Eager Beaver

funny word of the day: beaver

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

: ¹bea·ver

Pronunciation: \ˈbē-vər\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural beavers

Etymology: Middle English bever, from Old English beofor; akin to Old High German bibar beaver, and probably to Old English brūn brown — more at brown

Date: before 12th century

1 or plural beaver a : either of two large semiaquatic herbivorous rodents comprising a family (Castoridae including Castor canadensis of North America and C. fiber of Eurasia), having webbed hind feet and a broad flat scaly tail, and constructing dams and partially submerged lodges b : the fur or pelt of the beaver
2 a : a hat made of beaver fur or a fabric imitation b : silk hat
3 : a heavy fabric of felted wool or of cotton napped on both sides
4 usually vulgar : the pudenda of a woman

²beaver

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English baviere, from Middle French

Date: 15th century

1 : a piece of armor protecting the lower part of the face
2 : a helmet visor

Here are the FWOTDs from the past four days:

1/26 - gumption
1/25 - twerp
1/24 - dabble
1/23 - plop

I've decided to make a sentence out of them, as well as today's:

That twerp had the gumption to plop down next to me and ask me if, like him, I dabble in extramarital affairs and that he'd really like to see my beaver. Needless to say, I slapped him and ran away very fast.

It's Exhausting

funny word of the day: muffler

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

muf·fler

Pronunciation: \ˈmə-flər\

Function: noun

Date: circa 1536

1 a : a scarf worn around the neck b : something that hides or disguises
2 : a device to deaden noise; especially : one forming part of the exhaust system of an automotive vehicle

— muf·flered adjective

In high school, I drove a 1980 Datsun 310GX hatchback. I bought it from my sister for $107 and, though it was a clunker, it got me around (barely). One day I heard a really loud scraping sound and when I pulled into a parking lot, a man told me that my muffler was hanging off the back of my car and hitting the ground when I drove. It was completely rusted. My mechanic warned me not to drive more than 10 miles from my home in that car. But I kind of miss it now that I don't have a car at all.

You Dirty (Musk)rat

funny word of the day: muskrat

From Wikipedia:

The muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), the only species in genus Ondatra, is a medium-sized semi-aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands and is a very successful animal over a wide range of climates and habitats. It plays an important role in nature and is a resource of food and fur for humans, as well as being an introduced species in much of its present range.

The muskrat is the largest species in the subfamily Arvicolinae; which includes 142 other species of rodents, mostly voles and lemmings. Muskrats are called "rats" in a general sense because they are medium-sized rodents with an adaptable lifestyle and an omnivorous diet. They are not, however, so-called "true rats", that is members of the genus Rattus.

The muskrat's name comes from the two scent glands which are found near its tail; they give off a strong "musky" odor which the muskrat uses to mark its territory.

Gross. I'm not a fan of anything that has "rat" in its name or resembles a rat. Even squirrels, which people think are cute, are really just tree rats (at least that's what my mom always told me growing up). The only muskrat I like is a Muppet-like character named Heddy Muskrat in the Jim Henson special "Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas," a modern-day musical fable based on The Gift of the Magi that is still one of my favorite holiday programs. Too bad my husband and I are virtually the only people who have ever seen it. I highly recommend it.

What a Boob!

funny word of the day: boob

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

¹boob

Pronunciation: \ˈbüb\

Function: noun

Etymology: short for ¹booby

Date: 1907

1 : a stupid awkward person : simpleton
2 : boor, philistine

— boob·ish \ˈbü-bish\ adjective

²boob

Function: noun

Etymology: ³boob

Date: 1934

British : mistake, blunder

Yesterday's FWOTD: snuggle

snug·gle

Pronunciation: \ˈsnə-gəl\

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): snug·gled; snug·gling \-g(ə-)liŋ\

Etymology: frequentative of ¹snug

Date: 1687

intransitive verb : to curl up comfortably or cozilytransitive verb 1 : to draw close especially for comfort or in affection
2 : to make snug

— snuggle noun

Oh, Baloney!

funny word of the day: baloney

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

¹baloney variant of bologna

²ba·lo·ney

Variant(s): also bo·lo·ney \bə-ˈlō-nē\

Function: noun

Etymology: bologna

Date: 1922

: pretentious nonsense : bunkum —often used as a generalized expression of disagreement

As a food, I absolutely hate baloney. It may be because when I was a little girl and had an exceedingly high fever, I hallucinated that there was a piece of green baloney crawling up my wall. That was enough to make it an off-limits deli meat for the rest of my life.

However, I did like the song in the Oscar Meyer commercial that went "My baloney has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R..." If you don't know it, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmPRHJd3uHI

By the way, you can also spell baloney "bologna" but it's funnier the other way.

