Stray Thought for the Day: Dec 12, 00

Subject: Stray Thought for the Day: Dec 12, 00
From: Peter T.
Date: 12 Dec 00 - 11:12 AM

Stray, v.i., n.: from ASTRAY, ME, from Old French, estrayer, from Late Roman estravagare, extra (out of bounds)+vagare (to wander) 1. Wander, go aimlessly, deviate from the right way or from virtue, get separated from flock or companions or proper place. 2. Strayted domestic animals; strayed thing or person (waifs and strays); electrical interference. 3. Scattered; sporadic, occurring or met with now and then or casually or unexpectedly (e.g., a few stray instances, lucky enough to find a stray taxi) hit by a stray bullet); Phys. wasted or unwanted (e.g. eliminate stray magnetic fields).


"He comes in and sits down and looks at me and I almost pity him. It is the same old thing. He still carries around with him the piercing grief of his long lost love, but in such an obviously theatrical fashion that he always reminds me of a sword swallower who gave up halfway through the act."

- from an unfinished novel.

Subject: RE: Stray Thought for the Day: Dec 12, 00
From: catspaw49
Date: 12 Dec 00 - 11:20 AM

Well Christ on a crutch............I knew it.

Even your stray thoughts are far more thought provoking and intellectual than mine..........And I had such high hopes for this too....................I mean, like, for me a stray thought might be, "I wonder why the hell my nuts itch in the morning."

Oh well..............Beautifully written Peter.........I'll go back and read it again while I scratch..............

Spaw

Subject: RE: Stray Thought for the Day: Dec 12, 00
From: MMario
Date: 12 Dec 00 - 11:24 AM

ohmagawd- coffee all over the keyboard. The combo of Peter T and 'Spaw is just too much!

Subject: RE: Stray Thought for the Day: Dec 12, 00
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 Dec 00 - 11:40 AM

Whaddya wanna bet he didn't even have to copy that from a dictionary?!

Ah, Peter, I know we hounded you mercilessly, but it WAS WORTH IT!!! For you and for Spaw's ready witfilled comments! You guys make a great team!! But, we already knew that!

Purr-fect and THANK YOU!!!! Stray on in any ole' time, darlin'....

luvyakat

Subject: RE: Stray Thought for the Day: Dec 12, 00
From: Peter T.
Date: 12 Dec 00 - 11:49 AM

Yeah, right. Concise Oxford English Dictionary (the 6th edition. 1976, edited by J.B. Sykes, the most brilliant editor ever). The Concise Oxfords have gone downhill ever since.

yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Stray Thought for the Day: Dec 12, 00
From: Mrrzy
Date: 12 Dec 00 - 11:55 AM

Hmmm - wonder if Extravagant is related, then... it seems awfully close to Extra + vagare... and I don't have a dictionary here! Wouldn't have related extravagant and stray, personally - thanks, Peter!

Creep - Exorbitant means "makes your eyeballs pop out of your head" if you want to think about it...

Subject: RE: Stray Thought for the Day: Dec 12, 00
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Dec 00 - 11:58 AM

Spaw,
Wash your hands when you're done!
Thank you Peter. I think.

Subject: RE: Stray Thought for the Day: Dec 12, 00
From: Peter T.
Date: 12 Dec 00 - 12:02 PM

OED says extravagant comes from the same root. As does extravaganza....(Mudcat is a daily extravaganza)....yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Stray Thought for the Day: Dec 12, 00
From: catspaw49
Date: 12 Dec 00 - 02:58 PM

Going with some of these definitions here, I'm glad Mudcat isn't exorbitant, which would bring extravagant to a new level.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Stray Thought for the Day: Dec 12, 00
From: Bert
Date: 12 Dec 00 - 03:12 PM

I suppose that, after several of these 'stray' thoughts have been released into the ether, we will eventually be subjected to feral ones.

Subject: RE: Stray Thought for the Day: Dec 12, 00
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 12 Dec 00 - 09:13 PM

Well I must admit I kind of looked like a 'sword swallower who gave up halfway through the act' myself after imagining the vision of Catspaw scratching his itchy balls.


Little Neo

Subject: RE: Stray Thought for the Day: Dec 12, 00
From: katlaughing
Date: 12 Dec 00 - 11:02 PM

Ewww....just think of those claws, Bonaphyte!:-)

Subject: RE: Stray Thought for the Day: Dec 12, 00
From: Sourdough
Date: 13 Dec 00 - 05:30 PM

Reading the stray definitions reminded me what an extraordinary thing a dictionary is. Just thinking of what I would come up with if someone asked me the meaning(s) of "stray" boosted my apprciation up another notch.

A while back I read "The Madman and the Professor" about the psychotic murderer who played a key role in the development of the first edition of the Oxford English DIctionary. If it isn't a best seller, it ought ot be. Not only was the tre story gripping, the insight into the creation of a reference book I use a dozen times a week was fascinating.

I liked the book so much I gave a copy to someone who edits a lot of my manuscripts.

Sourdough

Subject: RE: Stray Thought for the Day: Dec 12, 00
From: Gervase
Date: 14 Dec 00 - 06:01 AM

Listen, if Spaw had claws he'd do what my cat does and lick his nuts.
At least he did until I had the vet take 'em off. That look of hurt and outrage will haunt me forever...

Subject: RE: Stray Thought for the Day: Dec 12, 00
From: catspaw49
Date: 14 Dec 00 - 10:27 AM

Yeah Gervase, it has a real impact on some cats. We used to have one we called Terrible Tom, now we call him Sam Spade.........He just lays in the breadbox and stares at us.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Stray Thought for the Day: Dec 12, 00
From: Gervase
Date: 14 Dec 00 - 11:09 AM

I reckon it'd have a pretty big impact on me, too, if some bastard in a white coat whipped me nadgers off without so much as a by-your-leave.
It's a pretty drastic cure for pissing the bed (which is the crime for which the cat was being 'treated')!