It's Friday morning here. You have your weekends to concoct definitions to be posted three days from now, at this time Monday; results of your guesses to be posted three days later, on Thursday morning.

Winterbranch, you're going to be the next Wordmaster, so here's your heads-up to get ready.

Our word for this week is short and sweet: bonze.

<whining> but I don't wannaaaaaaaaaaa

Oh, okay.

I think I even have a word.

The bitch is back, folks.

No, not you, Hic.

WinterBranch, we have missed you! We're looking forward to your being the WordMaster.

4 definitions so far. We can do better, can't we? All you missing links, you know who you are ....

bonze:

1) the tracing made of the outline of a customer's foot, from which the "last" is cut. This is a rather secret trade-word still used in the world of bootmaking, especially among the high-class gentlemen's bootmakers in St. James. At one particular bootmaker's they still have the bonzes of Lord Nelson, and Disraeli, and of at least one duke of whom it is said in the trade that he had "a bonze lake a boat."

2) A rope grip or handle.

3) Smooth detritus (such as algae) which adheres to piers, the bottoms of boats, etc. as opposed to Curch, rougher substances (such as barnacles) which do likewise. In the case of boats, both must be scraped off or otherwise removed for the craft to achieve peak efficiency.

4) an impolite but not necessarily offensive name for a Japanese clergyman. from the Portuguese bonzo. You might wonder why the Portuguese, who live a very very long way away from the possibility of seeing even a Japanese layman, would feel the need for an impolite word for a Japanese cleric, but they do, and it's "bonze." It's also impossible to understand why some English dogs are called Bonzo, but they are.

5) (Australian slang) Very good, excellent.

6) a game resembling ninepins which was prohibited by statute, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, on the grounds that it was knocking over too many public figures. It wasn't played in a pub of bowling alley, but out of doors, where there was more room for power-play bonzing: i.e., bashing hell out of nine-pins painted to look like the government of the day.

7) to do a good deed; to help out your fellow man.

Just a thought. To me, this game was more fun when we posted our answers...making a few comments along the way. I also think it encourages others to join in; for example, some people posted answers without sending in definitions. What do you think?

I feel that the answers should be anonymous initially, but the authorship of the various answers ought to be revealed after the results are announced. That's the way the commercial version of the game does it, and the way I remember playing it before the commercial version came along.

I'm in a sunny mood, so I'll put my money on #7.

P.S. I agree with Kalleh. Otherwise, the thread gets awfully quiet.

Give me a 3, please.

If answers are posted along the way, perhaps we should make an exception for arnie's, since everyone will copy him knowing he's sure to be right.

quote:

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Originally posted by shufitz:
3) Smooth detritus (such as algae) which adheres to piers...

---

By George, I think I've got it!

Just read #3 again and realized it sounds like a line from an all-aquatic version of Pygmalion ("My Ferry Lady" perhaps), something possibly along the lines of "It appears, he fears, bonze adheres to the piers."

I took this word and three of the definitons straight for their appearance in the British radio Call My Bluff. I hear there's a whole book from that show, and I intend to get it.

bonze:

1) from Call My Bluff; phony: the tracing made of the outline of a customer's foot, from which the "last" is cut. This is a rather secret trade-word still used in the world of bootmaking, especially among the high-class gentlemen's bootmakers in St. James. At one particular bootmaker's they still have the bonzes of Lord Nelson, and Disraeli, and of at least one duke of whom it is said in the trade that he had "a bonze like a boat."

2) from Kalleh: A rope grip or handle.

3) from CJ: Smooth detritus (such as algae) which adheres to piers, the bottoms of boats, etc. as opposed to Curch, rougher substances (such as barnacles) which do likewise. In the case of boats, both must be scraped off or otherwise removed for the craft to achieve peak efficiency. fooled KHC, wordnerd

4) from Call My Bluff; correct: an impolite but not necessarily offensive name for a Japanese clergyman. from the Portuguese bonzo. You might wonder why the Portuguese, who live a very very long way away from the possibility of seeing even a Japanese layman, would feel the need for an impolite word for a Japanese cleric, but they do, and it's "bonze." It's also impossible to understand why some English dogs are called Bonzo, but they are. Kalleh got it; so did arnie, sort of.

5) from arnie: (Australian slang) Very good, excellent. fooled CJ

6) from Call My Bluff; phony: a game resembling ninepins which was prohibited by statute, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, on the grounds that it was knocking over too many public figures. It wasn't played in a pub of bowling alley, but out of doors, where there was more room for power-play bonzing: i.e., bashing hell out of nine-pins painted to look like the government of the day.

