Words You Would Have Thought...
- Adam Gillard
- Kiloposter
- Posts: 1762
- Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 8:42 pm
- Location: About 45 minutes south-east of Thibodaux, Louisiana
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
*diablo/diablos
You know the toy on the string that you throw up and catch...
You know the toy on the string that you throw up and catch...
Mike Brown: "Round 12: T N R S A E I G U
C1: SIGNATURE (18) ["9; not written down"]
C2: SEATING (7)
Score: 108–16 (max 113)
Another niner for Adam and yet another century. Well done, that man."
C1: SIGNATURE (18) ["9; not written down"]
C2: SEATING (7)
Score: 108–16 (max 113)
Another niner for Adam and yet another century. Well done, that man."
- Charlie Reams
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9494
- Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:33 pm
- Location: Cambridge
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Diabolo?Adam Gillard wrote:*diablo/diablos
You know the toy on the string that you throw up and catch...
-
- Post-apocalypse
- Posts: 13276
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
*diablo/diablos
You know the devil...
You know the devil...
-
- Rookie
- Posts: 81
- Joined: Thu Dec 17, 2009 6:20 am
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Not even 'digram'?Charlie Reams wrote:Probably not. Statistical lexicography is often inconsistent when you slice it in a different direction, for example TRIGRAM, TETRAGRAM, PENTAGRAM but not bigram. It just depends on coincidences of usage frequency.Liam Tiernan wrote:I've seen a similar thread before (HEPTANES/ethanes etc.), but is there any good reason why BOVINE, FELINE & EQUINE are listed as nouns as well as adjectives,(allowing BOVINES, FELINES, EQUINES as valid words) while similar words like CAPRINE, PORCINE, VULPINE etc. are not ? CANINES (teeth) and LUPINES (flowers), are understandable exceptions, but these three just seem totally arbritrary to me. Is there some rule that i'm missing?
- Charlie Reams
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9494
- Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:33 pm
- Location: Cambridge
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Nope.Miriam Nussbaum wrote:Not even 'digram'?
-
- Post-apocalypse
- Posts: 13276
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Diabolical! You know the toy on the string that you throw up and catch...Charlie Reams wrote:Nope.Miriam Nussbaum wrote:Not even 'digram'?
- Ian Volante
- Postmaster General
- Posts: 3966
- Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:15 pm
- Location: Edinburgh
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Fairnesses.
meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles
-
- Rookie
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 8:29 pm
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
In French versus Matt B:
NOYERAI.
NOYERAI.
- Karen Pearson
- Devotee
- Posts: 742
- Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2008 10:28 am
- Location: Bromsgrove
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Simon Le Fort wrote:In French versus Matt B:
NOYERAI.
NOIERAI
Bloody irregular verbs!!!
-
- Rookie
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 8:29 pm
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
NOYERAI is the correct spelling of will drown, as confirmed by a simple google. I'll paste a little bit:
noyerai
will drown verbe
All the --YER verbs keep their Y in past and future forms, just the present and the noun forms modify. Making the rule up myself, I think it's like that. (Essuyait; payerez; tutoyerai etc)
Apterous just doesn't like the word NOYERAI.
noyerai
will drown verbe
All the --YER verbs keep their Y in past and future forms, just the present and the noun forms modify. Making the rule up myself, I think it's like that. (Essuyait; payerez; tutoyerai etc)
Apterous just doesn't like the word NOYERAI.
- Karen Pearson
- Devotee
- Posts: 742
- Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2008 10:28 am
- Location: Bromsgrove
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Sorry, not according to my dictionary. Payer is the only one that can be PAYERAI or PAIERAI. Admittedly my dictionary is pretty old. But an online translator also comes up with NOIERAI.Simon Le Fort wrote:NOYERAI is the correct spelling of will drown, as confirmed by a simple google. I'll paste a little bit:
noyerai
will drown verbe
All the --YER verbs keep their Y in past and future forms, just the present and the noun forms modify. Making the rule up myself, I think it's like that. (Essuyait; payerez; tutoyerai etc)
Apterous just doesn't like the word NOYERAI.
http://www.worldlingo.com/en/products_s ... lator.html
Maybe Jeff Clayton could clarify for us - his French is a lot more up-to-date than mine!
-
- Enthusiast
- Posts: 319
- Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 7:47 pm
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
I believe it's NOIERAI.
