Congratulations on becoming paraphyletic (again)!

Has (s)he already a Wordie account? Anyway, another bunch of felicitations!

Boy or girl? Congratulations!

Felicitaciones, c_b! Thanks for informing us about the wonders of Proctofoam. As always, you continue to enrich our world.

Good job on the sprogging, c_b!

Welcome back! And a worthy addition it is!

*terrified*

thanks, reesetee. It's been busy. But I had to come visit and add Proctofoam. It was too good not to share.

Congrats, c_b, on the new little cub! :-D

I played with your name. 

Ha! That's cute! Thanks, frog. :)

No, no, please! Donkeys are pretty cute.

Besides, I'm registered Democrat, so it's okay. :)

Oh, no! I just realized I wrote donkey under the bear animal cracker. A chained_donkey is not worthy of your goodness!

Nice work on the front page! I'd doff my cap but still looking for one big enough to fit the ears in *grumbles*

Thanks oroboros... Usually I go off to some websites that list them and copy/paste from there, but I wish I could remember the keyboard shortcuts as they're much quicker.

C_b. If you don't want to remember/type in numbers, just run the "charmap" program on your PC (don't know about Apple) and you can select/copy the symbols there. It's a little like looking for a needle in a haystack 'tho, sometimes.

Here's some I copied for instance: ێϊǼ♥♫▒ﯓ

No, I think I just used Alt+ some number keys. Wish I could remember what they were... Wait. Is that "charmap"? Then yes.

Thanks c_b! I'll put on my thinking cap and add some place nicknames to your list. BTW, I noticed the keyboard shortcuts you "found" a couple of months ago. Did you use "charmap" or what?

I had no idea that was out there. Or that Hamtramck has more than two syllables. WTF?, as they say.

Maybe you are thinking of this list, c_b?

Hamtramck

Thanks, chained_bear. I'm sort of feeling my way through, and realized my error after the fact. Right now I'm looking for a way to delete that.

*loves the idea of clams crawling up mangrove trees*

Thanks moll. :) I knew you'd have a ton of info for me.

Hi c_b! Clams can indeed locomote. Scallops can clap their valves together to produce little jets of water that let them swim. Ephippodonta have the valves permanently open and crawl along on their foot. Divariscintilla yoyo hangs from the walls of stomatopod burrows and bobs up and down. Phlyctaenachlamys lysiosquillina probably does the same. Enigmonia have a hole in the bottom valve through which they stick the foot to crawl up mangrove trees.

God help us.

Just found keyboard shortcuts!!
☺ ☻ ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ • ◘ ○ ◙ ♂ ♀ ♪ ♫ ☼ ► ◄ ↕ ╞ ¶ §
▬ ↨ ↑ ↓ → ← ∟ ↔ ▲ ▼
Whoopee!!

And I doubt you'd be off selling it....

Well, except for the color, it could well be Pooh's arse. It is definitely not my arse, however, as mine is wider.

As these exclusive pictures from inside La Bandicuterie reveal, I recently bought myself one of these. According to the label it is a 'back rest support'. Indeed, wonderful it is for those balmy evenings reading in bed. But I can't help feeling that, regardless of angle, it does bear (!) a passing resemblance to the bottom half of Winnie the Pooh. Hence I have come to refer to my new bedtime companion as a bear's arse.

GAH!!!
Signed, Someone Who Just Wrote an Attack Letter to Her Internet Service Provider for Being Complete Di@#heads.

... I would need a hell of a lot more of them to pay my bills. :)

Dude! If words were dollars....

hello, I've just found your welcome message - thanks a lot.

c_b: Thank you for the very supportive comment. I knew I could count on my Wordie family! xxoo

Milestone! Maybe time for new cloak :-) Well done. We have our differences but you are part of the wonder of my Wordie adventure. Peace.

Yippee! You're in league with reesetee now.

Yay! You did it! :-D

*hands chained_bear a cupcake emblazoned with "20K"*

not quite.

Tappen problem, again? :-)

sorry. not sleeping.

chained_bear! It's way too early (or too late) to be on Wordie! This is the Euroceasian round!

Yes. Don't forget: I own the alphabet.

If there's only one person in it, can it be called a club?

Ooh! You're about to join the 20k club!

you'd better have "myun" as the default counter in the Korean section of the pasta list; "guksu" means "noodle soup".

Yeah, sorry about that. Maybe I'll move them. I do need to break up that list; it's getting completely unmanageable.

Lots of excellent words coming out of Illywhacker - I reckon they warrant a list of their own.

(apologies to those who get WordieMobile--esp. frindley...)

*hides*

Hi c_b! I think I just stumbled across you on another site. Wow -- small Internet!

*ponders what candy poo looks like floating in a spacecraft*

*decides she really should get back to work*

*ponders avoiding candy poo while floating in spacecraft*

*ponders floating inside a spacecraft*

Oh, I don't much care for golf. I was thinking of the trip there, you see.... :-)

Silly reesetee! There is gravity on the moon. Otherwise golf would be very challenging indeed.

*is equally disappointed and was hoping for zero-gravity fun*

*disappointed there are no pooping astronaut dispenser dioramas*

I would just like to point out that the golf course there by the Sea of Tranquility is mine, all mine. Green cheese fees are surprisingly reasonable, however - ask me about the special lunar Wordizen discount.

And, no, there will be no pooping astronaut dispenser videoramas - the Helsinki Convention has very specific prohibitions against this, as does the Kyoto Protocol. Now, if we could only get those golfing, pooping lunar tourists from Cataluña to behave!

Except the alphabet, which I own.

Okay. With the possible exception of P. *dodges ptero's fresh squid bombing*

Oh. Well, no offense taken or meant, I was just confused.

If you mean the general practice by what seem frequently to be Newordizens (by the way, I just invented that, that's copyrighted) to say "This is my word, I coined it," uhh... I agree with yarb.

Claiming coinage of a word is a bit like claiming real estate on the moon, isn't it?

