2. a coarse but strong clothing, made to protect against soiling those doing dirty work (cleaning slop buckets, removing the bodies of victims of the plague, etc - cf. "dungarees")
   
   Hab's suggestion - no takers
   
   
3. A damper. a cone-shaped mute for a trumpet
   
   The true meaning - see http://home.comcast.net/~wwftd/rst.htm#sordine No-one guessed it!
   
   
4. Causing evacuation or emission. From F. sortir, leave, depart
   
   Asa provided this - again, no takers
   
   
5. left handed
   
   jerry thomas rather sinisterly suggested this - fooling nobody
   
   
6. unstable, moody
   
   Kalleh's effort - she destabilised Bob
   
   
7. a variety of pansy found only in Iceland
   
   Wordmatic's offering - confusing no-one
   
   
8. a medieval refuse dump.
   
   My own red herring - fooled jerry

That may well be the best I've ever done.

quote:

A damper. a cone-shaped mute for a trumpet

The true meaning - see http://home.comcast.net/~wwftd/rst.htm#sordine No-one guessed it!

this was quite an early entry, in the "so that's what that's called" category.

were I to enter it today, I would point out that it stems from F. sourdine and It. sordino < L. surdus, deaf (cf. surdaster(!)); and it's also a mute for stringed instruments.

in fact, I think I'll update it later today..

Good job, Bob! I thought I had it for sure, especially after so many others had selected it. Congrats to you, too, arnie! Nice word!

I've got next. A logophile who isn't able to take part right now has given me a word that I am hoping will have the same results. I don't believe I've ever had a word that has fooled everyone.

Great job, Arnie and Bob. I'd rather have it be a trumpet mute than a refuse dump. I thought about that one. Does that count??? spoze not!