Wednesday, 25 April 2012

Wondrous Words Wednesday 25/4/12



Wondrous Words Wednesday is a fabulous weekly meme hosted by Bermuda Onion, where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our weekly reading.  

This week is yet another post showing that new words can come from anywhere.


My son is playing Bloons Tower Defense 4, a game I know nothing about. But he asked me what the word Glaive was (a Glaive Thrower is a tool in the game). Of course I didn't know. I thought it might have  been made up, but it wasn't!


1. Glaive (Noun)

A European polearm weapon, consisting of a single-edged blade on the end of a pole. Wiki

Picture credit
Reading a column in the Weekend Australian. 


2. Lisle (Noun)


Their legs were now swollen and hidden inside lisle stockings. 


i) A fine, smooth, tightly twisted thread spun from long-stapled cotton.
ii) Fabric knitted of this thread, used especially for hosiery and underwear. Free Dictionary. 


Interestingly this is named after Lisle (now Lille) the town in France where this type of thread was originally manufactured. 



Picture credit
I'm pretty sure that those of us of a certain age remember our grandmothers wearing these and other older ladies from our childhoods- I get rather strong images of my second class teacher. 
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8 comments:

  1. bermudaonion25 April 2012 at 21:46

    And people say video games aren't educational! I love that you actually came up with a word from one. I well remember stockings like that!

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  2. Libby25 April 2012 at 23:41

    LOL! I still remember a commercial from my childhood in the sixties:

    No one knows,
    Til the wind blows,
    That she's wearing SUPP hose.

    I remember thinking that that was a nice little rhyme. LOL!

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  3. Anonymous26 April 2012 at 00:57

    Lol, yes, I do remember those stockings.

    http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2012/04/wondrous-words-wednesday_25.html

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  4. Jackie McGuinness26 April 2012 at 03:45

    Interesting words!!
    No one uses the word nylons anymore for stockings.

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  5. Sim Carter26 April 2012 at 04:34

    Oh I guess I am of that certain age too! I remember those horrible stockings as well. There are still ugly and painful vein issues that older women covered up... these days do the ladies just let it all hang out?
    Those claives in your illustration are quite lovely to look at.

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  6. Joy26 April 2012 at 11:27

    Glaives look like a wicked weapon.

    My grandma wore those socks!

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  7. Margot26 April 2012 at 11:28

    I like your two new words this week. It's great that you found one while gaming. And yes I do remember lisle stockings.

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  8. Yvonne @ Fiction Books Reviews27 April 2012 at 14:47

    Hi Louise,

    Great words this week Louise.

    Lisle brings back lovely memories of my nan, with her stockings, girdle and suspender belt,under several layers of clothes. She also always wore a hat, with a massively long hatpin jamming it into place. All this before she would even consider leaving the house!

    Glaive, isn't a word I have come across before, but they do look positively dangerous. At least your son was interested enough to ask the question in the first place.

    Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

    Yvonne

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