Uhh, just because I value your opinion. I could have set up a nonce like coinage takers but I thought I might as well ask you straight out as I am interested to know what you think. You've been here longer than me and seen more Wordies come and go so, yeah, respect for grey-tinged furry coiffure and all that.

Uhh... What's this about? Or to be more specific, did you mean to post this to my profile? For some particular reason?

Lately there've been a few occurrences of people coming to Wordie to stake a claim as the coiner of a particular neologism. Perhaps they even signed up primarily for this purpose, who knows? Frauditing and serendipitous findability are recent examples; there's also the odd claim launched at us over rufkm on the basis of commercial copyright rather than coinage. I can't really say as I'm for or against it, it's just something I noticed. My general knowledge of how language works suggests to me that the genesis of words is a complex process. Take the case of bootylicious. It does appear to have been around in the pre-Lopez days, but then again she was probably the one who cemented it in the popular lexicon and hence deserves some credit (regardless of what we think about her *ahem* music).

But Hogmanay should be a place! Houghmagandy too!

*tentatively hands c_b a cupcake, no icing*

Indeed. I would suggest that "Do Not Approach Bears" and "Guard Your Food at All Times" is good advice.

I can't say whether the chains are for bears, though. No comment.

Look what I found in Sequoia National Park!

¡ Hola, ursa en cadenas !

Sorry it's taken me so long to answer your question about the dating of the armor. But I did finally track it down, and it appears that the suits of armor in question date from the 15th century. (this is from the little information booklet about the Alcazar in Segovia, which I finally was able to locate)

zorrito

It's a slightly different subject than the modern-capitalistic-society stuff she has often written about in the past, I'll grant you. But it really is quite a similar treatment of a subject that, for some reason, not enough people write about.

I think I'll add it to my list. I've read other Ehrenreich titles and I enjoy her writing--although, as sionnach says, it seems like a departure for her.

Thanks. I love this book. I was particularly fascinated by the chapters that compared the worship of Dionysus with early Christianity. Worth a read. Quite fascinating.

I second that, s. :-)

c_b: I just wanted to say how much I've been enjoying the entries you've been making, inspired by Barbara Ehrenreich's book. It seems like an interesting departure for her.

I just don't see the family resemblance.

*sigh*

They're my flabby, dull cousins.

Are these guys relatives of yours?

Ta ean ear an gloch.*

*I probably spelled that wrong.

Wonders where c_b is pulling the Gaelic from, and whether or not there is the danger of dislodging a tappen in the process.

Scampering off to photograph cows....

A Phadraig a chara, Baile Atha Cliath go deas anois!!

(p.s. I'm not really in Dublin. And your name is not Patrick.)

¡Saludos madrileños a la ursa en cadenas!

Does anyone know someone who has a birthday today? Anyone? Anyone?

Oh c_b, I am so sorry. I'm sure your tags are delightful.

Thanks. I've seen these kinds of nasty-bomb tags on several words in my travels. It's lame. The answer to "I hate chained_bear's stupid tags" is to go use tags oneself in the way that seems best. Drown my tags out in a chorus of properly-used tags. That's what they're for.

If someone posted a tag like the one on gunpowder in a comment, he or she might well expect to get shouted down for being unnecessarily nasty. But since it's a tag, the excuse that might be offered is that it's my fault for not thinking it's funny. Instead of laughter—and gee, I can't think why—the phrase "passive-aggressive assmarmot" comes to mind.

Oh well. See yuz around.

I second that.

*grrr* Loves you and your tags notwithstanding anonymous counter-taggers.

11,000+ tags? People use tags? mollusque, I'm impressed.

I'll be back when I have some words to throw around.

(thanks sionnach.)

pssst... Ms Bear: The HTML code to include an image directly into a comment is {img src="location of image"}, where the opening and closing braces are replaced by the 'less than' and 'greater than' symbols.

Thanks chained_bear for the compliments on my nascent lists and contributed words, and the encouragement you posted on my profile. What fun it has been to discover then poke around the edges of the Wordie community while indulging on words and language with so many witty and clever people! I've been so busy watching words and comments scroll by that I have spent too little time exploring others' truly neat and insightful lists. I guess that is where the real work for me begins soon.

Collections of items are very powerful to me. I've assembled a collection of hundreds of antique corkscrews from all over the world. While individually they are interesting, collectively organized by type, material, or mechanical function they become awe-inspiring testaments of human creativity, problem-solving, and artistry. Wordie lists do the same thing for me. They provide a spectrum of words with similar and overlapping meanings and related terms and concepts. Most of all, the quirkier of the lists reveal to me what playful and clever monkies we humans are - one part of human-ness that I really cherish and revel in!

Y'all amaze and inspire me! (Idaho kid trying to talk Southern). - hernesheir

Hey, how'd the piping and/or drumming go?

Alas, List Maintenance is time-consuming, but at least it's well worth the effort. Like cleaning one's house. *sigh*

Sionnach, I generally haven't used bulk tagging, but I'm over 11,000 tags (970 different). I agree with c_b: tag as you go. It's a pain to wade through a list later to add the tags. For example, I intend to tag all the items on chromonyms by color, but keep procrastinating, since I'd rather list than tag.

Happy 2009 everybody! I'm off to pipe in Hogmanay.

Er... that's "pipe in" "Hogmanay," not pipe. in. Hogmanay. (which is not a place)

Yes, that's all true too. Those are excellent examples of tags that are useful to many users rather than just a couple. Thanks Pro!

This is how I describe my use of tags on faq.

Q What are tags for?
A There are no formal rules - we are on Wordie, after all. But in general, tags are meant to relate words to each other, so that you can easily find words, for instance, in different languages (e.g. Italian) or pertaining to a specific jargon (e.g. scientific name).

Sionnach, there's the bulk-tagging feature, which tags every word on a list—that probably accounts for the outrageously large number on my profile that even I don't really believe.

Second, in my case, I've constructed several lists in the past few months which contain words sorted by a variety of tags—for example, the seventy-three (it feels like) dinosaur lists, or the London Underground stations.