"Nettoyer" is another -oyer verb that follows the same rule in the future tense.
Jeff
"Nettoyer" is another -oyer verb that follows the same rule in the future tense.
Jeff
-
- Postmaster General
- Posts: 3661
- Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 6:18 pm
- Michael Wallace
- Racoonteur
- Posts: 5458
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:01 am
- Location: London
-
- Postmaster General
- Posts: 3661
- Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 6:18 pm
-
- Enthusiast
- Posts: 295
- Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2008 12:41 am
- Location: Stamford, Connecticut
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
You're not the first to have made that kind of mistake...
-
- Series 80 Champion
- Posts: 2707
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:07 am
- Location: Sheffield
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Has mauves recently been removed? I've played it a few times before and it's been fine but played it in this game yesterday only to have it disallowed (although bizarrely I still got a Page of Page for my efforts). I'm guessing it's been taken out because you can't have different shades of MAUVE because mauve is a specific shade of purple. Bizarrely AZURES was acceptable in the same round and on the same basis should this be removed ![Question :?:](./images/smilies/icon_question.gif)
![Question :?:](./images/smilies/icon_question.gif)
- Michael Wallace
- Racoonteur
- Posts: 5458
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:01 am
- Location: London
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Really? If you look down the list in word search it's been played loads of times and doesn't seem to have ever been valid. I can remember playing MAUVES months and months (possibly years) ago and having it disallowed.Dinos Sfyris wrote:Has mauves recently been removed? I've played it a few times before and it's been fine
Edit: Although from searching the forums it seems it has been allowed on the show, so hmm...
-
- Devotee
- Posts: 799
- Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2009 5:12 pm
- Location: Kildare, Rep. of Ireland
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
MELLOWER http://www.apterous.org/lexplorer.php?g ... ower&dic=0 ended up costing me the game.
- Adam Gillard
- Kiloposter
- Posts: 1762
- Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 8:42 pm
- Location: About 45 minutes south-east of Thibodaux, Louisiana
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
On a similar note, *SHALLOWER isn't in. SHALLOWED, SHALLOWING, SHALLOWLY and SHALLOWNESS all are. So it doesn't make much sense to me.Liam Tiernan wrote:MELLOWER http://www.apterous.org/lexplorer.php?g ... ower&dic=0 ended up costing me the game.
NB: Of course Liam could have declared the obvious 7 EELWORM to win that round, so I don't see why he's complaining.
Mike Brown: "Round 12: T N R S A E I G U
C1: SIGNATURE (18) ["9; not written down"]
C2: SEATING (7)
Score: 108–16 (max 113)
Another niner for Adam and yet another century. Well done, that man."
C1: SIGNATURE (18) ["9; not written down"]
C2: SEATING (7)
Score: 108–16 (max 113)
Another niner for Adam and yet another century. Well done, that man."
- Ian Volante
- Postmaster General
- Posts: 3966
- Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:15 pm
- Location: Edinburgh
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Well SHALLOWER (and MELLOWER for that matter) are comparative forms of two-syllable words, which mostly aren't allowed. The other forms of SHALLOW aren't particularly relevant.Adam Gillard wrote:On a similar note, *SHALLOWER isn't in. SHALLOWED, SHALLOWING, SHALLOWLY and SHALLOWNESS all are. So it doesn't make much sense to me.Liam Tiernan wrote:MELLOWER http://www.apterous.org/lexplorer.php?g ... ower&dic=0 ended up costing me the game.
NB: Of course Liam could have declared the obvious 7 EELWORM to win that round, so I don't see why he's complaining.
meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles
- Charlie Reams
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9494
- Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:33 pm
- Location: Cambridge
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
This.Ian Volante wrote: Well SHALLOWER (and MELLOWER for that matter) are comparative forms of two-syllable words, which mostly aren't allowed. The other forms of SHALLOW aren't particularly relevant.
At some point I might invest some time in making a list of the longer adjectives which do have inflections.
-
- Rookie
- Posts: 81
- Joined: Thu Dec 17, 2009 6:20 am
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
After having DC give SEXTETTES many times, I was pretty surprised to discover that *nonettes was invalid.
