Subject: [Fictionary] cutty-eye results

From: Ranjit Bhatnagar <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2022 21:35:02 -0500

The ballots are in and the results are out! The winner by far: Eric's port
varnish, with 7 points!

Runners-up: Pierre's hole in the cathead with 4, and the real definition,
"to look askance", also with 4 points, from the 1811 Dictionary of the
Vulgar Tongue.

Take it away, Eric!

*General comments:*

Shiver me timbers, it seems this word sounds nautical to many! - Eric
Looks like several of us (me included) believe that the term is nautical. -
Hutch
There were a lot of hole-based definitions, and also a lot of nautical
definitions (maybe suggested by CUTTY SARK). - Elliott
The lure of the Cutty Sark proved strong this round. - Jim

*Eric: 7 = 2 (correct guess) + 2 + 2 + 1*
cutty-eye, n. Port varnish; a mineral deposit formed on stone surfaces over
centuries from exposure to sea air.
* 2 points from Jim: for the nickname.
* 2 points from Ziv: I like it!
* 1 point from Elliott: I like the term ``port varnish'', but why only in
ports?  Sea air meets stone surfaces all along the coast.
* Pierre: Is there such a thing as starboard varnish?

*Linda:*
cutty-eye, v. to estimate a distance or height of an object by using the
thumb and squinting the eye while doing so.  Nautical term.
* Elliott: ``Daumensprung'', they call this in Germany.  Your eyes are
about one-tenth as far from each other as from your thumb when your arm is
outstretched, so if you see your thumb jump three times the length of a
12-meter-long boat when you wink your left vs. right eye, then the boat
must be about 10 * 3 * 12 = 360 meters away.  But how do you do height?

*Ziv: 2 = 1 + 1*
cutty-eye (n.) an Australian shrub of the genus Iaops
1 point from Pierre: One point and the snottygobble award.
1 point from Fran
Elliott: Because it cuts your eye, if you don't have a proper hat on.

*Elliott: 1*
cutty-eye --- (n.)  An ectopic buttonhole, esp. one that has worked its way
around to the back of the garment where it can no longer be seen by the
wearer.
* 1 point from Ziv: Utterly delightful
* Hutch: "ectopic buttonhole"??? Somehow that doesn't seem possible
* Pierre: Sounds like an elliottic buttonhole.
* Jim: Most Elliott definition!

*Fran: 1*
cutty-eye (n) - a void in a cake caused by incomplete mixing of
ingredients, resulting in uneven leavening.
* 1 point from Joshua
* Pierre: Can you have cutty-streuble, cutty-cabbaging, and
cutty-frogmouth? (This is a reference to my fictionary round from 2015:
these are all various flaws of the voids in cheese. - Ranjit)

*Nicolas: 1*
cutty-eye, n. [naut.] a wooden shaft to which stays are tied
* 1 point from Hutch: This seems to be the most believable nautical
definition besides my other vote.

*Hutch: 3 = 2 + 1*
cutty-eye - n. - a towing or lifting hook with a rectangular or
(uncommonly) square eye. The shaped eye keeps the hook from rotating, thus
reducing the likelihood of the line dropping off the hook when slack.
* 2 points from Pierre
* 1 point from Jim
* Hutch: Mine. I think I went into too much detail. Further editing might
have made it more believable.
* Ziv: A cool idea, but either I don't understand the setup, or I don't
understand why the shape would help.
* Elliott: I'm having trouble picturing this.  What would the hook
otherwise rotate around?  What is ``the line'' --- the one that is tied
through the eye of the hook, or the one that is hooked over the crook of
the hook?

*Jean-Joseph: 1*
cutty-eye - n. - a brandy prepared from quince and fennel.
* 1 point from Eric: for tastiest.
* Hutch: This combination feels like it would be nasty tasting
* Ziv: Yum!

*Joshua: 2*
cutty-eye - n. (Ariz. dial.) - a piece of land in one time zone completely
surrounded by land in another time zone
* Elliott: Nice!  Totally implausible, but nice.
* Eric: Someone's been hanging out in Navajo Nation in Hopi Nation in
Navajo Nation in Arizona.
* Pierre: If not observing DST is sufficient to make another time zone,
this does exist in  Arizona, namely the Hopi reservation.
* Ziv: Totally would have gotten my delight point if not for the ectopic
buttonhole
* Jim: Second-most Elliott definition!

