WoW: Delope
DELOPE - to fire a gun into the air in order to end a duel. [From French deloper - to throw away] To delope is viewed as a noble desire to preserve your opponent's life.
WoW: Nudify
NUDIFY - to manipulate a digital image in order to remove the subject's clothing without their consent. [Modern coinage after the creepy feature of Elon Musk's Grok chatbot.] At their worst, AI tools corrupt, distort and nudify.
WoW: Fisk
FISK - to criticise an article or essay point by point [Named in honour of method adopted by Irish correspondent, and Middle East expert, Robert Fisk, 1946-2020 - pictured] Season after season, Media Watch hosts fisk a news item.
WoW: Tangie
TANGIE - a shape-shifting water-spirit (from the Orkneys) appearing as a sea-pony, or man draped in seaweed [From tang - a seaweed variety] The tangie is deemed a more malign cousin of the nuggle - or mythical water-horse of Shetland lore.
WoW: Curtana
CURTANA - short, blunt sword used as a symbol of mercy [Via Old French cortain, the name of Roland's sword, which was broken at the point, ultimately from Latin curtus - or short] A curtana may appear in any palatial ritual between nations.
WoW: Docimasy
DOCIMASY [DOCK-ee-mah-see] - close appraisal of a person (or thing) to determine its true nature [From Greek dokimasía, - or examination] An aspiring monk, or promising ore, can undergo docimasy.
WoW: Korowai
KOROWAI - Maori cloak of dyed flax and intricate tassels. [Te reo Maori] The korowai often denotes a tribal elder or chief, and can be seen at funerals to honour the dead.
WoW: Huntiegowk
HUNTIEGOWK - a fool's errand, often deployed on April 1, tasking the gullible to fetch the impossible [From Scottish - meaning to 'hunt the cuckoo'] Devious tradies may send new trainees on a worksite huntiegowk, seeking perhaps a left-handed screwdriver.
WoW: Idea Hamster
IDEA HAMSTER - creative person responsible for multiple brainwaves [Corporate slang based on a guinea pig's running wheel.] The ideal idea hamster can imagine new markets and adaptation opportunities.
WoW: Maccabaw
MACCABAW - rose-scented snuff; also maccaboy or maccoboy [Modification of the French macouba, from Macouba, district in Martinique where it is made] Vapers await virtual maccabaw.
WoW: Cabestro
CABESTRO - halter made of horsehair [From Spanish, cabezo - head] In the gaucho tradition of efficiency and independence, the cabestro is woven from the hair of the very animal it governs.
WoW: Donald Ducking
DONALD DUCKING - participating in a video meeting without pants, or formal clothing [Named after Disney character who only wore a vest and sailor's cap.] Donald Ducking is a welcome alternative to the Winnie the Poohing.
WoW: Soroban
SOROBAN - Japanese abacus [Japanese, from Chinese (Pekingese) "suan-pan" - literally reckoning board] Longer in form than our Sumerian model, the soroban is still used as a calculator alternative in Japan.
WoW: Recamier
RECAMIER - [ray-carm-YAY] shade of pink; upholstered recliner akin to a chaise longue [Named after Parisian socialite of the early 1800s Paris, Jeanne Recamier who favoured such a sofa for reading and hosting soirees.] "Paint me like one of your French girls," - as a catchphrase - possibly emerged from the langurous life Madame Recamier
WoW: Azonto
AZONTO - Ghanaian style of music and dance with playful hand movements denoting the characters and livelihoods of both dancers and onlookers. [Arising from 'apaa', the Ghanaian word for profession or trade.]
WoW: Fourdrinier
FOURDRINIER [FOR-drin-eer] - paper-making method using one continuous web, so boosting production of books, news-sheets and wallpaper during early 1800s. [Named after UK inventor, Henry Fourdrinier] The Fourdrinier machine accommodated the Victorian era's growth in literacy and reading appetite
WoW: Hagelslag
HAGELSLAG [HARG-el-slarg] - popular Dutch spread of sweet chocolate sprinkles, akin to our own 100s and 1000s [Literally 'hailstorm'] BBC Travel recently speculated why The Netherlands is obsessed with the glazed sugary strands of hagelslag.
WoW: Stylobate
STYLOBATE - an extended horizontal course of masonry designed to support a colonnade [From Latin stylobatēs, from Greek stulos pillar + -batēs, from bainein to tread, walk] A column, be that Doric or Corinthian, is only as steady as its stylobate.
WoW: Gardyloo
GARDYLOO - an historic cry warning passersby of waste water being thrown from the window. [Scottish corruption of French, 'gardez l'eau' - mind the water.] Modern sewerage systems have stilled the gardyloo holler.
WoW: Ustorious
USTORIOUS - having the quality of burning; craving attention through drama [From Latin, urere - to burn] A child in a tantrum, as much as blaze in the bush, can be ustorious.
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