In the London Underground list, for example, each entry is tagged with which subway line it's on, and whether it's permanently closed. Obviously those tags won't prove very useful to other users or in other contexts, but they are very useful on that particular list and to any interested browsers.

Since part of the purpose of tags is to organize information, it seems to me that if you're reading a list of 300 words but you want to see only that portion of them that interests you, then clicking on a tag, whether it's a list-specific one or not, will bring up that portion. Someone explained it to me in terms of Dogs in Russian Literature (perhaps on features, or tags?). The tag will organize information across lists as well as within them.

Others of my lists that use very particular tags, just off the top of my head, are the ships of the British Navy (tagged with the size of the ship, number of guns, whether captured or sunk, etc.), Slaves enlisted in the Rhode Island Regiment (tagged with what month they enlisted and from which town), Signers of the Declaration of Independence (tagged with which state they represented), and (of course) many of the entries on the Aubrey/Maturin list are tagged with medicine, nautical, avian, or any number of other tags. These (of course) were not tagged with the bulk-tagging tool. It's much easier, I've discovered, to go to the trouble of adding tags when adding words individually to lists, than to go through later on and tag them. Though I've done it both ways.

I know not everyone uses tags this way, or envisions them used this way, but this is Wordie and John says I can do what I want, so I did. :)

Hope this helps.

Not being much of a tagger myself, I am in awe that one person could have added 8,444 tags.

Though (it begins to dawn on me) it can't mean 8,444 unique tags, surely?

Obviously there must be unsuspected utility to tagging that I should probably educate myself about. My primitive vulpine brain thinks of tagging primarily as a tool to facilitate later sorting and retrieval - perhaps there is more to it than that? Occasionally I'll see whole conversations scroll by about the most intricate, nitty-gritty details of tag choices and I have to confess that their larger meaning escapes me.

If you, c_b, or any other prolific taggers out there, could offer any enlightenment, I know I would appreciate it.

thanks

xkcd: That site offers but a small minority of comics that are less than hilarious to me. :-)
cheat sheet: It's not really exhaustive.

Two years. So don't feel so bad. :-)

Wow. It's only been, what, three years? And I still can't get into my head there's a cheat sheet, even though John and others have told me about it four times... *smacks head with meaty paw*

So true! *sigh*

C_b and BB (and anyone else who cares), I just want to point out that a "cheat sheet" for coding pops up when you click on the tiny "Some html" link just above the comment field on every page. I use it all the time, because I can't seem to keep them in my head. :-)

Telofy, thanks for posting the link info here.

That XKCD is *priceless*! I also like this one.

Nothing like youtube comments. :-)

Thanks for the coding tip! I have just read thrugh half these comments, and clearly here is where the action is (my main analogy is Wikipedia -- talk pages I guess). You guys are so civilised! Seeing as how you were discussing wooden stirring spoons, may I introduce you to bishkek and spirtle? The pleasure is mine!

<a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/83734/book/20334358">Link-blah-foobar</a> should look like this: Link-blah-foobar

And on a(n) (un)realated note: I love fiction for I eschew real-life. Ok, that was cynical, I don't mean it like that, just kidding; please imagine many sortas, kindas and ;-)s inserted into that sentence.

Thanks! Seeing as how you were discussing wooden stirring spoons, may I introduce you to bishkek and spirtle? The pleasure is mine!

No, I haven't! Thanks for the suggestion. I don't read much fiction. I find real-life stuff far more compelling.

You can embed links with this text:

a href="your link here"
Put that whole line inside these: <
>
Then text you can click on
and then another <
slash, lower-case a
>

Hope it helps. Maybe someone else has a less obtuse way of explaining it. I know I had to keep referring to AbraxasZugzwang's comment on a certain word page before I could get it in my head.

Have you read the novel "Bear"? (you don't have to answer, obviously) -- Now I will try to insert a link:
http://www.librarything.com/work/83734/book/20334358

yes, your rich, non-incarcerated cousin perhaps...

Delightful! Comment posted at bear hands. (Thanks to you too, kewpid!)

chained_bear, check this out!

I was going to say....Geez, chayce, get it right for once.

Right! I'm going to proudly declare my lack of testicles!! Yay! *dancing*

Wait... I have a whole list of them. I guess I *do* have testicles after all.

*sigh*

Many people don't. There's nothing to worry about, much less for women.

That's right, chayce. I don't. I also know how to spell.

CHained bear has no testicles

ABRAXAS!!!! *hugs* You were missed! I'm glad you're back and hope you stick around. *grinning*

Yay! Yay!

C_B! Hi! Thanks for the comment. I've been gone so long, I felt sure no one would remember me. Not sure why I go in such fits and spurts. I need to think about making a new list and getting back into the swing of things. Probably loads of people to meet too. Anyhoo, how're you doing?

"I have heard from so many recently who are deeply and properly bewildered. They are concerned about the state of affairs in our world right now. It is true, one has to have strong cojones and ovarios to withstand much of what passes for 'good' in our culture today."
- Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Letter To A Young Activist During Troubled Times, 2003.

Oh god yes. *sitting on mound of defunse weaponry*

I'd like to be His Highness's archer too. Chained_bear, do you have enough artillery in your arsenal for civil defunse for all of us?

I see. Definitely becoming a pattern, more's the pity. And what do you propose calling this pattern? Simply the New-fangled Pattern?

I am delighted to be considered one of King John's Archers. I propose a Facebook group.

We are seeing a Variation in The Pattern. I shall now stand on a chair *crowd gasps* and pronounce this the New-Fangled Pattern. Viz:
- Site Misuser enters
- Site Misuser annoys Other Users, mostly Loyalists, with Spam or Sundry Triteness
- the King John's Archers, mounted on Fine Steeds, conduct a swift and barbed counter-offensive. And some of us can be really phucking offensive :->
- Site Misuser protests and comes Lame Excuse A-Proffering.

Hi chained_bear,

Thanks for the welcome!

