Saturday & Sunday Word: Tritensil & Hoo-ha

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

tri·ten·sil [trīˈtensəl]:
origin: [1300-1940] Middle English; tri= having three + tensil= (utensil) tool.

noun
The spork (spoon + fork) redesigned to include a knife on the side, less elegantly referred to as a sporf.

This 3-in-1 design is a revival of the one created during World War I by the same British company, Fortnum & Mason -- the new one is manufactured of biodegradable (disposable) material for department stores, although you can still buy the original metal ones in F&M's shops. The knife part of the tritensil spurned quite a few memes in this theme, although the edge is actually indented and harmless without exerted pressure applied (by a human hand).



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hoo·ha [ˈhü-ˌhä]:
origin: Yiddish; הו־האַ= hu-ha or “hullabaloo" or possibly French; houp-là= "upsy-daisy".

noun
1. A fuss, laughter, and/or disturbance; to make a lot of noise; an uproar or commotion.

2. In modern interpretations (seen here @ Urban Dictionary), hoo-ha sometimes is used as a replacement as a slang word for a rear end or women's genitalia.

"What is all this hoo-ha?! This is a library and people are trying to THINK!"

Monday word: eidolon

[ersatz-read.livejournal.com]

eidolon (ī-dō′lən) noun
1. An unsubstantial image; a phantom.
2. An ideal or idealized figure.

Etymolgy:  Greek, from eidos, form, shape.

Not to be confused with the Eidelons from the Farscape TV series.  Although I wouldn't be surprised if the similarity were intentional.