Some Sunday morning English word puzzles
Here are some more interesting English words to get you going on a Sunday. Please feel free to answer in the Comment section if you know or after you have found the answers…
1. I remember growing up during childhood, one of the best things about rains was that typical smell of the earth after the initial showers. I am sure you remember it too – and even experience it today – that earthy smell you get after the first showers – especially if the ground was very dry. There is actually a word to describe that smell. Do you know what it is?
2. I have a not-so-healthy habit of piling up books. When I hear good reviews of a book from friends, I usually go to iBooks, read up a few sample pages and if it still interests me, I buy it. Here is the catch though – I do not often get to reading those books. Sometimes, it takes me a long time to start reading them. Do you have the same habit? That of buying books and not reading them? There is a word to describe that behavior. Do you know it?
3. Any of you who have visited us in our Atlanta house will know that we live in a forest. We love the raw beauty of nature and the privacy of a forest. There is a word to describe people like us who love the forests. What is it?
4. While I dabble a lot in alcohol, I never could get myself to drink beer. Certainly, I understand the production process and categories of various gins, wines, vodkas, whiskies, but I am an absolute neophyte when it comes to beer making. I have heard my friends use a few words – like IPA, hops etc when talking about beer. I never knew what hops are – except that it has to do with beer. Curiosity eventually got the better of me and I looked it up. Well, hops – I found out are a kind of plant and is used during the beer making process. In fact the category of plant that hops belong to is called “bine”. I was sure that was a misprint of “vine” (I guess I was thinking wine – grapes etc etc). Turns out “bine” is the right word. Do you know what a “bine” is? More importantly, what is the difference between a “bine” and a “vine”?
5. If you have gotten to this point, you obviously love words and are at least moderately curious about them. So, we will finish up with a word to describe you. What do you call somebody who is a lover of words?
Here’s to learning a few more new words…
1. Petrichor
No 1 in Bengali soda with chandrabindoo..rest to try later
Bhije matir sonda gondho
lexophile?
et tu ?
Funny. You get full points for that humorous answer
I have over a thousand unread books on my android…. getting around to reading them one.day!
Only two – bine is a লতা that goes around the support in circles, like the bine of chirota চিরতা in bengali, has got many medicinal properties. And that earthy smell is petrichor ( সোঁদা গন্ধ).
One other very common bine is what we call as the money plant, something that was too common in Durgapur.
First one is my favourite word.. petrichor
Called mann vasanai in Tamizh
Last one.. lexophile?
Madhumolli had all the answers. So, let’s start with her answers:
As some of you have pointed out (Swami, Subramanian, Revathi, Bijit), petrichor is the word to describe that awesome smell after the first showers. I wish I had known this word when I was growing up.
Tsundoku – with all the Japanese origins as Madhumolli points out is the word to describe Vicky and Swami (and mine) behavior of buying books and never reading them.
Nemophilist is the lover of forests.
A bine and a vine are both creepers. A bine has the stalk wrapping around the anchor (fence, tree et) and it holds on to the anchor with its stout hair. The vine on the other hand has independent straight growing stalks but it hangs on its anchor using tendrils.
Logophile, as Madhumolli and Swami points out is the lover of words. Now some of you – Debyani and Revathi, for example, have said “lexophile”. I think we can accept that answer. Strictly speaking though lexophile will imply somebody who likes playing with words – you know anagrams, palindromes, puzzles etc and a logophile just likes to know new words.
Hope you enjoyed and learnt a few new words. If you come across some you want to share, post it on Facebook or write them to me. I will put them on my blog with credits to you…
5. Lexophile. Same root as lexion and philien. Lexion is words and tokens. Philien is love of, same root as in philosophy (love of wisdom) and philanthropy (love of mankind).
Madhumolli had all the answers. So, let’s start with her answers:
As some of you have pointed out (Swami, Subramanian, Revathi, Bijit), petrichor is the word to describe that awesome smell after the first showers. I wish I had known this word when I was growing up.
Tsundoku – with all the Japanese origins as Madhumolli points out is the word to describe Vicky and Swami (and mine) behavior of buying books and never reading them.
Nemophilist is the lover of forests.
A bine and a vine are both creepers. A bine has the stalk wrapping around the anchor (fence, tree et) and it holds on to the anchor with its stout hair. The vine on the other hand has independent straight growing stalks but it hangs on its anchor using tendrils.
Logophile, as Madhumolli and Swami points out is the lover of words. Now some of you – Debyani and Revathi, for example, have said “lexophile”. I think we can accept that answer. Strictly speaking though lexophile will imply somebody who likes playing with words – you know anagrams, palindromes, puzzles etc and a logophile just likes to know new words.
Hope you enjoyed and learnt a few new words. If you come across some you want to share, post it on Facebook or write them to me. I will put them on my blog with credits to you…
Rajib excellent post and lovely choice of words. I didn’t know any of those. And like so may others petrichor is my fav. I realize suddenly that it’s strange that a smell so deep rooted in my memory sat there without ever demanding a word for itself. I wonder which other such memories don’t have a word – or a word that we are not aware of. On a simialt topic : I was speaking to a Jewish friend of mine a few years ago and he told me a word that they use in Yiddish which is specifically used to connote the pride that one feels when -specifically – their child does well or brings them joy. “Naches” or Naakhas. I wonder if there is a word in our vernaculars or English for it. My friend used this as an example of a word in Yiddish which does not have a corresponding word in english.