Word Watch Flashcards
Lung-Chuan
The toponym of a district in the province of Cheklang, China, used to designate a type of Chinese celadon ware produced mainly during the Sung dynasty (AD 960-1279). 1971: “The characteristic Subg Lung-Chuan celadon has a body that approaches a white porcelain in character, but it’s main glory rests in the light, bluish-green glaze.”
Crotalum
A sort of clapper or castanet used in Ancient Greece and elsewhere in religious dances. Latin adaption of the Greek krotalan. 1772: “The crotalum consisted of two little brass plates or rods, which were shaken with the hand.”
Chantage
A mode of extorting money by threatening to make scandalous revelations or statements. French 1883: “Chantage, blackmail or by whatever name the levying of pay, in one shape or another, out of the fear of the payer, is called.”
Cappadochio
A cant name for prison; perhaps, rather, the stocks. Nares suggests a corruption of Cappadocia of which country the King, says Horace, was rich in slaves, but had little money. But this reason seems far-fetched. 1607: “How, Captain Idle? My old Aunt’s son, my dear kinsman, in Cappadochio?”
Lumen siccum
The dry light of rational thought or knowledge. Latin for dry light. 1946: “Taylor’s intellect was no lumen siccum, but was always strongly personal in his approach and attitude.”
Critling
The refuse of lard or grease. Cf. crackling and croutons. 1851: “Spice to give the critlings a flavour, the critlings being the refuse left after boiling down the lard.
Shiterow
The heron. The latter part may be a corrupt form of “heron”. In the Scottish Acts of James VI the word occurs in a list of game birds (probably repeated from some earlier enactment) under various corrupt forms. 1827: “SHITEROW: the heron: a thin weakly person.”
Acoupe
To accuse. From the Latin inculpare (adculpare is not found in classical Latin), via Old French. 1340: “A man has dread bodily, when his is acoupoed of felony.
Siddow
Soft, tender, mellow. Of obscure origin. Current in West Midland counties, chiefly of paes, grain or other vegtables. It is doubtful whether Grose is right giving the word a substantive and verb. Grose, 1787: “Siddow - peas or vegetables that boil soft. ‘These peas will siddow’.”
