I recently acquired a doctorate in philology and am offering my services to anyone wishing to know the meanings and origins of words they may have stumbled across but never had the time nor inclination to research.
As Ron Jeremi once wisely said, "Let me be your tool"

frottage please fulc....cheers....

isn't that a french rubber?

dangleberry

An interesting suggestion gegs, dear boy.
An often mis-used and grossly misunderstood expression. Frottage ( frotahsze) has of late been utilised in a sexual connotation however the truth is that it has it's origins in the seaside town of St Annes, where the correct pronunciation (frottidge) relates back to early mid 18th century religious rituals held upon the sand dunes during the February spring tide season where locals would frot, i.e. shiver, naked until a state of ecstasy was acheived. In order to enhance the feeling many would rub Fleetwood kippers on their loins whilst chanting verses from the old testament thus signifying one's closeness to our lord as he too was a fisher of men.
Frottidge was outlawed by Alderman Friend during the kipper famine of 1831 on the grounds that such a valuable resource should not be wasted wantonly. In his honour a local confectionery merchant produced a warming lozenge named fisherman's friend.

Thank you for raising this first query. I trust that the explanation has proved illuminating

Jamier. hmmmmmmm.

Dangleberries (also known as winnots as they winnot be dislodged no matter how hard one scrapes) are a bastardisation of the Tsutse tribe word for 'sticky buggers' pronounced Dongleboriet ( there is a click between the g and the l, which my keyboard refuses to acknowledge.
In it's original usage locals would refer to a rhino trying to remove an egyptian plover from it's backside using the thorns of an angiosperm bush. ( The plover cleans the crevice of ticks but can itself become irritating after a while)

Dangleberries. Not necessarily a subject for everyone's palate

lmao

lmao, jamier??? ............ no, sorry. that one has me stumped I'm afraid

lmao, the term used to describe someone laughing that violentley there arris actually falls off, i hope that has put your mind at ease

Absolutely love this thread fulc....

I've often wondered as to the origins of the word " snurdling"...

would be so grateful if you could do the honours .....

thank you greatly Mr Gollum. Even at my advanced stage of life 'tis a wonderful sensation knowing that my knowledge is still growing.

Snurdling................ aaaaah gegs. This is a term I haven't heard since the pastor at my prep school invited me out one sunny spring morn, where we frolicked naked and free in the pond just below the reed filtration beds. Halcyon days.
Unfortunately the word does have rather sordid overtones (there seems to be a commonality in your words in this regard. I assume you are pre-pubescent).
The origins of this practice takes us back once more to Africa where elephants' trunks were a prized possession amongst the young men, principally those associated with East coast Kenyan tribesmen around what is now known as the Tsavo national park.
As part of their rites of passage into adulthood young Masai warriors would have to kill a lion armed only with an asagai, quaff buffalo blood from a living beast and also snadal each other. This was a kind of combat where elephant trunks were secured around each boys' midriff and they would seek to beat each other into submission by wrapping the trunks around each other until one or both participants lay spent in the sweat drenched dust, no doubt breathing heavily from their exertions but fully sated in their quest for manhood.
Although the practice is not as common these days amongst young kenyans a variation has become a popular pastime amongst young males in Bankok of all places.
Well I never.
Thank you once again gegs. Your thirst for knowledge is appreciated and I trust my answer, though slightly long-winded, proves illuminating.

ooooh, so happy someone is finally helping me with my Einglish
I've always wondered...what exactly is a git

Well good afternoon lefthandwoman. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Were it not for the shrapnel lodged 5/32" from my dorsal vein I would be happy to pursue our intercourse on a more personal level. I love your accent. The teutonic timbre you brought to the word english with your pronunciation as Einglis(c)h fairly set this correspondent's pulse racing.
Unfortunately git is a derivation of the ancient anglo saxon word of gidnaschlopp, which literally translates as greatly inflated turd. However this particular dropping has been watered down with time and is now often used as a term of endearment and is greatly appreciated by members of the constabulary, who bristle with pride and honour at being called a clodhopping git. In order to make them feel particularly proud of their status you should try to find some means of including terms relating the the validity of their parenthood.
I'm sure that, should you ever visit these verdant shores, your way to a simple yet inexpensive place to rest your head would result from greeting an officer in these affectionate terms.
Have a nice day

I was always baffled as a child when my father would spend hours in the toilet before coming out and saying "sorry son, I struggled with the pace car"....

could you throw some light on this fulc?