7) from KHC: to do a good deed; to help out your fellow man. fooled hic

Although arnie also selected the right one [What else is new?], points must be deducted for doubting the Bluffmeister. Said arnie, "I don't believe a word of any of those definitions. Are you sure you didn't forget to include the real one? Working on the premise that the least likely is the most likely (if you know what I mean) I'll go however for the Japanese cleric. Number 4) that is."

Score the round: arnie 2 (correct answer, -1 penalty, plus one for catching a competitor), CJ 2, Kalleh 2, KHC 1

For the record, I had known "bonze." Shu didn't tell me its meaning. In fact, when he saw that I got it right, he wanted me to change it to a wrong meaning because he didn't want anyone to think we cheated.

However, I won fair and square and needed the 2 points!

Hey!

Asa, as Grand Potentate, Poobah, Visir, and Lord of this game, has already disallowed any such presumptuous changes in the rules. I demand the reinstatement of the point illegally deducted!

Maybe so and yet pointing this out must surely rate another negative point.

On a brighter note, my phony definitions have now scored me 4 full points, 3 from women and one from the genderless Wordnerd who, frankly, has always struck me as being a bit butch. How about it, W.? Care to divulge your ability, or lack thereof, in regards to writing your name in the snow??

Asa, as Grand Potentate, Poobah, Visir, and Lord of this game, has already disallowed
any such presumptuous changes in the rules.
_________________________________________

I have abdicated. Were I still in charge, I would stand against arbitrary changes. But, as it is, I have no power to enforce rules. May I sugest to my successor that she establish her rules, or, if there is already mutiny against her, that we democratically establish consensus on the rules?

For the record, once a year I run a "Call my Bluff" session at the Simpletons Public Speaking club. It is held at the Victoria (a Fuller's House), Lancaster Gate, London.

I will buy anyone who cares to turn up a pint but cannot undertake to pay his or her travelling expenses!

Richard English

Well, especially since arnie is "bored stiff" with my epicaricacy discussions, I definitely think he should have a point deducted. Besides, he's so far ahead that what difference does one point make?

If we are going to deduct points at random. how about deducting points from shufitz who posted the contents of my private message to him? I'd say that is an offence worthy of the deduction of at least three points.

arnie, agreed. But did you like my imitation of CJ?

Point restored!

quote:

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Wordnerd, frankly, has always struck me as being a bit butch.

---

butch adj. 1. used of men: markedly masculine in appearance or manner 2. pejorative synonym for lesbian

Which meaning did you have in mind, CJ?

First, for Shufitz: That wasn't an imitation. It was an impression!

One point off Shufitz's's's score.


Secondly, for Mr./Ms W.: Whichever definition that will reveal your gender (metaphorically speaking, of course - Please don't post explicit photos) will be fine. By "butch" I'm only implying that your writing seems to reflect a masculine point of view but, then again, I do have a pair of ex-wives who both would suggest that my understanding of women in general leaves much to be desired.

2 1/2 points to be added to Wordnerd's score if we can get a straight answer out of him/her.

Funny, I always think of "butch" as meaning the male Lesbian partner.

Another CJ impression(thanks to Seinfeld): Not that there's anything wrong with that!

I was nominated to be the next wordmistress.

(I'll do anything if I get called Mistress.)

Okay, that was too far a peek into my pysche, I'm sure.

Here is Da Word:

Achiote

Let's see. It's Saturday night in the US. Ya'll have until Monday Night at 8pm central US time to get your guesses in.

And..may god have mercy on your souls.

(Oh wait, thats supposed to be in another post.)

Well, anyhoo, I look forward to the guesses.

It's been 24 hours and I currently have ONE definition/guess.

Don't let me down peeps.

(and I had to nag him for that one--there's a reason I'm not married--I don't like nagging--but I will if I have to)

CJ? RE? Kalleh? Shu? BobHale? I'm eyeballing ya'll. Giving ya'll the ol' hairy eyeball. Don't make me do more.

Yes, yes, thanks for the kick in the tush! I will have one for you this evening.

Here are the total points so far; now, remember, many of these people have played only 1 or 2 times. You've got to play to get points, folks!

arnie - 28
CJ - 11 1/2 (how the half point? I am trying to get ahead of CJ, and I think that half point is baloney!)
Kalleh - 11
Asa - 8
Bob - 8
KHC - 7
Shufitz - 3
wordnerd - 3
WinterBranch - 2
haberdasher - 1
Jerry - 0

Once again, it is I! The Great and Terrible Oz!

Or Ox--that's what my fingers wanted to type.

