Saturday 13 November 2010

It's only words.....

And to quote The Bee Gees/Boyzone (delete as applicable, depending on your age),  they are all I have. About 18,000 of them, to be exact, which means I still have to find another 32,000 before the end of November. 

I've also beeen loaned an excellent book of unusual words, which I've been dipping into and which is full of all sorts of interesting bits.  For instance:

When you're looking at a map or navigtional chart and see little pointy marks indicating dangerous rocks, those are called vigias.  The marks, I mean, not the rocks.  Those are just called rocks.   It comes from the Latin vigilia which means "keeping watch" and is where we get words like vigil, vigilance, vigilante etc. (Which reminds me, I haven't been to see what the Vigilant Citizen has been up to lately. I need to rectify this.)*

A mangonel (say it out loud; if there is any word that rolls off the tounge quite as nicely as this one does, I'd be surprised) is a contraption involving pullys and wheels and designed to throw large items - boulders, javelins, etc - during battles.

Pilgarlic is an old-fashioned word for being bald; it literally comes from the phrase "peeled garlic". 

*I have just checked; there is an advertisment on his website which says:

TOP SECRET - How to make electricity at home.  Discover what the electricity company has been hiding! 

I'm glad he's been using his time wisely.

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