Word Game: Language-Related Clues and Lingustic Q&A

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a word game focused on language-related clues and linguistic questions. Participants share clues about words, engage in guessing, and explore the etymology and meanings of various terms, including those from different languages and historical contexts.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant introduces a word game involving clues about language-related words, encouraging others to participate and ask questions about linguistics.
  • Another participant attempts to guess a word related to a lung disease, questioning the clues provided and seeking clarification on the consonant cluster mentioned.
  • Several participants express the need for additional clues to aid in guessing, indicating uncertainty about the hints given.
  • Discussion includes various guesses for words based on clues, with some participants noting the difficulty of the clues and the need for fair play in guessing.
  • Participants explore the historical context of words like "sinople" in heraldry and its obscure nature, with some expressing frustration over the difficulty of the game.
  • There are multiple guesses for words related to the clues, with some participants referencing their sources or prior knowledge of the terms.
  • One participant mentions the connection between the word "sabot" and its historical context during the industrial revolution, explaining its etymology.
  • Another participant brings up the word "dumbledore," linking it to J.R.R. Tolkien and discussing its archaic usage.
  • Participants continue to share clues and guesses, with some expressing confusion over the intended meanings and sounds referenced in the clues.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the format of the game and the sharing of clues, but there is no consensus on some of the specific words or meanings being discussed, leading to multiple competing guesses and interpretations.

Contextual Notes

Some clues are noted to be particularly obscure or difficult, leading to reliance on external sources for guesses. The discussion reflects varying levels of familiarity with linguistic terminology and historical context.

  • #61
chanter sound
 
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  • #62
turbo-1 said:
chanter sound


Umm, pipe? As in a chanter is the melody pipe of a bagpipe, and to pipe up is to make a sound?
 
  • #63
yes, it was too easy maybe, but it's one of my favorite words... what is it?

"pipe up" is kind of close, but no cigar...
 
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  • #64
It's a single syllable word, with a pronuciation suggestive of the sound it describes.
 
  • #65
The only one I can think of is "om" or "aum".
 
  • #66
This is probably a give-away, but it is a synonym of pipe.
 
  • #67
A single syllable word, with a pronuciation suggestive of the sound it describes, and which is synonomous with pipe?!

Still the only word besides 'om', which sounds like a chanting sound would be 'hum', but I don't think that necessarily is synonymous with 'pipe'.
 
  • #68
selfAdjoint was soooooooo close, I thought he had it.
 
  • #69
Evidently, it is didgeridoo; that's a one syllable word.
 
  • #70
arildno said:
Evidently, it is didgeridoo; that's a one syllable word.
I guess it's one syllable if you've had enough Aussie brews, and those things look a lot like pipes.

The word has five letters and is but one letter removed from the name of a piece of women's clothing.
 
  • #71
arildno said:
Evidently, it is didgeridoo; that's a one syllable word.
Well, only if one refers to it as a didge as some Aussies like to do.

I am an engineer, what would I know about women's clothing? :biggrin:
 
  • #72
Have any of you trouble with the update function of PF right now?

The word is brahh, by the way (one h missing)
 
  • #73
Astronuc said:
I am an engineer, what would I know about women's clothing? :biggrin:
As much as any highlander, I hope! (Runs screaming from band of enraged Scots.)
 
  • #74
arildno said:
Have any of you trouble with the update function of PF right now?
The word is brahh, by the way (one h missing)
Sorry, and I can't think of any more good clues that wouldn't give it away outright. It is a word that when pronounced aloud evokes the sound it describes.
 
  • #75
So I was close was I? How about peep, then. If you say it you do it.
 
  • #76
selfAdjoint said:
So I was close was I? How about peep, then. If you say it you do it.
Darn it, sA, you were so close that playing the hot or cold game, you were about to burst into flames. It is a wonderful lyrical word, and the bagpipe reference you gave made me think that you nailed it, but were being coy.
 
  • #77
I don't want to give it away, but the word is EXACTLY (no transpositions, just one letter substitution) one letter away from an article of women's clothing that might infuriate a highlander should you use it to refer to his dress.
 
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  • #78
skirl? ...
 
  • #79
You have figured it out, honestrosewater! Skirl is a very nice word that embodies (to me) the characterisics of the sound that it describes. "The skirl of the pipes" evokes the plaintive and "far away" sound that makes the bagpipes so attractive. You are on deck, buddy!
 
  • #80
turbo-1 said:
As much as any highlander, I hope! (Runs screaming from band of enraged Scots.)
I am descended from the Highlanders, and I still don't know about women's clothing. Kilts and sporrans I understand, however, and I never 'go regimental' in a kilt. :biggrin:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:1stBatBW.jpg Ooops! :smile:
 
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  • #81
Astronuc said:
I am descended from the Highlanders, and I still don't know about women's clothing. Kilts and sporrans I understand, however, and I never 'go regimental' in a kilt. :biggrin:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:1stBatBW.jpg Ooops! :smile:
I have never "gone regimental" either, but trying to cover Peter Green, Elmore James, Clapton, et al can make you feel like you've got your butt on the line. You don't want to drop a clam in front of a room full of patrons...
 
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  • #82
Okay, a little literature... might be too easy...

These days are green and cold.
 
  • #83
Thanks to the coiner (or the author of the earliest attested use) of the phrase, it's also a foregone conclusion that those who won't budge an inch and those who try to come full circle in one fell swoop make strange bedfellows, come what may.
 
  • #84
salad days - Cleo
 
  • #85
turbo-1 said:
salad days - Cleo
Yeppers. Green in judgment, cold in blood. Heh, and she was talking about Julius Caesar... Caesar salad... salad days. Hah. Okay, I'm easily amused. :-p Batter up!
 
  • #86
OK, this is the name of a weapon that is similar to the name of a tobacco receptacle.
 
  • #87
turbo-1 said:
OK, this is the name of a weapon that is similar to the name of a tobacco receptacle.


An ash trebuchet? Used to hurl butts at the enemy.
 
  • #88
bazooka...like hookah?
 
  • #89
Bayonet (cigarette)?
 
  • #90
Think 17th century weapon, 19th century waste receptacle.
 

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