But I wouldn't let them! (I did mention how great and terrible I am right?)

I need one more definition. Just one. Click ya'lls ruby slippers together and get one.

And I'm sposed to pick the next Keeper of the Word?

Its like duck, duck, goose only way more fun.

patting shu and kalleh and khc on the head
so many ducks
tapping RE but he's still a duck

Jheem--goosing you--you are the next WordMaster.

And the rest of you? be nice to the goose. I mean the newbie.

Ahem, I mean, ya'll be sweet to Jheem.

And awwwwwwaaaay we go!

Achiote

1. The tiny flowers that grow on certain blooming cacti; from the Navajo word for "sweet smell".

2. Having a hide of overlapping plates as with the armadillo.

3. An early form of electronic instrument, a precurser to the modern synthesier. Invented in 1928 and first demonstrated in Paris, the instrument produces sound by overlapping high frequency vibrations.

4. A hard seed from the annatoo tree, achiote is pounded into a powder or made into a
paste. It has a mild, earthy flavor.

5. One of the Greek Islands; any part of Greece not on the mainland.

6. A Native American Plains tribe. The last surviving member died in 1962.

7.A tropical South American perennial herbaceous vine (Sechium edule) having tendrils, tuberous roots, and a green, pear-shaped fruit cooked as a vegetable.

8. Any one of a number of Mollusks lacking a hard shell.

Fantastic guesses from everyone! Thanks for playing!

I will post the correct answer on Wednesday. Send me your guesses!

Poking, prodding, and being a pain.

I want some guesses people!

<Clap clap>

hurry up!!!

I don't think we reached any consensus regarding whether or not to post our guesses secretly via private message so allow me to be the first to proudly proclaim my preference for #3. Seeing as how I have not yet even once picked a winner in this thread (Arnie, I ain't!) I apologize in advance to the person who penned this undoubtedly bogus definition for causing an onrush of Wordcrafter votes away from his/her fine effort.

Odd though, isn't it, that both #2 and #3 contain the word "overlapping." Significant, maybe? Hmmm???


Plus, since (1.) I've brought it up and (2.) it doesn't look right to me, is it grammatically correct to refer to an onrush away from something? The definitions I've just checked all refer to forward movement.

I agree with CJ that this game is more fun when people post their answers. I have already sent WinterBranch a private topic for #6, but I will post my answer publicly here.

This is like an "outing" !! I sent WinterBranch a private post also... but I, too, voted for #6...

Go Indians!

I also think it's more fun this way - I voted for 7

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 BobHale:
I also think it's more fun this way - I voted for 7

---

If one of Bob's seven choices comes in, a rather likely occurrence since only eight were offered, I don't think he should get credit for guessing correctly.

Sorry for a bit of a delay in posting the answers--and yes, it is better to have the answers posted here instead of in PM's. I realized that after I posted, but haven't been able to get to a computer in a few days.

Achiote

1. The tiny flowers that grow on certain blooming cacti; from the Navajo word for "sweet smell".
Fake:submitted by KHC

2. Having a hide of overlapping plates as with the armadillo.
Fake: submitted by CJ

3. An early form of electronic instrument, a precurser to the modern synthesier. Invented in 1928 and first demonstrated in Paris, the instrument produces sound by overlapping high frequency vibrations.
Fake: submitted by BobHale
Fooled: CJ

4. A hard seed from the annatoo tree, achiote is pounded into a powder or made into a
paste. It has a mild, earthy flavor.

Real answer

DING DING DING! Guessed correctly by Asa
Honorable Mention: jerrythomas sent me this definition but unfortunately it was too late:

"The seeds of the lipstick tree, used for coloring and flavoring food." Frighteningly close to the correct answer!

5. One of the Greek Islands; any part of Greece not on the mainland.
Fake: submitted by arnie

6. A Native American Plains tribe. The last surviving member died in 1962.
Fake: submitted by WinterBranch
Fooled: KHC and Kalleh

7.A tropical South American perennial herbaceous vine (Sechium edule) having tendrils, tuberous roots, and a green, pear-shaped fruit cooked as a vegetable.
Fake: submitted by Kalleh
Fooled: BobHale

8. Any one of a number of Mollusks lacking a hard shell.
Fake: submitted by Asa
Fooled: arnie

I will now take about five years to figure the points up. :P

[This message was edited by WinterBranch on Wed Mar 10th, 2004 at 20:13.]

[This message was edited by WinterBranch on Wed Mar 10th, 2004 at 20:17.]

