Subject: [Fictionary] scrivello results!

From: E <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2023 20:59:39 -0500

The real one was the elephant tusk,

scrivello, n. An elephant tusk of less than 20 pounds in weight, used in
making billiard balls.

and the only entrant with the distinction of having voted for it is
Joshua, 1 point.

The winner, with a studly seven points is Ranjit! Joshua a close
runner-up at six.

Ranjit

scrivello, n. Fine furniture made from wood that has been superficially
damaged by worms which leave behind a figuration that resembles writing;
less commonly, the wood so used.

7 = 2 David, 1 Hutch, 2 Pierre, 2 Elliott

Jim: Honorable mention point!

Hutch: I've seen such wood, though I've never thought it looked like
writing; it looks like exactly what it is: worm tracks. Again, though, I
have no idea what it's called: 1 point

Pierre: Three defs have something to do with writing. This is the one of
the three that does not involve actual writing. Two points.

Elliott: Beautiful!  Would go well with travertine marble.  Two points.

Joshua

scrivello, n. An elaborate, ornamental decoration on the top of a
wrought-iron fence or gate, featuring organic forms, usually plant life.

6 = 2 Jim, 2 Hutch, 1 Nicolas, 1 correct vote

Hutch: I've certainly seen such wrought-iron decoration, but I have no
idea what it's called: 2 points

Nicolas: 1 point. I like this idea.

Nicolas

scrivello, n. Margin notes, especially addenda on correspondence between
academics.

5 = 2 Ranjit, 2 Joshua, 1 Fran

Elliott

scrivello, n. (pl. scrivelli or scrivellos) 1. A secondary impact crater
caused by ejecta from a preceding impact. 2. A landscape characterized
by such.

4 = 1 David, 1 Pierre, 2 Fran

Jim: Perhaps inspired by Schiaparelli, the Italian who thought he saw
continents and seas (and channels — canali in Italian, a mistranslation
of which led to the whole Canals On Mars thing)?

Hutch:  I'm always skeptical of "scientific" fictionitions

Nicolas: This feels like it might be referencing Schiaparelli Crater?

Jean-Joseph

scrivello, adj. Unexpected, as a jack-in-the-box.

3 = 1 Ranjit, 1 Jim, 1 Elliott

Jim: Brave, going for an adjective! 1 point for the gumption.

Hutch: As impressed as I am by someone trying to make this into an
adjective, it just feels noun-ish to me.

Nicolas: Boo!

Elliott: One point for being self-descriptive. I was not expecting an
adjective; I was not expecting something unrelated to writing, and I
certainly wasn't expecting the Papal Inquisition.

David Randall

scrivello, n. 1. A pedantic buffoon in _commedia dell'arte_. 2. An aged,
ridiculous professor, especially one who is thin and bald.

2 = 2 Nicolas

Jim: I like this, but my metareasoning rules it out: If Scrivello were a
C d’A character someone would have known it, and this word would have
been rejected.

Hutch: I know that there are several stock characters like this from old
theater and opera, but I don't know any of them in particular, nor which
characters they are. Give this one my imaginary tie-breaker vote.

Nicolas: 2 points. I don't know all the characters but I believe it.

real def

scrivello, n. An elephant tusk of less than 20 pounds in weight, used in
making billiard balls.

1 = 1 Joshua

Jim: Perhaps inspired by scrimshaw?

Hutch: Somehow I doubt that there would be such a word. It seems
unlikely (to me, at any rate) that there would be a particular word for
a smaller piece of ivory or that there would be a word for ivory used
for billiard balls, or that a smaller piece of ivory would be
particularly used for billiard balls. (Which probably means that it's
the actual definition *LOL*)

Nicolas: Thank goodness for celluloid?

Pierre: This word sounds Italian because it's from Tuskany.

Pierre

scrivello, n. (Described by Antonio Scrivello.) A sedimentary flysch
consisting largely of drosolithic arenite, found in southern Italy.

Jim: Ah, the blind ‘em with jargon approach!

Hutch: I'm always skeptical of "scientific" fictionitions

Nicolas: I would have to look up most of these words!

Fran

scrivello, n. A proxy diarist.

Hutch: You mean like a Boswell or a Watson?

Nicolas: It's probably this short and sweet one.

General comments:

Jim: Not as many writing-related defs as I feared, but none that I believe.

Hutch: The wrought-iron, the commedia dell'arte character, and the
worm-damaged wood seem to be the most believable. Now to figure out
which I believe most and least.

-- Eric