I've been with Wordie for a month or so, and I've enjoyed what I've seen immensely. I've seen plenty of examples of abuses like English reasearch paper on other reputable sites, so today's antics by Bonnie and company didn't surprise or dissuade me in the least. If anything, I was impressed by the swift response by you and the Wordie community. It demonstrated strong support of the ideal's of Wordie by it's members, and that is encouraging in light of the cretinous display we witnessed today.

Hmmm, do you think it's real? I don't like the vagueness of the definitions! At any rate it's no longer unlisted. Thanks!

There is an unlisted superslasher on the loose on Wordie!

Wise ursa.

You know, in today's politically motivated anti-bear climate, you can hardly blame me for wanting to get out in front of this bad press. Let the record show that I repudiate such attacks.

Still, we'd be right to suspect you. Only a very clever bear could aim for a girl's "left lip". (Looks like her upper lip to me, but hey…)

How could you? You're chained. :-)

I want everyone to know that I had nothing to do with this.

Haha! Well, I guess it's adorable then! :)

Thanks c_b! Next up, a baker's kilodozen.

Certainly. And, too, there are so many different types of dictionaries. It's delightful that so many are available digitally.

A paper page dictionary has more than 15,000 words, and, it does not even need an electric plug to keep it charged up.

Of course, a human being does need to use muscular power to open its pages too view it's many many words...

I must admit...my mind shall never remember every word in that Great Book.

Yeah... sorry about that... I also blew past 15,000 words at some point this week... Not too busy at work for the past few days so plenty of time to read and play with words.

Hey c_b, you blew past 10,000 comments today! Conflagrations!

Sorry about hogging the front page of comments, all. I'll be done very shortly.

I'm terribly sorry to disappoint, zuccaciyecioglu, but fuck is one of my favorite words. :( Good luck!

Hi CB, please help me bump 'f--k' from the Wordie Hot 100 by adding prestidigitation, alacrity, ineffable, or chimera. I'm not even kidding!

c_b: ¿Qué pasa, chica? You are leaving me in the dust. I will never catch up with you.

Abrazos from the 35th parallel, al oso en cadenas.

zorrito.

I'll try not to use it, instead: zuccaciyecoglu... (quick look) zuccaciyecioglu!

Actually I wouldn't care, but thanks for responding. I'll just hone my quick-draw copy-paste ability. :)

OOOOOOooooooOOOOh!

Chained Bear, I'm afraid I must insist that you master and use the entire name. I promise it will be worth the effort. You wouldn't want me calling you, "Chai," would you?

And 9000 comments!

4200 tags?! Yikes, I'm struggling to get my first hundred!

thank you chained bear! :-)) wordie is a really cool idea, it's lots of fun as well as interesting. i'll check out the other musical lists and add definitions as soon as i have some time

Deal!

*hands c_b an Agreement Cupcake, sans icing*

That's a good idea--a separate list of extinct vs. prehistoric. We could coordinate our use of tags, too.

Either way would be fine with me. :-)

I've been thinking of starting a list of extinct birds, but I hadn't thought of going back to prehistory. Maybe they should be two separate lists.

I haven't yet, but I might, just for sorting purposes. Do you want to make it instead? And maybe I can add words to yours? Or vice versa?

C_b, are you making a list of prehistoric birds?

Eleventy-thousand eleventy-one!

My legion of demonic words imbibes my soul with the power to add words like eggo construction.

Wow. How Zen.

I'm in a Wordie frenzy so this will change momentarily, but I wanted to mark this moment. I feel it counteracts my experiencing the mark of the beast on whichbe's list yesterday:

chained_bear has added 11111 words

Sorry about that, c_b. I have created my own 2 lists about mythical literary works and mythical music/composers with an Americam theme. Please feel free to add.

Masterpiece re-creation located at my open list SPAM SPAM SPAMMITY SPAM.

Also, plethora, I paid attention this time and the 10,000th word was nurdled. A good one, I think.

Oh. Hmm. Well, that's probably a good thing, in the long run--even though we posted masterpieces there. ;-)

I have no idea. I don't know what the 10,000th word was cuz I wasn't really paying attention, I guess. Sorry.

I mean, it's neat like seeing the odometer numbers all turn at once, but other than that... *shrugs*

Edit: Apparently it does, reesetee, because Radixand's account was nuked (it looks like), and the word count went down again. (Not that it matters! Just sayin'.)

I hate to burst your bubble, c_b, but didn't we discover that adding words to someone else's list doesn't increase your word count? Or was I dreaming?

You ain't kidding, bilby. I am completely pussified! ROOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRR!!

Actually it just takes, you know, a couple years of hanging out here and adding words like a crazy bear (or mollusque, or whichbe, or whatever it is that reesetee is, etc.).

Plethora... ahh... good question! One of those nice spammity things over on radixand's profile, I suspect. Juhu!

Yay! Congratulations c_b!
What was your ten thousandth word?

Yippee! Congrats!

Ooh, another in the 10K Klub. It takes ovaries to do that!

Hola, oso en cadenas. Felicitaciones.
Tu hincha numero uno.

Heeeey, congrats on passing the 10k Wordie mark!

Don't worry about it bothering people. Wordie has two sides, the public, where everyone gathers around to chat in a million directions, and the private, where we compile our various lists as we see fit. I enjoy your enthusiasm, c_b, for the weird and wonderful word even when I don't jump in with a comment.

I'm very sorry if it's bothering anyone. Glad you've been enjoying them, rolig, and thanks for telling me. :)

Ms. Bear, thanks for your recent posts with links to McSweeney's and, a couple of weeks ago, to Dan Savage. I've been enjoying Savage steadily since, and am sure I will McSweeney as well. Juhu! (as they say in Slovene) new ways to avoid work!

Oh dear. That does sound annoying. Fortunately I've never read that series.

In Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, usually abbreviated to WoT by fans, the characaters go on and on about The Pattern. Especially the Aes Sedai who like to come across as the wise ones of the piece. Every 'air of resignation' is (inevitably) accompanied by an "Ah, it's part of The Pattern now." It's suitable fantasy shorthand for fate I suppose for about two books' worth, after which you realise RJ uses The Pattern as a cache for all the stuff his aimless tomes have no interest in explaining. Screamworthy after the tenth book :-(

Umm... ??