When adding the points, subtract CJ's half point since there are no half points, and he has never even attempted to explain it, even though I have asked twice about it!

arnie - 28
Kalleh - 12
CJ - 11 1/2 (Kalleh, you and CJ can battle it out. I suggest either a steel cage death match or something involving wrestling in creamed corn. Or hey, both! )
Asa - 11
Bob - 9
KHC - 7
WinterBranch - 4
wordnerd - 3
haberdasher - 1
Jerry - 1 (for the Honorable Mention--Do not argue with me peons, for I have not yet relinquished the title of WordMistress!)

Shufitz - 0

Did everyone notice that Shu now has zero? Can anyone guess why? Hmmmm, for nominating me and then. not. playing.

(Oh, the WordMistress has a cold dark heart and She is cruel!)

Anyway that was pretty fun! Thanks for playing everyone! (Damn you Asa, I almost had three points! That's it, the erotic book reading at Powell's is NOW OFF!!!!)

Someone nudge jheem--it's his/her turn.

Oh, you are so funny WinterBranch! As long as I am now ahead of CJ, I don't mind about the half point (though I am confused by it!)

WinterBranch,
You fooled me and Kalleh... you Go Girl!

Kalleh is ahead of CJ... ! All is right with the world.. Why doesn't Shufitz play, Kalleh?

I'm ready for the next round...

CJ's had that half point since the very first game, Kalleh. It was awarded by Asa in this post.

[This message was edited by arnie on Thu Mar 11th, 2004 at 1:55.]

Aha! So, CJ's half point is illegitimate! I knew it.

I wonder if jheem even reads this thread to know that he is next up. He hasn't ever played the game.

Isn't it obvious why Shu doesn't play, KHC? He can't stand to be wrong!

quote:

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So, CJ's half point is illegitimate!

---

How so, Kalleh?

Asa, as Grand Potentate, Poobah, Visir, and Lord of this game can award points as he pleases. He may say that he's stepped down now, but he certainly was in charge during the first game!

quote:

---

How so, Kalleh?

---

Well, you are right, of course, arnie. I just meant that CJ's pure, unadulterated points are 11. His half point wasn't earned by the skills of the game, per se. However, I will bow to the ex-Pooh Bah on this one.

Mainly, I wondered from where that half point came. Thanks for the clarification!

OK Kalleh, just wait until I'm ThreadMaster (or whatever we're calling it these days) again! I'm gonna dock you 5 points for boring Arnie with your "epicaricacy" campaign and, now that I think of it, I'll dock him 7 or 8 for being such a wet blanket about it while I'm at it.


For what it's worth, though, I can now spell "epicaricacy" without going back to previous posts to look it up so I suppose your campaign wasn't a complete washout...

Ahem, somebody nudged me? Le's see. How to play? Give a "real" word and some number of definitions, one of which is real. Folks inform me privately? How long does everybody get? Sorry, I don't usually read in this topic. I'll come up with something and post tonight or tomorrow morning. Let me know what I've miscalculated. PS, I knew achiote because I had to buy some for a mole poblano. Yum.

jheem,

Give us a word and we'll send you our definitions by private message. I'd say wait 2-3 days for them to come in. Once you've got five or more definitions (plus the real meaning), post them here. We'll all then guess which is the real one. Give it another 3 days or so then you can reveal the right answer.

We are, of course, honour-bound not to look up the word in our dictionaries or on the Web.

OK, the word I've chosen is: clapperdudgeon.

(Damn you Asa, I almost
had three points! That's it, the erotic book reading at Powell's is NOW OFF!!!!)
________________________________________________

That's OK, WB, I don't mind skipping the foreplay.

So far I've heard from WinterBranch, C J Strolin, BobHale, arnie, and Asa. What about the rest of youse wordmongers?

So, I've heard from Kalleh and shufitz, and tonight when I get back from work, I'll post all the definitions. Tell anybody else who'd like to join in to get their definitions to me by 7 PM Pacific coast time.

OK, here's the definitions of clapperdugeon..

a. A pin to be inserted in the clapper of a bell to keep the bell from ringing.

b. A type of meat pudding.

c. A person regarded as mentally dull; a dolt.

d. The lowest level of kitchen or scullery maid who did the meanest tasks. (archaic)

e. Marked by sudden and violent outbursts of temper.

f. Irritation caused by living too close to a church and being woken every morning by the sound of the bells.

g. A beggar born; a whining beggar.

h. Righteous indignation or anger. "Take away that fool's bauble, the mace." said Oliver Cromwell to Parliament in a state of high clapperdudgeon. Antonia Fraser; Cromwell, Our Chief of Men.

i. The rivet, or gudgeon pin that ties the hanging eye and clapper eye together on certain large church bells.