- Charlie Reams
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9494
- Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:33 pm
- Location: Cambridge
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Variations with numbers are often weird. For some reason QUARTETTE, SEXTETTE and SEPTETTE are accepted, but there's no DUETTE, QUINTETTE, OCTETTE or NONETTE. Incidentally the usual spelling is SEXTET, and NONET is indeed valid.Miriam Nussbaum wrote:After having DC give SEXTETTES many times, I was pretty surprised to discover that *nonettes was invalid.
-
- Rookie
- Posts: 81
- Joined: Thu Dec 17, 2009 6:20 am
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Yeah – this was in unlimited and I was feeling confident, never having bothered to check it and assuming it was like the fencing guards, which are also numbers and valid.
-
- Series 80 Champion
- Posts: 2707
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:07 am
- Location: Sheffield
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
This is true. In the audience for The Series 61 final I was sat next to Innis who had NONUPLET^ written down which I thought was a brilliant beater. Turns out its invalidCharlie Reams wrote:Variations with numbers are often weird. For some reason QUARTETTE, SEXTETTE and SEPTETTE are accepted, but there's no DUETTE, QUINTETTE, OCTETTE or NONETTE. Incidentally the usual spelling is SEXTET, and NONET is indeed valid.
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif)
- Ian Volante
- Postmaster General
- Posts: 3966
- Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:15 pm
- Location: Edinburgh
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Swatter.
meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles
- Ian Volante
- Postmaster General
- Posts: 3966
- Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:15 pm
- Location: Edinburgh
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
SUD!
meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles
-
- Devotee
- Posts: 799
- Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2009 5:12 pm
- Location: Kildare, Rep. of Ireland
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
One just doesn't wash.Ian Volante wrote:SUD!
*Marc Meakin is on holiday.
- Ian Volante
- Postmaster General
- Posts: 3966
- Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:15 pm
- Location: Edinburgh
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Unclotted. Humph.
meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles meles
- Graeme Cole
- Series 65 Champion
- Posts: 2040
- Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 9:59 pm
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
FANBASE. Also, you can have UPTIME but not DOWNTIME.
-
- Enthusiast
- Posts: 462
- Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2009 10:43 pm
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
ferrites. Especially when DC chides me for not playing FERRATES.
-
- Kiloposter
- Posts: 1123
- Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2008 3:15 pm
- Location: Harlow
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Whereas NODE records FERRATE as a ferric salt, it does not have FERRITE as a ferrous oneAndrew Feist wrote:ferrites. Especially when DC chides me for not playing FERRATES.
![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)
-
- Rookie
- Posts: 81
- Joined: Thu Dec 17, 2009 6:20 am
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
On the flip side, I'm surprised that WYSIWYG is in.
-
- Post-apocalypse
- Posts: 13276
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:37 pm
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
I got that a couple of years ago, but it looks as though it's built up quite a fanbase since then.Graeme Cole wrote:FANBASE.
-
- Postmaster General
- Posts: 3661
- Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 6:18 pm
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
I can't believe FATTENER isn't a word. Pfftttttt
-
- Enthusiast
- Posts: 290
- Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:46 pm
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Good news and bad news wrt the 3rd edition — DOWNTIME is in [mass noun] but fan base is two words.Graeme Cole wrote:FANBASE. Also, you can have UPTIME but not DOWNTIME.
-
- Rookie
- Posts: 81
- Joined: Thu Dec 17, 2009 6:20 am
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
LENITION is in but not FORTITION^. ![Crying or Very Sad :cry:](./images/smilies/icon_cry.gif)
![Crying or Very Sad :cry:](./images/smilies/icon_cry.gif)
- Adam Gillard
- Kiloposter
- Posts: 1762
- Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 8:42 pm
- Location: About 45 minutes south-east of Thibodaux, Louisiana
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Yes that is strange Miriam. One that just came to my attention was FRO*. I suppose it's only ever used in the set phrase "to and fro" / "to-ing and fro-ing", so that would be why it isn't in. Or, as Mark James suggested, is it an abbreviation of "towards and from", hence the disallowedness. Thoughts?
- Matt Morrison
- Post-apocalypse
- Posts: 7822
- Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2008 2:27 pm
- Location: London
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
...Ought Not Be Valid As Conundrums.
Had two conundrums recently that have confused me.
FLESHPOTS - without the S it is not valid, but I can still not find a definition of the word which isn't a plural definition of a singular fleshpot.
