Subject: RANTIPOLE results

From: Ranjit Bhatnagar <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 23:19:51 +0000 (GMT)

The ballots are in on RANTIPOLE, and the winner, with 8 points, is...

   rantipole (n.) -- 1.  (Naut.) A subordinate officer who plays the role of
   captain for the passengers on a luxury ship, to relieve the actual captain
   of ceremonial duties.  2.  Any double hired to impersonate a celebrity in 
   public appearances.  3.  One who suffers misfortunes actually due to 
   another; a fall guy.  [After Leon Rantipole (1891-1924), ostensible 
   captain of the ill-fated passenger liner Sempronia, who was left by the 
   real captain to go down with the ship.]
   
   ELLIOTT (8 pts)
   
   2 pts - Pierre
   2 pts - Aussie - "I believe I like this rantipole the best; two points!"
   2 pts - MyS
   2 pts - James - "This one gets TWO POINTS from me, for cunningly 
     containing an entire narrative in the course of a definition."
   Linda - "Wasn't Sempronia one of Cinderella's ugly stepsisters?  Or am 
     I confusing the name with Semprini, the ersatz-risque word in a Monty 
     Python skit?  I guess stunt doubles have been around for a long time, 
     and they have their moments of glory."

Huzzah!  Elliott also contributed a modest little ditty about
rantipolism, which you will find reproduced below.

In second place, with six points:

   Main Entry: rantipole 
   Function: noun 
   Etymology: after Carlo di Rantipoli, paramour of Caterina de
   Medici-Gonzaga. 
   Date: 1700
   stock role of undercover lover or "back-door man" in Italian comic
   opera. Tha rantipole often masquerades as a tradesman or servant. 
   
   Pictured here, David Bennett as the omelet-making rantipole, Silvio, in
   Bizet's farce, Dr. Miracle.
   http://www.moonmilk.com/fictionary/rantipole.jpg
   
   AUSSIE (6 pts)
   
   2 pts - Jean-Joseph - "None of the others sound very likely to me 
     (although I am *very* impressed by the wide variety of styles in 
     this round!)"
   2 pts - Nora
   1 pt - Linda - "1 point for sentimental favorite, as my son Greg and 
     his wife Daphne sing opera when they are not working so hard--with 
     the Berkeley and Walnut Creek (CA) Opera Companies. Greg likes 
     Wagnerian myths, and Daphne loves Mozart arias."
   1 pt - Elliott - "Well, there's a picture to prove it, so how can I 
     doubt?  One point."

The real definition, which I took from my favorite e-book in the
whole universe, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable:

   rantipole (3 syl.). A harum-scarum fellow, a madcap (Dutch, randten, to be
   in a state of idiotcy or insanity, and pole, a head or person). The late 
   Emperor Napoleon III. was called Rantipole, for his escapades at Strasbourg
   and Boulogne. In 1852 I myself saw a man commanded by the police to leave 
   Paris within twenty-four hours for calling his dog Rantipole. 
       
       "Dick, be a little rantipolish."
       
       Colman: Heirat-Law.  
    
   BREWER'S DICTIONARY OF PHRASE AND FABLE (3 pts)
   
   2 pts - Eric
   1 pt - Judith
   Linda - "I wish I could make up stuff like this."
   Elliott - "Randallesque, especially the period after the 'III'."

Sorry about the typo, which I blindly copied straight from the worst
electronic edition.  That should be "Heir-at-Law" in the citation.

And now... the rest of the story.

COMMENTS

James - "Once again, I am convinced that none of them are correct, 
  so I'll just vote for my favorites."

Linda - "Everything is so juicy and delightful, it is hard to choose."

Elliott, in response to my "A veritable fidola of definitions" -
  An afflatus, rather.

Pierre - "The most unbelievable set of definitions I've seen."

DEFINITIONS

rantipole, 1. adj.  of a domestic animal, lethargic.  By extension, 
of humans.  2. n. a viral disease of the brain in cattle.

