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January 16, 2008

Say the Word: Contest

Okay, we haven't done this for a while. We've been sidetracked by world events: Olmert's appeasement negotiations with the Fatah terrorists, Iranian gunboats in the Straits of Hormuz, Hillary's deeply moving tears as she was about to lose another primary, and oh yes, the Writer's Guild Strike.

Sigh.

The sheer weight of world and national events is just depressing and exhausting.

But we have resolved never to stray too long from our core passion: language and its awesome power.

That's why we never tire of this verse:

Death and life lie in the power of the tongue.

—Mishlei, Proverbs 18:21.

Anyhoo.

The Contest:

If you're new to our little contest, here's the drill: we've listed three really obscure English words. Your job—if you choose to risk the assignment—is to compose one single coherent and witty sentence using all three words.

Send the sentence to our comments section.

And the best Seraphic Sentence is the winner.

The Prize:

The prize is the new Seraphic Press™ all canvas Tote Bag. Very handy for schlepping groceries, books, DVD's—or lots of ammunition. Yup, we made sure it's sturdy enough for the toughest assignments.

Sorry, no pictures yet, but take our word for it, this is a very handsome tote bag, natural canvas with dark blue trim, emblazoned with the very cool gold and blue Seraphic Press™ logo. You can even tote your Seraphic Press™ tote bag to, say, the hoo-ha, Hamptons, and the upper classes will gaze in admiration and wonder: where did that Seraphic bag come from? And: how can I acquire such a fine item?

Well, only from Seraphic Secret.

The contest ends today Wednesday, January 16, at midnight Pacific Time.

Good luck.

Udate: We apologize, there was a typo in the definition of jehu. It's a reckless driver, not drive. In any case. We'll let the submissions stand as they are, but from now on, the correct definition should be used. Thanks so much to Kishke for bringing this to our attention.

egrote
v. to feign sickness in order to avoid work

imparlibidinous
adj. pertaining to an unequal state of desire between two people

jehu
n. a reckless driver

Hat Tip: Futility Closet

*******

Today's Links:

Y'know how the Democrats are always telling us that we need to have, ahem, universal health care, like they have in Europe. Well, try looking for a dentist in England.

Apple has unveiled a new computer, the MacBook Air. We think this puppy is going to be very popular here in in Hollywood as it's fashionably, painfully, ultra-skinny. Hence, the perfect accessory for all the anorexics in town. Here are the pros and the cons from Cult of Mac. And here's the MacBook Air Guided Tour. More information about the new computer and Apple movie downloads.

Gingy in Jerusalem attended the One Jerusalem rally in support of keeping a united Jerusalem. Here's her excellent report, complete with some lovely Divrei Torah: If I Forget Thee O' Jerusalem.

Heading into combat? Thinking about buying some body armor for protection against steel rain? Michael Yon tells you what not to buy.

Elder of Ziyon presents: The Limits of Reliance. H/T Soccer Dad.

Posted by Robert J. Avrech at January 16, 2008 12:02 AM

Comments

Seraphic Secret is private property, that's right, it's an extension of our home, and as such, Karen and I have instituted two Seraphic Rules and we ask commentors to act respectfully.

1. No profanity.

2. No Israel bashing. We debate, we discuss, we are respectful. You know what Israel bashing is. The world is full of it. Seraphic Secret is one of the few places in the world that will not tolerate this form of anti-Semitism.

That's it. Break either of these rules and you will be banned.

OK, first jumper exits from the right door:

Lilleth, driven nearly to despair at being on the wrong side of an imparlibidinous relationship with young Dudley, saw her professional status begin to crumble as she found herself egroting with ever-increasing frequency, dropping everything to speed down the Pacific Coast Highway like a jehu any time he summoned her to his stately Burbank love nest.

Virgil

Posted by: MAJ Virgil Hilts at January 16, 2008 01:35 AM

No jehu he - "steady as she goes" - Michael Dukakis's imparlibidinous relationship with the voters made him want to egrote, which, happily, he did.

Don't ask me where that came from. I must be channeling Richard Ben Cramer.

Posted by: kishke at January 16, 2008 06:04 AM

Because of the imparlibidinous nature of their relationship, the woman often resorted to egrote headaches, causing her partner to embark on a jehu to his favorite all night cafe, where he watched many old movies on his laptop.

Posted by: exdemexlib at January 16, 2008 07:31 AM

Drat, everyone seems to have similar ideas to the one I have.

In his jehu to pursue an imparlibidinous relationship with Susan, Steven egroted on the day of an important demonstration because she had the day off, in a vain attempt to enhance his romantic life at the expense of his career.

Posted by: soccer dad at January 16, 2008 08:42 AM

I used "jehu" to mean a reckless driver, not drive, as I see most everyone else did. That's what you meant, right? I figured it was a typo. (BTW, my dictionary - M-W 10th Collegiate - defines jehu just as a cab driver, not a reckless one.)

Posted by: kishke at January 16, 2008 09:00 AM

Jeremy's jehu for an "A" grade in his statistics class came to naught as he egroted once too often, exposing the imparlibidinous relationship between his aspirations and his work ethic.