HOOKAHS - to me, clearly a plural, and also in this case HOOKAH without the S is valid on apterous.
Not saying anything's wrong, just need them explained to sate my curiosity and understanding.
Had two conundrums recently that have confused me.
FLESHPOTS - without the S it is not valid, but I can still not find a definition of the word which isn't a plural definition of a singular fleshpot.
HOOKAHS - to me, clearly a plural, and also in this case HOOKAH without the S is valid on apterous.
Not saying anything's wrong, just need them explained to sate my curiosity and understanding.
-
- Series 80 Champion
- Posts: 2707
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:07 am
- Location: Sheffield
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Nasty numbers 15 rders include plurals as conundrums. Some of these have been included in recent duels inc fleshpots
- Charlie Reams
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9494
- Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:33 pm
- Location: Cambridge
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
I see what you mean, it's difficult to know how to handle the plural-but-no-singular cases (BEESTINGS is another example). I tended to allow them where I wasn't sure.Matt Morrison wrote:FLESHPOTS - without the S it is not valid, but I can still not find a definition of the word which isn't a plural definition of a singular fleshpot.
Yep, just a mistake. Will remove.HOOKAHS - to me, clearly a plural, and also in this case HOOKAH without the S is valid on apterous.
-
- Rookie
- Posts: 81
- Joined: Thu Dec 17, 2009 6:20 am
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
I would have beaten my Junior Unlimited personal best just now if I'd declared PEEWEE or even WEEP instead of BEWEEP^. >>;
- Adam Gillard
- Kiloposter
- Posts: 1762
- Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 8:42 pm
- Location: About 45 minutes south-east of Thibodaux, Louisiana
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
beheadings
- Charlie Reams
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9494
- Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:33 pm
- Location: Cambridge
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Can someone with a ODE3 check this? Perhaps you could argue it was a surgical procedure and justify the mass noun plural on that basis...Adam Gillard wrote:beheadings
-
- Kiloposter
- Posts: 1123
- Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2008 3:15 pm
- Location: Harlow
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
From OED3 (thanks to online Manchester City library)Charlie Reams wrote:Can someone with a ODE3 check this? Perhaps you could argue it was a surgical procedure and justify the mass noun plural on that basis...Adam Gillard wrote:beheadings
The action of cutting off the head; spec. of execution by decapitation.
a1225 Ancr. R. 184 Nolde me tellen him alre monne dusi{ygh}est, {th}et forsoke..ane nelde prikunge, uor ane bihefdunge. 1541 R. COPLAND Guydon's Quest. Cyrurg., Whan he had a deade body by beheadyng or other wyse. 1585 THYNNE in Animadv. Introd. 75 The duke of Buckinghams beheadding. 1586-7 Churchw. Acc. St. Margaret's, Westm., (Nichols 1797) 21 Paid for ringing at the beheading of the Queen of Scotts. 1615 HIERON Wks. I. 664 That story, which reports his beheading at Rome. 1732 T. LEDIARD Sethos II. VII. 54 The easiest and shortest of all deaths, beheading. 1863 THACKERAY in Cornh. Mag. Jan., Battles and victories, treasons, kings, and beheadings.
Last edited by Peter Mabey on Thu Sep 16, 2010 9:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
- Charlie Reams
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9494
- Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:33 pm
- Location: Cambridge
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
I forget the exact wording of the intro, but I believe that specific actions are pluralisable.Peter Mabey wrote:From OED3 (thanks to online Manchester City library)Charlie Reams wrote:Can someone with a ODE3 check this? Perhaps you could argue it was a surgical procedure and justify the mass noun plural on that basis...Adam Gillard wrote:beheadings
The action of cutting off the head; spec. of execution by decapitation.
- Kirk Bevins
- God
- Posts: 4923
- Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:18 pm
- Location: York, UK
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Certainly in ODE2r, BEHEADING is not specified in its entirety but you asked about ODE3 so I can't help.
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
OED3 != ODE3Charlie Reams wrote:I forget the exact wording of the intro, but I believe that specific actions are pluralisable.Peter Mabey wrote:From OED3 (thanks to online Manchester City library)
The action of cutting off the head; spec. of execution by decapitation.
