February 28 2011

Word of the Week: Arete

ARETE – (Arr-ah-TAY): sharp, narrow mountain ridge, often between two glaciated valleys. [Swiss French, from Latin, arista – ear of grain]

Comments

DC — 28 February at 10:02AM

In a game I used to play, Arete was the term for a character's willpower and ability to control magic. The company is question was often a bit loose in their appropriation of terminology, but I have seen it defined as the qualities of good character.

Joshua's lead slips after a high pass (5)

Boniface — 28 February at 01:53PM

Glen Ridge in software technology show? (5)

DC — 28 February at 08:54PM

Alien invades Area 51, half-way between icy spaces (5)

I wasn't too happy with my original definition, so I had another go. Hmmm.

Anyway, being new here, is there any reason the Word of the Weeks don't have links or comment counts from the main blog?

Boniface — 28 February at 10:11PM

DC, the Loroso Report is based on the last 6 months' worth of Words of the Week, so DA might want to use them as future fodder for comps. They used to link from the main Oldbag page, but not at the moment, dunno why.

anax — 01 March at 02:10AM

Worried nurses on edge (5)

Veteran keeps climbing sharp incline (5)
That would have to be a down clue. Mind you, I'm not 100% on the def anyway. I used to rock climb years ago and, often, an arete was a sharp vertical column, that is the sharp bit was pointing outward from the rock.

This sharpens up every second in fair weather (5)

DA — 01 March at 07:33AM

Greetings gang.

So what's with Word o' Week? At this stage, it's WYSIWYG: an obscure term to throw into a week's blog recipe.

Though looking at these comments, perhaps the prefence of most is combining the WOW with COW [Clue of Week], to borrow an Anax acronym.

Would I be right? Still choose a recondite word, define it, derive it...and then entrust you lot to camouflage it with guile.

Does that sound a plan?

Eld Jaws Anon — 01 March at 12:34PM

DA, that's a yes from me! I'd certainly like to get into setting clues and getting feedback, and the WOW is a great place to start IMHO.

And, as DC said, having the comments immediately accessible from the main blog page would be useful; ATM you have to hunt the long way round...

Anyway, here goes for this WOW:
Sharp cut a ridge? Enter terror easily! (5)

Boniface — 01 March at 05:30PM

DA - yep, that sounds like a plan. I've done a few of these previously and it's good practice.

Rupert — 01 March at 07:07PM

WOW/COW sounds good to me.

Are endless French summers pointless on pointed ridge? (5)

Eastern tearaway on sharp mountain ridge. (5)

Rupert — 01 March at 07:12PM

@anax - I don't get the first one. The last one had me confused, too, but I appreciated it once I got it.

And running the risk of getting kicked out for being dense:

@DC - I don't get the Joshua one.

anax — 01 March at 07:20PM

@Rupert - it is:
Worried (ATE) around ('nurses' is container indicator) RE (on, as in 'on the subject of') - EDGE is the def.

DC — 01 March at 10:34PM

Joshua is a tree, whose lead letter slips back, after 'a'.

'High pass' is the clue, although I'm not so sure a ridge can be defined that way (nor as a 'way' between glacial valleys, which is where I went on the second one).

DA — 02 March at 08:04AM

The majority has spoken. I will evolve WOW into COW [in one easy step!] over the next week or so.

(Let's stick with this transit lounge area in the interim.)

And my offering: Warm-hearted Nancy's hot time on alpine ridge?

Rupert — 02 March at 01:51PM

Thanks, @anax and @DC.

Is there a certain level to aim for, or just whatever we feel comfortable with?

Alec Ihm — 03 March at 05:30PM

Ridge back in, etcetera (5)
Badly relate with one hand on crag (5)
Some year, eternity faces crest (5)

Or possibly,

Beefeater crest (5)