Arrggh, WoT!

I think you're right, 'bear. And it does lean towards glamourising it. I'll just list the phrase for posterity and perhaps a future function.

Ha! Great phrase. But that elevates the activity into something worthwhile, or at least meaningful. I think sionnach called it Internet pettiness once, but that's an unnecessarily provocative way to put it.

Still liking The Pattern.

Guerilla wordfare?

That's a good suggestion. I would be reluctant to sully the good name of the 42 page by verbing it into The Pattern, though. Then the terrorists win.

But what about The Pattern? It has an elegant simplicity to it, which makes it more mysterious and Orwellian, and sounds like something Wordiewan Kenobi might say, to boot. :)

Wordiewan here. In honor of the latest example of The Pattern, why don't we call it "42?" For example--"that new guy really 42ed on us, didn't he?"

John (and co.), I moved that conversation over to features; I hope you don't mind.

I think there should be a name for this pattern we've all noticed. Any suggestions? I wanted to use it in a comment over on gobbledygook but realized there's no word for it... yet. Help me Wordiewan Kenobi. You're my only hope.

Reesetee, a comment of yours really disappeared? I'm supposed to be the only one able to delete comments other than their own, and I've never done it. If anyone has found a bug that lets someone mess with someone else's stuff, please let me know quickly (by email, not here!), and I'll plug that hole as quickly as possible.

Oh. In that case...hahaha! :-)

Oh, I know. Sorry. I was topping it the ironical comic. Oh, ha, ha, ha!

I didn't skip. I added.

But reesetee, you CAN'T just skip to step 9! It isn't fair to all of those who went through steps 1 through 8 first!

GEEZ, you can't HAVE online communities anymore. *stomps to room and slams door*

:D (*cracks self up*)

And now, Step 9: After complaining about alleged censorship, delete the posts in which someone disagrees with you. A comment I posted on what I thought was a particularly insulting list yesterday has mysteriously disappeared. Censorship is alive, my friends.

And by the way--thanks, c_b, for recognizing that when people do comment, it's rarely with the aim of giving ammunition to the offending party. I myself do it because sometimes things need to be called out. Either way, if it's civil, it can't hurt, can it?

John, I'm sure this isn't the only place where this happens--in fact, it's probably the only place where it doesn't happen frequently, and I think that in large measure we have you to thank for setting the tone. :-)

Well done c_b for bringing this behaviour into the open and letting the subject breathe. Great work.
Btw, have you developed any recipes for guinea pig and, if so, who did you try them out on?

I flip-flop on letting myself get baited by juvenilia. My gut says not to. I don't particularly enjoy it. But as Wal-Mart greeter, I feel like I should pipe in sometimes, especially if it's alienating the people who make this place so much fun.

Someday I'll write tools to give us more control over the comment stream, but aside from having no time these days, I'd like to do it in a way that's minimally intrusive. I'm still sorting out the possibilities (and always open to suggestions).

cb & sv, I wonder if the pattern you've described is repeated in other communities. There might be a thesis in there :-)

Guinea pigs? Delicious!

You're right, skipvia. That's definitely step 8.

You are missed when you're not around. Just so you know.

Hey man, don't fear the guinea pig. Just look deep into its eyes. Deeper. Deeper. WWEEEEET!!

Gotcha.

Hey C_B--you forgot step 8: Then they come back anyway.

Seriously, the acerbic tone has been very bothersome to me lately--largely why I have just stayed out of most of the discussions. However, your point about countering hate speech with more speech is well-taken and I applaud you for that. Very well put.

And finally--guinea pigs scare me! Those beady little brown eyes and tiny paws...what are they plotting? ;-)

It just strikes me as the kind of behavior a twelve-year-old would exhibit upon staying with another family and discovering that he can swear without serious repercussion. Whoopee!, except for the people who have to listen to the little cretin.

I forgot steps 6 and 7, if the fallout gets too hot:
6) post a notice somewhere, usually on a profile page, that they're leaving Wordie,
7) wait for people to plead with them not to go.

You're all filled with wisdom and self-control for not taking the bait. I try not to respond but... the answer to hate speech is not censorship or silence, but more speech. It heartens me when other Wordie denizens speak up in a civilized way.

bilby (and skipvia), apparently those alsome guinea pig photos are from a 2009 that is available for purchase. Have you ordered yours yet? ;)

Indeed, I've noticed the same thing. I haven't commented on ameriwhatsit for precisely the reason sionnach stated.

Loved the guinea pig squash pic, thanks skip.

Astutely noted, c_b. And worth pointing out. I've generally tried not to give folks following the pattern you mention whatever pathetic gratification they might derive from responding. (Plus, of course, I haven't been around that much recently).

The upside down punctuation marks are right on the keyboard, which make them particularly simple to deploy, ¿don'tcha know? I am ¡shocked!, ¡shocked! to find that there is vulgarity on Wordie.

Ñ, ç, â, ö, €, ¡?¿!

The only drawback is you have to work a little harder to get the @ sign. Mostly it's the control-alt 2-key. But some keyboards have been known to get sneaky and hide it behind the q-key.

I'm noticing a pattern lately, with how some people choose to use the site immediately upon arrival.
1) List some clearly offensive terms/definitions,
2) wait for people to say they're offended by it,
3) act smug and surprised that anyone would be offended,
4) ask why they're not offended by other just-as-offensive words (taking every opportunity to list them), and (last but not least)
5) complain about alleged censorship.

Not everyone gets to step 5. Usually people start ignoring the person before that happens.

Have fun with Wordie, play nice, see you all around. :)

¡Hola, c_b! Greetings from the 35th parallel.

Well, for you I would... :-)

One should always ask oneself, "Can your wallpaper do all this?"

Oh my gosh. *quivers with joy* It's already my wallpaper!! Guinea pigs, Olympics, and archery! And fencing! And... sarcasm!!

Skipvia, you have made my day. Thanks!