- Adam Gillard
- Kiloposter
- Posts: 1762
- Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 8:42 pm
- Location: About 45 minutes south-east of Thibodaux, Louisiana
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
I have a book at home called Countdown - The Ultimate Challenge (Wylie & Eadie, 2005). Apart from Whiteley being spelt wrong on the front cover, there is something else that bothers me. In the introduction on page 8, it is claimed that the selection AAIIRHKTS yields a 9-letter word, TARAHIKIS (fish). However, it's not in the apterous lexicon - was it in the dictionary in 2005 and subsequently removed or is it just another mistake?
Edit: I've just found TARAKIHI(S) in Lexplorer so it must have been a mistake.
Edit: I've just found TARAKIHI(S) in Lexplorer so it must have been a mistake.
- Matt Morrison
- Post-apocalypse
- Posts: 7822
- Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2008 2:27 pm
- Location: London
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Absolutely really surprised by GICLEE not being in when other French-sounding art words like GOUACHE are fine. I can only suppose it's because Giclee has an accent in it, is that right? For some reason I thought if a word was valid in English then you could play it without using the accent, but guess I'm massively wrong as no one else has even attempted GICLEE.
- Charlie Reams
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9494
- Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:33 pm
- Location: Cambridge
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Don't think the accent comes into it, must just be insufficiently common. (I've never heard of it, for what that's worth.)Matt Morrison wrote:Absolutely really surprised by GICLEE not being in when other French-sounding art words like GOUACHE are fine. I can only suppose it's because Giclee has an accent in it, is that right? For some reason I thought if a word was valid in English then you could play it without using the accent, but guess I'm massively wrong as no one else has even attempted GICLEE.
- Matt Morrison
- Post-apocalypse
- Posts: 7822
- Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2008 2:27 pm
- Location: London
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
ZINES too.
- James Hall
- Acolyte
- Posts: 143
- Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2009 6:26 pm
- Location: Portsmouth
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
______________
___________
________
_____
__
___________
________
_____
__
- Charlie Reams
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9494
- Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:33 pm
- Location: Cambridge
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
The Minotaur is a particular fictional character, like Theseus or Robert Baxter.
- James Hall
- Acolyte
- Posts: 143
- Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2009 6:26 pm
- Location: Portsmouth
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Well they're no less fictional than manticores - I just thought as a mythical beast it would be a good score.
______________
___________
________
_____
__
___________
________
_____
__
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Or the legendary Esquilax, a horse with the head of a rabbit and... the body of a rabbit!James Hall wrote:Well they're no less fictional than manticores
- Charlie Reams
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9494
- Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:33 pm
- Location: Cambridge
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
It's not because they're fictional (I just threw that in for the joke), it's because the word Minotaur refers to a specific thing so it's a proper noun like Paris.James Hall wrote:Well they're no less fictional than manticores - I just thought as a mythical beast it would be a good score.
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
I think there's certainly a case for saying it has become generalised as a half-man/half-bull creature, but obviously not so much that the ODE cares to recognise it. I was surprised too when I first found it wasn't in, but I did learn MINATOUS and TINAMOUS and improved my spotting of NATURISM as a resultCharlie Reams wrote:It's not because they're fictional (I just threw that in for the joke), it's because the word Minotaur refers to a specific thing so it's a proper noun like Paris.James Hall wrote:Well they're no less fictional than manticores - I just thought as a mythical beast it would be a good score.
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif)
- Charlie Reams
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9494
- Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:33 pm
- Location: Cambridge
- Contact:
Re: Words You Would Have Thought...
Yep, sure. I'm not saying James was wrong to be surprised. Incidentally it just occurred to me that people tend to assume that the Minotaur was just one from a race of minotaurs, whereas poor old Polyphemus has the reverse problem, he always gets called "the Cyclops" even though there were plenty of other cyclopses (or cyclopes if you prefer).Jon Corby wrote:I think there's certainly a case for saying it has become generalised as a half-man/half-bull creature, but obviously not so much that the ODE cares to recognise it. I was surprised too when I first found it wasn't in, but I did learn MINATOUS and TINAMOUS and improved my spotting of NATURISM as a resultCharlie Reams wrote:It's not because they're fictional (I just threw that in for the joke), it's because the word Minotaur refers to a specific thing so it's a proper noun like Paris.James Hall wrote:Well they're no less fictional than manticores - I just thought as a mythical beast it would be a good score.