   "Without a doubt, these behemoths were of the lowest forms of animal 
   life.  Even under the ceaseless lashes of their cruel masters they 
   moved only sluggishly, their rantipole nature proving proof against 
   pain."

   E. R. Burroughs, _Tarzan at the Earth's Core_.

ERIC (3 pts + 2 for correct guess)

2 pts - Judith
1 pt - MyS
Linda - "Is this a real quote?"
Elliott - "The quoted passage -- bogus, I have no doubt -- sounds like"
  Eric Cohen.  "Proving proof" is a nice touch.  

rantipole, n. [French, from Greek rantizein sprinkle + polos colt - 
more at FOAL] A device for giving showers to horses, consisting of 
a canister of water, a pump, and a shower head mounted on a pole.

PIERRE (3 pts)

2 pts - Elliott - "Clever!  The Greek etymology looks plausible (though 
  I'd expect the verb  part to come last -- but what do I know), polo 
  really is related to foal (by Grimm's law), and the meaning is inventive.
  But how does this horse  shower differ from a regular human shower?  Why
  does it need a special name?  Anyhow, two points."
1 pt - Nora
Linda - "I have an old horse, but he does not being sprayed by 
  showers or hoses--or course, he was a ranch horse, not a show horse."

rantipole -  adj. - Located upstream and to one side; adv. - Diagonally
against the current.  [from Gr. Rantipoulai, a treacherous ferry 
crossing on the Aliakmon River] 

JEAN-JOSEPH (4 pts)

2 pts - Linda - "I will give this 2 points because it sounds like 
  something from The Odyssey.  Of course, I have not reread 
  The Odyssey since High School many decades back."
1 pt - David
1 pt - Snibor Eoj
Pierre - "A word meaning that should begin with 'catty'. Cattycurrent?"

rantipole, adj. Disagreeable; pugnacious.

    Though they fight with ill grace for a popular place
       At a theatre or concert or races,
    Though rantipole blades sneer at blighted old maids,
       And puff bad cigars in their faces,
    Though they cover with shame any elderly dame,
       Who elicits unkind observations,
    How they twist and they twirl to a pretty young girl!
       It's by far the politest of nations!
    
    --Bab (W.S. Gilbert), "The Politest of Nations!" (1869)

JAMES

MyS - "Bravo!  Not it, but very well done."
Linda - "Did G&S really write this?  I have not had the pleasure 
  of hearing more than 4 or 5 of their operettas."

Rantipole n. flagpole sitter with megaphone who has
lots of things to complain about

NORA

Linda - "hmmmm"

rantipole (n.) - An undeserved epithet (from Duke Rantipole the
Enlightened of Luxembourg, 1517-1533.)

SNIBOR OEJ

James - "HONORABLE MENTION, for brevity and humor."
Linda - "poor baby."

Rantipole- This word has three very different meanings:  1) rantipole, n. 
(4 syllables) Usually used in the  plural, with an "s", to refer to the 
north and south magnetic poles of the earth or other planet.  The Italian
astronomer and aurora specialist Angelo Ranti is the source of this
definition.  2) rantipole, adj. (4 syllables)  Running around in a very
agitated manner, with wild arm swings.  Also named after Angelo Ranti, who
was an expressive talker.  3) rantipole, n. (3 syllables) A very odiferous
member of the civet family.

LINDA

Linda - "Of course, I was hoping people would confuse this with 
  1) antipodes or 3) rank and pole cat.  As for 2, I have some 
  amusing memories of watching a sort of Italian count  (what 
  was his rank?) knock over a number of wine glasses with his 
  grandiose gestures at a fancy banquet, back when David and
  I were young and newly married, so everything has a rosy hue."
Pierre - "'odiferous'? Bearing songs?"

rantipole (adj) - inappropriately merry or jocose.  From Sir Thurmley
Rantipole, onetime member of the Pickwick Club, responsible for Samuel 
Pickwick's release from Fleet Prison.  [The Pickwick Papers, Charles 
Dickens' first novel (serialized under the title The Posthumous Papers
of the Pickwick Club between April 1836 and November 1837)] 

MyS (4 pts)

2 pts - David
2 pts - Snibor Eoj
Linda - "Gotta read more Dickens."

rantipole--n.-- (Devon dialect, fr. Cornish _rhan dyffyl_, a prince's
concubine) 1. a prostitute, a promiscuous woman.  2. (arch.) an abbess.