C_b--knowing your penchant for guinea pigs and the Olympics, I think you've got to see this.

They're what makes my fur all spiky. See?

But where are the cupcake-icing remnants?

No sketches allowed from the rear, I see. I understand.

No, no, bilby. This is me.

You've been modelling for the bondage line, haven't you?

A sweet poem, it evokes pathos. Keep it nice and dry-cleaned, bear, it serves you well.

Thanks for the poem, she, though it's very sad. What's it from? And how did you know I wear a dun-brown gown of fur?

My God, c_b! When I saw that earlier, I thought it was a metaphorical Emmy! (Can you blame me, really, this being Wordie, Land of Metaphors?) You are amazing.

Also, your name always puts this little piece of song in my head, whether or not it's intentional:

"So, with the courage of a clown, or a cur,
Or a kite, jerking tight at its tether,
In her dun-brown gown of fur, and a jerking of swan's-down and leather,
Bear would sway on her hind legs; the organ would grind dregs of song, for the pleasure
Of the children, who'd shriek, throwing coins at her feet, then recoiling in terror"

Hope you like it. :)

Thank you for the help, chained_bear! It's good to be here! Finally, a whole community of people who are as crazy as I am.

Thanks c_b! I'll have to get Bilby on it 'cause Upfield's mysteries are set in Australia circa 1930s. I can recommend them for outback and abo lore. His work was admired by, and inspired Tony Hillerman, among others.

Driveby visit, to check for evidence of wheels of life, sunflower strippers or clinchpoopy ingenues down by the wabe. All seems hunky-dory: relaxed and thoughtful in the den of the pluripotent ursine. Hi - c_b, keep on groovin'. Sigh. Goodbye.

Those were nice shot asses. And such a bargain, too!

Great rt! And the photo I viewed after that was personalized shot asses :-)

Oroboros: I checked for you. Here's what the magical oracle of OED said: "There are no results." Guess it's French then...?

C_b, I brought something back from vacation for you.

Hey C_b! I can't find fracteur (see the usage note on the word page).in my compact edition of the OED. Don't you have access to the online OED? Would appreciate your looking there if so. Maybe it's a French word (although I couldn't find it in any dictionary). Thanks.

Imagine--bears using TP!

Does the pope defecate in the woods?

c_b is not only super smart and witty and hibernoconstipatory, but she is also - like Eliza Doolittle - a real lady. If I had a flower shop, I'd employ her at the drop of a Dolly Varden.

{scampers off, crablike, singing in faux-Cockney tones}

Okay. Now see, that was not just being modest. :-D

Oh, most definitely. I have a huge pulsating cranium, to be sure. I just meant that my comments here don't really indicate what a slam-ass f$%#ing FIIIIIINE writer I am.

(RT: is that better? ;) )

She's just being modest, palooka. She has a massively oversized brain.

Heh! Thanks, but not hardly. :)

That's extremely impressive! Congratulations c_b! Your comments demonstrate how well you write.

For screenwriting, palooka. :) No starlets here, but thanks for thinking of me that way.

Chained_Bear, maybe I missed it but what did you win an Emmy for? Do we have a famous starlet among us?

I prefer to call them pooms, since that's more the noise they make anyway. Oops, was that out loud?! *blushes*

I've been thinking. A poop that goes boom could well be a boop.

Hello Betty!

*ducks*

Bears ...

Stop horking on my anus!!!

You know, if you keep aiming that tailpipe at everyone, we're not likely to stop talking about your...uh...you know.

*hork*

*points rear at bilby*

*boom!*

You make me laugh. :)

Intimidation! Verily I shall do a runner
From this terse, tappenacious tail-gunner.

Bilby, I'm really starting to worry about you. You're developing a very unhealthy fixation with my rectum and what may or may not come out of it. I have to say it's disturbing.

Tappen Putty?

Yes, c_b, I've noticed. I wonder if Disney produced that silly TP/bear commercial running in the United States. I can't even watch the thing. Imagine--bears using TP!

Uh....

*running away*

*humming*
Of all the 'bear' necessities
the simple 'bear' necessities...

Jennarenn: I see. That's actually quite funny!

Pro: No! But I really like the lyrics!

Reesetee: Uhh... yeah. Disney has a thing for butts. Haven't you noticed? They're always bouncy and harmless (no anuses need apply), but (heh, I said "but") they're all over Disney movies. So... *boom*!

C_b: A Disney franchise?? *guffaw*

Yep. We're the same age, which made the dream all the more confusing. :P

Do you know this song, c_b?

Jennarenn... Christ, I'm not that old, am I? Aren't we about the same age?!

c_b, have a ɐuɐuɐq. Hope you will like it.

Hi, c_b. You're okay. :-)

Oh my wordie! c_b, last night I had a dream where you thought you were my birth mother, and I had to explain that I wasn't adopted.

All right, c_b, there's no use pretending your onomatopoeia isn't tappen anymore.

Tappens quothing anything is just too much. Is it not enough that there is such a thing, and a name for it, but it has to be animated as well? *allows mind to wander momentarily to possible Disney franchise* *immediately stops mind*

Quoth the tappen, "Nevermore."

HA HA HA!!! "Only this, and nothing more..." Wow, Poe is *spinning* in his grave. :)

Are you the famous Beartrix Potter?

My sincerest apologies for bringing up tappens (and others' enjoyment in discussing tappens). Tappen. Tappa-tappa tappen..

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tappen, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tappen, at my chamber door-- Only this, and nothing more."

Exactly. By definition. (mine)

Ah. A lame wooden spoon being, almost by definition, a mundle. Or is it the other way around?

Anyway, the word "mundle" makes up for the whole thing. :-)

So do I. My point is that a mundle is just a stirring stick, so it doesn't even have to be a spoon. It can be a really lame wooden spoon, which is to say, no spoon at all. Get me?

I like wooden spoons!

Uhh... no. But I suspect even a lame wooden spoon would suffice. Actually I was somewhat disappointed to learn that a lame wooden spoon could be a mundle, in that even lame wooden spoons are capable of mundling. Who knew?

c_b: I was really enjoying those Danger Tree words. Do you know where I might be able to procure a mundle stick?