My my gegs but you are displaying an insatiable thirst. I may not be the font of knowledge at which all should imbibe but I shall do my utmost to elucidate.
In this instance the words themselves are individually simple to comprehend, however their use is an interesting example of the coyness with which certain, ahem. functions are addressed.
On a personal level I have never experienced difficulty dropping the kids off at the pool as I have found Bulmers pear cider a remarkable aid to keeping ones bowel honest.
Your father may have suffered from inadequate fibre in his diet and thus experienced discomfort no amount of daily mirror could dislodge. Perhaps he should have utilised the mathematician method and worked it out with a pencil and paper.

Love this thread....
Just had to say it.....lol

=)

Why thank you Daniella. I have to admit that my first instinct when this idea sprang to mind was that the sewer rat mentality may pervade some of the correspondence on the thread. Without wishing to point the finger, I have noticed on my infrequent sorties onto the turbo tables, that there is a more base element to be found there.
I appreciate that you have a mindset far loftier than most but would be honoured should you think of a word, whose explanation would enrich the lives of our readers. I note there are far more viewers than participants, which would indicate that we have amongst us many of great literacy.
I look forward to further discourse with you on this subject which burns with deep desire beneath my alcohol swollen chest

fulcrumhall
Hello my good man, may i enquire as to the origans and pupose of the word flabber-gasted?.
Any reply as to the revelevance and or meaning would be greatly appreciated.

Sir.
Once again we have chosen a word originating back to early 18th century although in this instance, rather than the sand dunes of the Fylde coast this compound has it's basis in the Tyrolean Alps of Bavaria, possibly at an altitude of 3000m, close to the summit of Grossglockner.
It is said that a Herr Schickelgruber was enjoying the delights of frauline Braun in the Gasthof (guesthouse/hotel) to such an extent that his ecstatic convulsions set up a sine wave of such magnitude in the substrate of limestone that it caused a cataclysmic earth tremor causing giant rocks to fall from their lofty perches. The other guests ran from the gasthof fearing for their lives as boulders flew by, miraculously missing the hotel and it's two remaining occupants whose joyous shrieks of rapture echoed down the valley leaving witnesses open mouthed and shaking (flabbering) in disbelief.
It is thought this most teutonic of expressions was introduced to the english speaking world by the late Frankie Howerd who was often heard to use the phrase, "Never has my flabber been so gasted".
This, my dear friend, is a word borne out of euphoria which has continued to delight all those who have uttered or heard it since that time.

Perhaps at this juncture we should pay tribute to the wonderful contribution international language has made to English. Many words have been embraced and are still in common usage in everyday conversation. Here are a few examples:
Carpe Diem = Dead fish
Frisson = Bad hair day
Coup de grace = Lawnmower
Allegro = crap car
blitz = food processor
manicure = witch doctor
caveat emptor - prehistoric burglar
blase = smoking jacket
cookie = weirdo
iceberg = lettuce

These few examples merely scratch the surface. Please feel free to add your own

I find myself both fascinated and indentured (though one has little to do with the other)
Your lessons have so inspired me that my thirst for knowledge can't be quenched. Even when my gidnaschlopp nemesis tries to confine me to two syllable words in our epic online saber battles, I just have to say "fulcrum....fulcrum hall" and I somehow feel better (there seems to be a connection between the volume at which I speak these words...and the overall satisfaction they give me)
Now it would be nice to know the origins and meaning of the word fulcrum.


by the way...when I first saw this thread, I imagined a leather clad burly fellow, just pounding away at some big, big words...
though that is a hight standard for a girl to set.. I must say...you did not fall far short of this dream smith

PAVLOVA (cake)
...a controversial one from down under, in so far as the invention of this delectable treat. Both NZ and Australia claim it's origin and are still at loggerheads over it.
Can you shed some light on this?
cheers

lefthandwoman,might I say that it is a joy to have you amongst us again and I do trust your top set reveal themselves in the not too distant future. (I keep mine in a glass at the side of the bed so as not to misplace them). As to my attire, you have displayed remarkable insight for I do indeed wear leather. I find this natural material both waterproofing and breathing and that wearing patches of it on the elbows of my tweed jacket it prevents them from seizing up after hours at my trusty typewriter, fashioned by the great and the good of E Remington and Sons.
There are those misguided souls who would have us believe that the word fulcrum is a simple usage of the latin for bedpost. However I fear that this interpretation should be put down to filthy inquisitive minds of the type who would snigger at the word smeg during lectures and spend their lonesome hours looking up rude words in the Oxford concise. I'm sure we all know one or two people with this trait.
The actual origin of the word dates back to the battle of Bosworth field which proved to be the undoing of the Yorkists during the war of the roses when pretender to the throne, Lambert Simnel's, troops wore camouflage for the first time ever during battle. Their plan was to sneak up on the tudor forces rather than storm their positions. This strategy almost succeeded and goodness knows where history would take us had the tudor's been vanquished. This success is put down remarkably to one man named Albert Fulcrumthwaite, a fletcher from Oswaldtwistle, who convinced his general that the forest moving toward them was not some freakish natural phenomenon but was indeed a threat to be attacked with vigour and vim.
The Tudors were successful and this proved the pivotal point of the war, which saw it's final battle at Stokes in 1487. From that day to this the pivotal point has always been referred to as a fulcrum. Fulcrum is also the name given to the supportive tissue which connects the retina to the eye in recognition of good old Albert's perception.
History and philology. I find myself becoming moist in anticipation of your next posting. In the meantime my secretary, Miss Tachograph, is requesting my fulcrum in her boudoir. Toodle pip and tally ho.

