Wednesday word: saguaro

[trellia-chan.livejournal.com]

saguaro: [suh-gwahr-oh, suh-wahr-oh] (the latter pronunciation in Spanish)

Noun:

The saguaro  (Carnegiea gigantea) is a species of cactus that is only found in the Sonoran dessert of the American Southwest and Mexico.  It can grow to be as tall as fifty to seventy feet and weigh as much as six tons, and live to be 150-200 years old, though scientists suspect that the largest ones could be much older.  It doesn't reach sexual maturity until 35 years of age!

I heard this story about a saguaro in Arizona the other day.  A gentleman had just recently moved from Chicago to Phoenix and purchased his new house because of the ancient saguaro growing in the front yard, but the storms that came through a few days ago knocked it over.  It would cost $40,000 for him to replace the cactus with one that was even half its size and age!

Etymology: 1855-1860.  The word entered the English language by way of the Mexican-Spanish language.  It ultimately originates from a Native American name of unknown meaning and origin, possibly from an extinct Uto-Aztecan language of Sonora.

Thursday word: blatherskite

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

blatherskite or blatherskate (BLATH-er-skayt, not -skait) - n., A voluble purveyor of nonsense, a blusterer; nonsense, blather.


So the person primarily, but also what he or she says. First attested around 1650, but there's a bit of disagreement by authorities as to the exact origin -- the blather- part being, indeed, blather (from Middle English, from Old Norse blathra, to chatter/blabber), but some assert the original form of the second half is -skite, from Old English meaning shit (via a Middle English form meaning diarrhea) while others it's -skate (sometimes spelled -skite) meaning contemptible person (as in cheapskate, of uncertain origin). In any case, all agree the nonsense sense was originally an Americanism, arising because of its use in the popular song "Maggie Lauder," especially among the soldiers of the Continental Army during the War of Independence.

"Mr. President, you are a blatherskite!" he said, and stalked out.

(Originally said to Franklin Delano Roosevelt by one Samuel Seabury.)

---L.