C_b, and you all, it's probably happening again. Let's just follow the mal**ntent policy, OK?

And now, let's wait and see.

Well, thank you very much!

(in response to Proptologist ) I was just introduced to Wordie, and this was the first "cool" word i could think of.

I will certainly stick to Wordie. Its a wonderful idea!

I saw this story of a (non) chained bear and thought of you.

C_b, you've passed 5000 citations! Inciting excitement simpliciter!

Well, I may be reading a lot, but my music practicing is suffering quite a bit, so go ahead and feel chuffed if you want. :) Also, I don't read like this all the time. I don't even like fiction, honestly.

c_b: You are eternally gracious, and please don't change a thing about your Wordie postings. The O' Brian list, with associated comments, is a thing of beauty, of which you should only be proud.

Saturday was just a bad day. In retrospect, my own arrogance stuns me - after all, if I log on to Wordie and find it not to my satisfaction, then the obvious remedy is to come up with contributions of my own, not to whine passively about the contributions of others. Again, I apologize for my comments, and thank you for being such a good sport about it.

I am in awe of your reading progress. There I was, feeling chuffed at having just finished six volumes of The Forsyte Saga, but you make me seem like an amateur.

I'm a bit late to this, but...

Wordie has evolved so far from the tiny little site it was when it launched just over a year or so ago, that it's like the difference between an amoeba and, um, a newt. And I'm all for seeing it become whatever its most engaged interesting members want it to be.

But fwiw, entering thousands of citations on arcane words because you're in the midst of a reading frenzy is precisely, exactly the original purpose of the site, and one I still love. It would bum me out if anyone felt discouraged from citing with wild abandon.

I hardly need have said this, because you're all so civilized and decent that you sorted it out. Which is why I have to say, once again, that I love this group. Seriously--pure unadulterated potato love.

Sionnach, I'm sorry you were frustrated and annoyed, and I'm sorry to have caused you grief. I hereby promise that, the next time I decide to read a 21-book series of historical novels and enter notes from nearly every page of it on Wordie, I'll... well... um... I'll try to take longer so that other people's comments come up between mine. :)

Also, I think you're teh alsome.

c_b:

Thank you so much for your civilized answer to my comment, which - having stewed about guiltily all day yesterday - I now believe was totally out of line on my part. For all kinds of reasons.

I would like to apologize to you, and to any other wordies who may have been annoyed or offended. please put it down to annoyance about tax stuff, being quite inappropriately transferred.

I detest internet pettiness, and am mortified to have contributed to it, especially directed at c_b, one of my all-time favorite wordie contributors.

Sorry folks - I was way out of line. Now, back to my satirical Slapstick O' Groin list (evil cackle....)

Apparently it isn't an issue how many words I list, just that I place quotations in the comment sections of those word pages. I'm sorry it's annoying, but it seems to me to be what Wordie is for, so... ?

For what it's worth, chained_bear, I'm enjoying the O'Brian comments. Sure, there are lots of them, but I find them interesting. And I'm sure I've annoyed various Wordies with my lists, as have others. Still, we come back, right? It takes all kinds. :-)

Thanks everyone. I appreciate your expressions of support. I think in this case no one need be congratulated for using Wordie or not using Wordie, for using it in a way that seems right to him or her, or for saying something when it doesn't seem right. To me this is really not that big a deal; I'm almost done with the goddamn books and then nobody ever has to read my list or comments again if they don't want to. :) Have a good rest of the weekend and don't forget to turn your clocks ahead (if you're in one of those regions where you have to).

That's impressive c_b that you read two books a week - if you're not a writer you probably should be.

My two cents about your and sionnach's comments:

Wordie doesn't impose rules on users, certainly none about the the number of comments you can post. Everyone here is different, has different tastes & styles in words, and different ways of expressing themselves.

Just like in "real" life, different personalites will get on each other's nerves. Happens all the time.

I enjoy reading the conversations - many are brilliant. I think people may learn more about words through the conversations than they would through reading a definition.

But everyone has their own style, own way of learning & utilizing the possibilities of this site.

I admire your prolificness, passion & your uniqueness.

I think sionnach is brave and wonderful for speaking up and I think, chained_bear, that you are exquisite for your efforts and love of words and sense of detail...Wordie is so cool..and so are we.

I think reading 21 historical novels and listing thousands of archaic nautical terms gleaned therefrom is of the very quintessence of Wordie. Yes, it is sort of superficially annoying to see them covering the page, but when I think about it I love it and applaud it, and I think I will even miss it when it's over.

N.b. c_b, having finished with Peru, I am currently in central Newfoundland. Where would you like me to go next?

Hi sionnach,
I'm sorry to hear you have been annoyed all this time. I share your frustration when logging on to Wordie and there haven't been any new/interesting comments in a long time. I even share your frustration when logging on to Wordie and there are tons of entries/comments all by the same person, particularly when they're not on a subject I'm interested in. (I can recall a recent instance or two, in fact, when I almost posted a similar comment to yours on the user's profile, but I decided eventually the book or books would be done, or the person would lose interest, and I'd be grateful that I hadn't said anything!) I think the only solution for that is for more people to post more comments. Most people don't--most people just list words. Which is fine.

Let me explain why I'm doing this, so that you know the irritation to other users is at least unintentional. There are 60,000 comments on Wordie now, but the vast majority are insipid (if entertaining) banter: they are not all archaic definitions, usages, or particularly related to the term or phrase in question, not by a long shot. Speaking only for myself, it's irritating to come across an interesting-sounding word that I cannot find in any dictionary (or if I do, the definition doesn't seem to fit why the person might have listed it), and therefore cannot use in a sentence or see how others have used it in a sentence. And therefore, I cannot remember it.