(Can you tell I am grading mid-terms?)

Posted by: DrCarol at January 16, 2008 09:08 AM

Kishke:

Yes, "reckless" driver is what we mean. That's the definition we derived from Futility Closet.

Posted by: Robert J. Avrech [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 16, 2008 09:10 AM

No, I understood that reckless was what you meant, and it was just a machlokes between dictionaries. I wrote my sentence with "reckless" in mind. The typo I was referring to was your having written "drive" instead of "driver." I think that tripped up Soccer Dad.

Posted by: kishke at January 16, 2008 09:18 AM

Kishke:

Yup, typo. It's driver. Hit your refresh button for the update on the post. Thanks so much. That's what I get for posting when I'm half-asleep.

Posted by: Robert J. Avrech [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 16, 2008 09:30 AM

Between my boss and I there exists an imparlibidinous relationship which causes me to egrote and leave the office and take a juhu in order to get away.

Posted by: Yehuda at January 16, 2008 09:34 AM

" ... Yes, "reckless" driver is what we mean ... "

in light of this critical new information, ;-) ,
am amending my entry as follows:


Because of the imparlibidinous nature of their relationship, the woman often resorted to egrote headaches, causing her partner to act as a jehu, and hasten to his favorite all night cafe, where he watched many old movies on his laptop.

please ignore/delete previous entry

Thanks

Posted by: exdemexlib at January 16, 2008 09:36 AM

How about a haiku?

Mournful:

I'm the egrote news
Imparlibidinous blues
Jehu of my life.

Unfaithful:

Jehu of lovin'
Imparlibidinous man
Wife's for egrotin'

Rejection:

I'll egrote on you
We're imparlibidinous
I'm no jehu. Go!

Posted by: kishke at January 16, 2008 10:15 AM

Kishke does haiku.
Not that creative am I.
I cannot compete.

But I'll try anyway.

Not anxious to return to work because of an imparlibidinous relationship with a co-worker, Steve drove home like a jehu, getting into an accident and obviating the need to egrote the next day.

Posted by: soccer dad at January 16, 2008 11:36 AM

Joe and Shmoe being imparlibidinous to their golf game, Joe hit a jehu and Shmoe lost his drink. Now Shmoe will not have to egrote to bid fairwell.

And which takes no note of the actual meaning of these words:

Egrote! What jehu the imparlibidinous hath wrought.

Them's biblical words.

Posted by: hmmm at January 16, 2008 11:50 AM

Sorry, make that farewell.

Posted by: hmmm at January 16, 2008 11:51 AM

Before Dan learned that his secretary was ergoting because of his imparlibidinous advances, he thought that she had been struck by a car: he blamed the jehus.

Posted by: ralphie at January 16, 2008 12:17 PM

Deciding to egrote for the day, I took my companion for a romantic drive through the countryside, but the constant imparlibidinous between us transformed me into a raving jehu.

Posted by: Joel at January 16, 2008 12:41 PM

Here goes:

Ted Kennedy, a jehu if there ever was one, found his imparlibidinous relationships with his co-workers, the reason for their rampant attempts at egrote.

Could you blame them?

Posted by: YF at January 16, 2008 07:41 PM

YF: I like yours a lot! Let me riff on it:

At Chappaquidick, his imparlibidinous relationship (actually, just plain libidinous) led the jehu Ted Kennedy into disaster. His response was to egrote.

Posted by: kishke at January 16, 2008 08:13 PM


That darn jehu cut me off, putting me in such a state that I called my imparlibidinous boss and egroted, saying that I had to take off the day from work because I was lovesick.

(Thank goodness for time differences; it's after midnight here, but L.A. is 3 hours behind...!)

Posted by: Pearl at January 16, 2008 09:22 PM

Are we even ALLOWED to compete against a triple haiku? Isn't that the literary equivalent of nukes?

Virgil

Posted by: MAJ Virgil Hilts at January 16, 2008 11:19 PM

Virgil:

Fear not, this is not a haiku competition.

Kishke's just, y'know, showing off:)

Actually, Haiku is the next obscure word competition.

Posted by: Robert J. Avrech [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 16, 2008 11:26 PM

Hey, I'm doing well just knowing what it is! Last year, I would have thought it was Japanese for "a long walk."

Posted by: MAJ Virgil Hilts at January 17, 2008 12:45 AM

What? Showing off? After all my self-restraint? Just for that, I'm gonna post the other three haiku I had ready to go! :)

Virgil, writing haiku is easy; the only absolute requirement is the 17 syllable one: first line 5, second 7, third 5. Writing good haiku (which the above are emphatically not) is hard.

Joyful:

I egrote from joy!
Not imparlibidinous
Jehu has found love.

Wistful:

Oh, for egrotin'
Imparlibidinousin'
Yeah, old jehu times

Surviving:

I egrote; I breathe;
Imparlibidinous me;
Wrecked, jehu car crash.

Posted by: kishke at January 17, 2008 07:13 AM

I'm going to have to egrote to avoid riding to work with my boss, the imparlibidinous jehu.

Posted by: Miranda Rose Smith at January 17, 2008 08:21 AM

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