She Doesn't Have All Her Marbles

funny word of the day: marble

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

mar·ble

Pronunciation: \ˈmär-bəl\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French marbre, from Latin marmor, from Greek marmaros

Date: 12th century

1 a : limestone that is more or less crystallized by metamorphism, that ranges from granular to compact in texture, that is capable of taking a high polish, and that is used especially in architecture and sculpture b : something (as a piece of sculpture) composed of or made from marble c : something suggesting marble (as in hardness, coldness, or smoothness)
2 a : a little ball made of a hard substance (as glass) and used in various games b plural but sing in constr : any of several games played with these little balls c plural : the rewards to be won in competition especially for a championship —used in the phrase all the marbles s>
3 : marbling
4 plural : elements of common sense; especially : sanity s — Arthur Miller>

— marble adjective

I always liked the feel of marbles and had some when I was little, not really sure why since I never learned to play the game. In fact, I don't know anyone who actually plays marbles but if you're interested in ordering some, check out this site: http://www.marblesmarbles.com/

Aren't You Saucy?

funny word of the day: saucy

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

saucy

Pronunciation: \ˈsȯ-sē, ˈsa-\

Function: adjective

Inflected Form(s): sauc·i·er; sauc·i·est

Date: 1508

1 : served with or having the consistency of sauce
2 a : impertinently bold and impudent b : amusingly forward and flippant : irrepressible
3 : smart, trim

— sauc·i·ly \-sə-lē\ adverb

— sauc·i·ness \-sē-nəs\ noun

I especially like how Merriam-Webster uses the phrase "a saucy little hat" as an example. When have you ever heard anyone say that?

The Humpty Hump

funny word of the day: hump

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

¹hump

Pronunciation: \ˈhəmp\

Function: noun

Etymology: akin to Middle Low German hump bump, Dutch homp lump, chunk, Frisian homp, himp

Date: 1681

1 : a rounded protuberance: as a : humpback 1 b : a fleshy protuberance on the back of an animal (as a camel, bison, or whale) c (1) : mound, hummock (2) : mountain, range
2 British : a fit of depression or sulking
3 : a difficult, trying, or critical phase or obstacle —often used in the phrase over the hump

— humped adjective

²hump

Function: verb

Date: circa 1785

transitive verb 1 often vulgar : to copulate with
2 : to exert (oneself) vigorously
3 : to make humpbacked : hunch
4 chiefly British : to put or carry on the back : lug; also : transport intransitive verb 1 : to exert oneself : hustle
2 : to move swiftly : race

It Warms My Cockles

funny word of the day: cockle

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

¹cock·le

Pronunciation: \ˈkä-kəl\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English coccel

Date: before 12th century

: any of several weedy plants of the pink family; especially : corn cockle

²cockle

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English cokille, from Middle French coquille shell, modification of Latin conchylia, plural of conchylium, from Greek konchylion, from konchē conch

Date: 14th century

1 : any of various chiefly marine bivalve mollusks (family Cardiidae) having a shell with convex radially ribbed valves; especially : a common edible European bivalve (Cerastoderma edule syn. Cardium edule)
2 : cockleshell

³cockle

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English kokell, ultimately from Middle French coquillé wavy or rounded like a shell, from coquille

Date: 15th century

: pucker, wrinkle

— cockle verb

Growing up I always heard the below phrase and had no idea what it meant. Now I do -- and it just warms the cockles of my heart!

cockles of the heart

Etymology: perhaps from ²cockle

Date: 1671

: the core of one's being —usually used in the phrase warm the cockles of the heart

What Ever Happened to Shemp?

funny word of the day: stooge

From Wikipedia:

A stooge is generally defined as a person that is under the control of another. Being called a stooge is not a form of praise. Stooge can also sometimes be used to mean "idiot".

• Stooge (missile), an early surface-to-air missile
• Stooge (comedian), a member of a comedy double act who feeds lines to the other comedian
• Stooge, a confederate who acts as if s/he is one of the spectators, in a magic trick or a confidence trick, very much like a shill
• Stooge sort, a recursive sorting algorithm
• Stooge, a term in Australian slang where one has been ripped off eg. "He stooged me for five bucks"

Stooges may refer to:

• Three Stooges, a comedy group from the 1930s to the 1970s
• The Stooges, a late 1960s and early 1970s rock band

My husband came up with this one and I have to agree that it's funny, especially the Three Stooges. Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck!

The Opposite of Classy?

funny word of the day: trashy

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

trashy

Pronunciation: \ˈtra-shē\

Function: adjective

Inflected Form(s): trash·i·er; trash·i·est

Date: circa 1620

1 : being, resembling, or containing trash : of inferior quality
2 : indecent

— trash·i·ly \-shə-lē\ adverb

— trash·i·ness noun

Ahoy, Matie!

funny word of the day: seaman

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

sea·man

Pronunciation: \ˈsē-mən\

Function: noun

Date: before 12th century

1 : sailor, mariner
2 a : any of the three ranks below petty officer in the navy or coast guard b : an enlisted man in the navy or coast guard ranking above a seaman apprentice and below a petty officer

This word is the unfortunate synonym for another funny word (c'mon, you can figure it out) and the seaman's uniform can be funny too. However, it doesn't mean I don't have the utmost respect for the fine men who serve in our Navy. Really. I just prefer to call them sailors.

What I Feel Like Right Now

funny word of the day: blimp

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

blimp

Pronunciation: \ˈblimp\

Function: noun

Etymology: imitative; perhaps from the sound made by striking the gas bag with the thumb

Date: 1916

1 : an airship that maintains its form by pressure from contained gas
2 capitalized : colonel blimp

I wanted to pick a word that had relevance to New Year's Day but I couldn't think of one. I figure there are probably some blimps flying over the various Bowl games today so it was good enough. Here's to a great 2010 filled with lots of funny words!