Well now Fulkie them shore is some pretty words you been spittin out , i dont recken i have ever read anything so pretty cept for the books with the fancy boys on em that my woman keeps in the bedroom, not that i mind its always paid off for me to catch her right after an hour or so in one of them. I aint sure if you bother with such a simple word as this, but i,m a pretty simple man and have at times thought about where the word POKER comes from while i,m a waitin on some git that takes a coons age to bet or fold. I thank you for your time and will wait on your answer if you can pry yourself away from the ladies long enough to get to it.......

||||:-} Buddy

I find myself both fascinated and indentured (though one has little to do with the other)

indentured does this mean lefty has false teeth?

ynot, please accept my most humble apologies in the tardiness of my reply. Miss Tachograph has been particularly demanding of late and has been most insistent that I be more thorough in my descriptions of the tasks I would like her to fulfill for me. There are times when I think I could dispense with the use of a woman and do everything myself.

PAVLOVA......... whilst not quite in the same exalted gastronomic bracket as bread and butter pudding and spotted dick, has achieved a popularity amongst the sweet toothed of the world.
It has been suggested that the meringue based confection was dedicated to the russian ballerina who toured the antipodes in the early 1920's. Others have suggested it has something to do with the slavvering beast that was Pavlov's dog.
The truth I'm afraid is somewhat less exciting.
A young chinese chef, Me Wah, had been in Tasmania for approximately 18 months trying to find work in one of the many seafood restaurants facing onto the Bass Straits.
Following yet another fruitless day knocking on doors, Me Wah consoled himself by preparing a dessert in accordance with a traditional Cantonese recipe. The cake was made up of an egg white and sugar base with lychees on top. However Lychees being difficult to source in Bourne, Me Wah topped the base with many local fruits, primarily cherries, which grow abundantly on the island.
The next day he decided to visit the beach and one of his friends pinched a piece of Me's cake and went out onto the ocean. ( He was Probably called Bruce, Greg or Wayne but history forgets the humble part he played). The cake fairly set his palate tingling and he called out to Me Wah to determine it's name. Me Wah called out that he couldn't hear and suggested the boy paddle over and so Pavlova was born.
It transpired that the boy on the surf board was a certain JC Williamson, who was responsible for bringing Anna Pavlova to Australasia and who, recognising opportunity, presented her with the cake in her honour.
Me Wah eventually started his own catering business and restaurants still bear his name in Launceston and Hobart.
So in truth ynot, the dessert is neither Wallaby nor Kiwi but, in fact, chinese.
I apologise if this explanation is bubble bursting

well howdy there chefbuddy...... (a little patronising but I appreciate how you colonials are buoyed by we of the english speaking world conversing with you in your own tongue).
The word poker comes from the french word poche which literally translates as pockets. In pre-reformation days it was the norm for all card games to be won by trickery rather than skill and prestidigitation was a prized skill as winning cards would appear as if by magic to complete the most unlikely of winning hands.
Exponents of the art avoid the tables where skilled practitioners of card games use odds, tells and mind games to gain an advantage. Card games fluorished in the Californian goldrush saloons as prospectors tried their luck at many games, the most popular of which became known as poker.
Most of the participants had far more money than strategic sense and played the common, or bingo, tables where they would go all in on an ace high flush only to be beaten on the last turn of a card showing full house 7s over 2s.
Thank you for your query. I trust the explanation was simple enough for you. Enjoy your grits.

jamier........tut tut.......... A student must read all available material in order to increase knowledge and understanding. Your question would suggest that you didn't read my response to madame lefthandwoman's correspondence. I would suggest we meet in the gymnasium after vespers to indulge in some naked greco roman wrestling as this has benefits in focussing the mind. I shall bring the goose fat.

Well done Fulkie,, i do enjoy this thread keep up the great work.


||||:-} Buddy