I like to learn new words; I use Wordie instead of paper to keep track of them. I started the O'Brian list because I was coming across so many words I have never seen before. Moreover, lots of them are very specialized (nautical, naval, medical, botanical, etc.) or so archaic as to not have easily accessible definitions. Some are phrases that, of course, won't be in any dictionary. So, for my own learning style but also out of courtesy to other Wordies who might want to see how the word is used or what we can glean from context, I've been posting quotes.

I agree that many of the quotes have been longer than normal comments, making the comments hog up the front page. But again, if more people were posting comments or usages for the words they list, you wouldn't be stuck looking at my stupid comments when you log on. And neither would I.

To answer your question straightforwardly--about when I might be done with Patrick O'Brian quotes--there are 21 books, and I just started the 16th. At the rate I've been reading them lately, I finish about two books a week, although since I've been working 50-60 hours a week, perhaps count on one book a week. I should be done soon enough. Also I didn't post anything from the first five or so books, thinking that I'd make this list some time in the future. Interestingly (perhaps only to myself), one of the reasons I finally picked up these novels was the number of people around me who are seriously ill--I decided to start doing all the things I want to do before I die. And since I can't afford Antarctica, Peru, Newfoundland, or even Ireland, then library books it is. :)

c_b: please don't take this the wrong way. oh hell, there is no right way. please let me know when you think you might be done with the O' Brian quotes, so as I know when it's safe to come back.

see? There's just no way to communicate one's irrational annoyance nicely.

never mind. I should be doing tax stuff anyway.

I was especially drawn to "Roast Beef of Old England."

I have to say, I've been noticing those for quite some time. They are a hoot.

I don't know why, but the Google ads are cracking me up tonight.

Here's what's on Wordie's home page right now:

Patrick O'Brian cover art
Ltd. Edition prints by Geoff Hunt of the Aubrey/Maturin book covers
www.artmarine.co.uk

Roast Beef of Old England
Aubrey-Maturin sea chanties Collected from the O'Brian novels
www.essaycd.com

Where do you suppose they came from, chained_bear? Hmmm??

Eek! No! I'll try to find out and post a comment when I do.

c_b, I've just heard that the Surry House reopened! (See Carry Me Back to Old Virginia.) Can you confirm these reports????

Yay! Yep, skipvia's right. I may save myself some money by reading all your O'Brian comments. ;-)

Plus, when she's done, you don't even need to read the book. :-)

Congrats! You add some fun words. :)

I'm not sure where to put this, but I feel like marking the occasion. No fewer than four words I recently added to my own lists (though I'm certain plenty of other people added them first) are in the "Most Wordied" on the front page: clinchpoop (which I did add first, and only last night! Already six adds!), dreadnought, cadenza, and athwart. What fun! *sighing* I love Wordie.

Welcome back, chained_bear! We were about to send out a search party.

No need to be sorry! I was just making a suggestion. :) I think the comment would go well copied onto the "vase" page, or even on "melee."

Glad you're here!

sorry, i'm just getting used to this website.

I think that would also depend on the word. If I said, "vaahse" instead of "vayse" (for vase) I'd sound more bourgeois.

Haha! Skipvia, you just made a pretty good one! (Joke, that is.)

So--fart jokes are still okay, right?

No no! Don't be silly! I had no intention of censoring anyone. You should feel free to add whatever words you want! This is Wordie, after all.

A word of explanation: I am oversensitive to mental imagery--it burns my retinas easily. There was bilby's quoted newspaper article about some guy frying some other guy... I try to avoid reading or viewing horror and crime and animal-torturing stories, but I just finished a book that was recommended to me, which described this disgusting serial killer in excruciating detail... blah blah, whine whine...

Anyway, please don't censor yourself on my account. I was only posting this to explain why I might not be around/posting.

Oops - sorry c_b. Someone gave me a book of nasty words for Christmas and I've been perusing it with childish (and sometimes horrified) fascination. It should have occurred to me that not everyone necessarily wants to join in being horrified. I will cease and desist and look for words in less deviant pastures.

I really do apologize - it was insensitive of me.

David

I'm considering going away for a while until comments and words about torturing animals and incredibly deviant/violent sexual behavior become less frequent. Sheesh. Give me nightmares, whydon'tya.

Ah, John, you caught my purposeful obfuscation. I originally meant that I like words but not as much as some other people like words. Then I realized that I like words but not as much as I like some people. Then I just gave up and embraced the ambiguity.

P.S. Thanks y'all. Passing 100 lists was fun too. :)

Wait. That "passing" sounded like I meant something else.

It's like The Strand in New York: 18 miles of books :-).

So... do you like some people more than you like words, or do you like words, but not as much as some people like words? Or both?

c_b: Congratulations! If all of your words were laid end to end right now, they would stretch for a mile.*

*: (though, technically, you would have to lop off any sesquipedalian words at the two-third mark)

Wahoo!

Congratulations on passing 5000 words c_b!

P.S. Head cheese.

I was thinking more of the Wizard of Oz myself, only without the funny jacket. ;-)

Aw, shucks, fellas. You're too kind. :)

I kind of like that image, u. Even if it were transplanted to a tiny apartment in Joisey.

U, substitute "tiny apartment in New Jersey" for "large control room," and it's close.

But I do more than just watch the dials. I'm not only the president of the Hair Club for Men, I'm also a member ;-)

Nobody comments like c_b comments!

I suddenly just got the mental picture of John sitting in a large control room, surrounded by knobs and switches, occasionally pulling random levers, and passing the time by watching our respective odometers with breathless anticipation. ;-)

CB, you're at exactly 2000 comments. Nice! It's like that pleasing moment when you watch your odometer click to a bunch of zeros.

I can't get over all of you linguaphiles and these lists! It's a true thing of beauty. -grin-

What? At this time of year? What a slugabed. ;-)

He may be hibernating again.

Where is that dang chained_bear, anyhow? Hmph.

That *is* a good book, too.

I love that book. Love it! I need to read it again, I haven't read it in years & years.

"Setting Free the Bears" ;oD

Hey chained_bear,

Check out WordPlay's profile. It's a game that uselessness and I have created for wordies. Round one starts at 1pm EST today.

:) jennarenn