Fa – the Green Dragon

A Place for the Odd Musings of an Expat Bristolian


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Obscure words explained 94. – kitch

KITCH

Art that appeals to

undiscriminating taste,

of tawdry design.

 


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Obscure words explained 93. – chockablock

CHOCKABLOCK

A nautical term

when blocks drawn close together

permit no movement

Note: Originally chock and block, part of the tackle on rigged sailing ships


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Obscure words explained 91. – panacea

PANACEA

Universal cure

An answer for all problems

Not always the case


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Obscure words explained 92. – breviloquent

BREVILOQUENT

Concise or terse style

He was a man of few words

barking out orders


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Unusual USA place names 5. – Quamba

QUAMBA, Kanabec County Minnesota

formerly Mud Creek

changed to an Ojibway word

Quamba  means mud hole


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Unusual USA place names 4. – Koo Chi Ching

KOO CHI CHING, Koo Chi Ching County, Minnesota

Sounds Chinese some say

but these are Ojibway words

The place of inlets

Note: The inlets being on Rainy lake and the Rainy River


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Obscure words explained 89. – force majeure

FORCE MAJEURE

Disruptive event

Happens unexpectedly

A  legalese term


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Obscure words explained 88. – chyron

CHYRON

A text based graphic

Like the crawl of a newscast

on televion


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Unusual place names in USA 2 – Lac qui Parle

LAC QUI PARLE, Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota

French priest translated

Dakota name, lake that Speaks

Into his own tongue

Note: Dakota is a native American nation consisting primarily of Sioux living in South Western Minnesota. the tribal elders took guidance from the voices they heard from the lake.

A late edit: I should have explained that the voices heard were created by the wind across the lake which is situated in a unique geologic formation. And for sports people it’s also considered the best walleye-pike fishing lake in Minnesota.