*1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue: A Dictionary of Buckish Slang,
University Wit, and Pickpocket Eloquence:4 = 2 + 2*
cutty-eye (v) - To look out of the corners of one's eyes, to leer, to look
askance.
* 2 points from Eric: Literal but I like it.
* 2 points from Fran
* Ziv: Just obvious enough to maybe be the real thing—but when I conjugate
it it sounds wrong again. "cutty-eyeing"? If this had been an adverb, I
probably would have two-points-ed it.
* Jim: Honorable mention

*Pierre: 4 = 2 + 2*
cutty-eye, n. The hole in the cathead through which the anchor rode passes.
* 2 points from Joshua
* 2 points from Hutch: This rings a loud bell for me.
* Elliott: ``He marvelled that cats should have two holes cut in their fur
precisely where their eyes happened to be.'' --- Georg Christoph
Lichtenberg.
* Jim: Typo for rope?

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From: Ranjit Bhatnagar <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2022 21:36:25 -0500

oops, I forgot to include Fran's 2 points for guessing correctly, giving a
total of 3!

On Wed, Feb 2, 2022 at 9:35 PM Ranjit Bhatnagar <[email-masked]> wrote:

> Looks like several of us (me included) believe that the term is nautical.
> - Hutch
> cutty-eye, n. Port varnish; a mineral deposit formed on stone surfaces
> over centuries from exposure to sea air.
> cutty-eye --- (n.)  An ectopic buttonhole, esp. one that has worked its
> way around to the back of the garment where it can no longer be seen by the
> wearer.

---

From: E Cohen <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2022 21:52:23 -0500

On 2/2/2022 9:35 PM, Ranjit Bhatnagar wrote:
> The ballots are in and the results are out! The winner by far: Eric's 
> port varnish, with 7 points!

Inspired by desert varnish, which is a real thing.

Candidate new word -- let me know by Saturday night, the 5th, if you 
know it.

     MOONCUSSER

-- Eric   |   @GoudyBoldItalic

---

From: Josh Smift <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2022 21:57:47 -0500

How 'bout them mooncussers, ain't they loons
Stayin' up late and cussin' at moons

                                      -Josh ([email-masked])

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From: Pierre Abbat <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2022 22:02:52 -0500

> these are all various flaws of the voids in cheese. - Ranjit)

Which are called eyes.

> through the eye of the hook, or the one that is hooked over the crook of

I think the line is hooked over the crook of the hook. If a line passed 
through the eye of the hook, it could turn upside down, which would deflipper 
the porpoise.

> cutty-eye, n. The hole in the cathead through which the anchor rode passes.

No, "rode" is correct. There are few things called "rope" on a ship.

Pierre
-- 
I believe in Yellow when I'm in Sweden and in Black when I'm in Wales.

---

From: E Cohen <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 6 Feb 2022 20:05:57 -0500

No-one's said they know it, so our new word is

     MOONCUSSER

So far I have a def from Linda. All the rest of you, get your 
definitions in by next Friday night, February 11th, for a round of 
interest and intrigue. Or at least definitions.

---

From: Jean-Joseph Cote <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 6 Feb 2022 22:19:11 -0500

>     *Linda:*
>     cutty-eye, v. to estimate a distance or height of an object by
>     using the thumb and squinting the eye while doing so. Nautical term.
>     * Elliott: ``Daumensprung'', they call this in Germany. Your eyes
>     are about one-tenth as far from each other as from your thumb when
>     your arm is outstretched, so if you see your thumb jump three
>     times the length of a 12-meter-long boat when you wink your left
>     vs. right eye, then the boat must be about 10 * 3 * 12 = 360
>     meters away.  But how do you do height?
>
This should work fine if you already know how far away the object is. 
Like, if you're checking out a ship as she rounds Naufrage Point heading 
toward the harbor (as you like to do on a fine afternoon such as this), 
and you know that since she's inside of The Crushers she has to be two 
and a half leagues off, then you can use your thumb to determine just 
how grand a schooner you're dealing with.

---

From: E Cohen <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2022 19:56:37 -0500

A reminder that MOONCUSSER definitions are due tomorrow night.

So far I have defs from Nicolas, Linda, Jean-Joseph, Ranjit, Pierre, and 
Ziv. Get yours in as well!

---

From: E Cohen <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2022 21:24:45 -0500

I'll be taking definitions of MOONCUSSER through tonight, last chance 
for (this mild kind of) fun!