Eierlikör – is a German egg liqueur made with raw egg yolk, sugar and rum. Similar to eggnog, but different. Here’s a recipe for how to make it: https://www.recipesfromeurope.com/eierlikoer/
I've seen the Bols version around. Been awhile. I think it went out of distribution in my area. Bols isn't the cheapest cordial brand out there, but it's close. Eggnog has crashed in popularity around here. We still do a martini version on the holiday menus, but it doesn't sell anymore. Probably going to ditch it next year.
I learned iconoclast from Tintin - it's one of the insults that Captain Haddock uses (in the English translation). I don't remember any of the others, other than bashi-bazooks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bashi-bazouk
From the allium family of plants. Also includes leeks and chives. Some debate in the culinary community as to whether a chive should be coded as an herb. It technically isn't, but it gets chopped in little green pieces and is utilized like all the other herbs, so we code as an herb in our database. Very frequently used in the phrase "over and anon."
A pastiche is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking it. Sherlock Holmes pastiches have their own page on Wiki.
Hmm. Is it possible to have a religious cosmogony? *wonders* Or would that be called 'mythology', or simply 'religion' (e.g. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" etc.)? Sorry, I'm not trying to start a religious argument or anything! *blush* I'm simply curious. Cockatrice - a mythological creature, essentially a two-legged dragon, wyvern, or serpent-like creature with a rooster's head. It is the mediaeval name (a corruption of "crocodile") of a fabulous serpent supposed to be produced when a toad or snake hatches a chicken egg. The cockatrice was the heraldic beast of the Langleys of Agecroft Hall in Lancashire, England, as far back as the 14th century. It is also the symbol of 3 (Fighter) Squadron, a fighter squadron of the Royal Air Force. The first English mention of the cockatrice was in the 14th century John Wycliffe translation of the Bible. The word was used for the translation of various Hebrew words for asp and adder in the Book of Isaiah 11, 14 and 59. The legend of the basilisk is similar.
Here's a word that's been kicking around English for a good long while: Schadenfreude. Everyone knows (or should know) this one, especially if you're a fan of The Simpsons. In an early episode (called "When Flanders Failed"), Homer is angry because his neighbour, Ned Flanders, always seems to succeed in everything. His anger prompts his brainy daughter, Lisa, to comment: Lisa: Dad, do you know what schadenfreude is? Homer: No, I don't know what "shaden-frawde" is. (sarcastically) Please tell me, because I'm dying to know. Lisa: It's a German term for "shameful joy", taking pleasure in the suffering of others. Homer: Oh, come on, Lisa! I'm just glad to see him fall flat on his butt! (angrily) He's usually all happy and comfortable, and surrounded by loved ones, and it makes me feel... What's the opposite of that shameful joy thing of yours? Lisa: (drily) Sour grapes. Homer: (wondering) Boy, those Germans have a word for everything! It's a very fun little moment, especially with the wonderful voice acting. Jokes aside, Lisa's definition -- while broadly correct -- is inaccurate. In German, schaden is "damage" or "harm" and freude is "joy", so schadenfreude is literally "joy at someone else's harm/damage". For instance, if your coworker fails at a job interview to become a manger, and this makes you happy (even because you'd miss them if they left), that's schadenfreude. (Homer being glad to see Ned fall on his butt is a great example). And speaking of this word, here's another: freudenschade - a negative reaction to others' good fortune. If your coworker succeeded, and this makes you angry, that's freudenschade. I vote for this word to become more popular. By the way, English also has a word that means the same thing: epicaricacy (or "epicharicacy", also meaning "rejoicing at or deriving pleasure from the misfortunes of others.") It comes from the Greek epi ("upon"), chara ("joy"), and kakon, ("evil"); together, the word becomes epikhairekakía, "joy upon evil". This word is rarely used, so feel free to re-introduce it. The adjective (i.e. "epicaricatic") has never been used AFAIK, so feel free to use that one too! Of course you can just say "sadist", but there's a difference. When Nelson Muntz (in The Simpsons) points at someone's failure and says "HA-ha!", that's schadenfreude ... but not sadism. Wouldn't you agree?
Chiminea .... this thing: I have this thing in my story. Like, i knew what it looked like, but i always thought it was an oven. So i called it an oven. I saw someone selling it on Facebook Marketplace and called it a "chiminea" -mind blown-
Saw those in New Mexico back in the 60’s. Don’t know about the origins of them but I think they came from the Pueblos.
I learned two new words today: - teocalli, a Nahuatl word meaning "a temple of the Aztecs or other Mexican peoples, typically standing on a truncated pyramid." - tzacualli, a likewise Nahuatl word meaning "a small hill", "a temple", "a pyramid". My favourite non-technical word is floccinaucinihilipilification. At 29 letters, this is the longest non-technical word found in dictionaries. (Pronounced 'flocci-nauci-nihili-pili‧fication', it means "the act of estimating something as worthless"). For instance: "I was outraged at the pawn shop's owner's act of floccinaucinihilipilification when he offered to pay $50 for my genuine Rolex." (RIP Bo Diddley)
It's actually easy. It comes from Latin: "floccī", "naucī", "nihilī" and "pilī" all mean “of little or no value, trifling”. Then you add the "fication" on the end. They even rhyme. "Flock-ee"-"now-key"-"nihili"-"pili" etc. Here are some more cool new words I learned today: Zymology. The study of fermentation. (Zymurgy is a process that the yeast does to convert sugar into alcohol or other desired flavors). Oenology (pronounced "Ee-nology"). The study of wine, including the science of winemaking. Wine-lovers are known as oenophiles. And speaking of wine, I guess most of you know that at Christmas time, a lot of people make mulled wine - i.e. wine with mulled (i.e. crushed) spices. (That's why it's called "mulled" wine; mulling, when it comes to spices, means "crushing"). So, I was absolutely delighted to learn that the Swedish word for mulled wine is Glögg, and that you can buy Glögg also in Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Estonia. It's also sometimes spelled Glug. I'm not kidding! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulled_wine#Nordic_gl%C3%B6gg Next time I'm in a Nordic country, I'll ask for "glug glug glug" ...
I was a bit confused today in learning that melee means specifically a confused close quarter battle. Or not even that, but a scuffle. I have used it and had it in my mind for decades as any general close quarter battle. Not just confused ones. And it seems to be a trademarked word for some board game or some shit as well. One less word for me to use and throw around.
Nah, you can still use it to refer to any kind of hand-to-hand combat. I only knew of the gaming definition before you mentioned this.
True. That's just a really low-energy training session. And now I'm curious. Is it melee or mêlée (i.e. with the accents)? Does including the accents make it more "authentic", for lack of a better word?
Oh! OK, apologies. I simply thought that "mêlée" was a more authentic or "accurate" version of "melee". I'm writing in English, so is it a mistake to use "mêlée"? And apropos of nothing, I created a word: mandatoria, n. A female person who forbids from doing something (from "mandatory"). The male version is mandator. (And no, he does not fight bulls). This behavior is clearly common in new parents. Alternatively, if you're writing a fantasy novel, "Mandatoria" might be the patron goddess of helicopter parents.
Technically, I suppose but I doubt anyone would bat an eyelid at it. "Melee" is probably best for North Americans, apart from the Francophone ones.
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia. The fear of long words - specifically, feelings of shame or fear of ridicule for mispronouncing long words. (To break it down into syllable-size chunks: hippo-poto-monstros-esquip-pedalio-phobia). For similar words: "Hippopotamus", which is familiar to everyone (I hope!) means "river horse" in Greek. (But "hippie-pot-amused" is when the people with long hair and sandals get high and have fun).