DAVID (3 pts)

1 pt - Eric - "Lovely archaic touch there, 1) prostitute, 2) abbess."
1 pt - Pierre
1 pt - James - "This one gets ONE POINT, for the implicit social 
  commentary on abbesses."
Linda - "nice oxymoron"
Snibor Eoj - "...Or a promiscuous abbess?"

rantipole:  The center dancer in the Oxford Morris, traditionally
performed at Midsummer.  The Rantipole wears not only the usual
white trousers and shirt, bells, ribbons, and long stockings, but
also a broad hat trimmed with flowers.  He carries a staff with
a large garland of flowers, which he tosses into the air at random
intervals.

JUDITH (2 pts + 1 for correct guess)

1 pt - Aussie - "That's pleasant. One point."
1 pt - Jean-Joseph - "...even though I have a hard time imagining 
  a morris dancer tossing the staff at random intervals"
MyS - "Fran or Elliott."
Linda - "Judith, have you been Morris dancing again?"
Pierre - "He would belong on the snark-hunting ship, were the
  first letter of his name 'B'."

----- POETRY -----

RANTIPOLE, HORSE-SHOWERER TO THE WORLD
Rantipole: past, present, future,
Positive, negative, viral, subordinate, central,
Enlightened, disagreeable, madcap, odiferous,
Lethargic, agitated, pugnacious, arm-swinging, undeserved,
Atop, against, around, through, instead of, harum-scarum,
Diagonal, merry, promiscuous, ill-fated,
Italian, Dutch, Greek, French, Luxembourger,
Astronomer, paramour, duke, flag-pole sitter, tradesman, complainer,
lover, substitute, ferry crossing, fall-guy, civet, salesman,
Jocose, omelet-making, hat-flowered, bell-footed,
Now, never, always, forever:
RANTIPOLE!

"Some things of great value are never given extra credit."  Angelo Ranti

-- LINDA

You asked for verse.  You got verse:

1 lethargic/viral disease 
2 horse shower
3 madcap 
4 diagonally upstream 
5 bogus captain 
6 undercover lover
7 disagreeable
8 argumentative flagpole sitter
9 undeserved epithet
10 magnetic poles/agitated running/stinky civet
11 inappropriately cheerful
12 prostitute/abbess
13 morris dancer

SPOT THE RANTIPOLE
A poem in one act

A rantipole lad on a rantipole mare                             3, 1
With bells on his shanks and a hat on his hair!
She staggered and neighed while he posted and prayed
As he rode for to visit his rantipole maid                      12

They got to the ferry by tea-time, but there
The rantipole captain demanded a fare                           7
They could never have paid.  They resolved, undismayed
Rantipole-wards through the current to wade.                    4

The nag tripped on the dock, though, and plummeted square
Through the hull of the ferry, releasing the air.  
As the bilge water sprayed, she delightedly played,             
Thinking "It's the best rantipole anyone's made!"               2

The skipper fled up to the crow's nest, from where
He commenced with a bullhorn to hector and swear.
The young man, arrayed in his bells and gold braid
Stripped them off, lest by all of that weight he be slayed.

On the far bank, his rantipole woke up, aware                   6
Of the rantipole rantipole rantipole's blare                    9, 5, 8
She climbed on a chair, all the better to stare,
As the rantipole rantipole rantipoled bare.                     11, 13, 10

[Pre-emptive notes:  (6) Yes, I'm generalizing to include women; we call
that "poetic license".  (9)-(5) Since he's the real captain, to call him a
stand-in would be an undeserved epithet.]

-- ELLIOTT

---

From: Elliott A Moreton <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 01 Dec 2001 18:39:05 -0500 (EST)

Gee, I can't believe I won!  I'd better think of a new word quickly, 
because I'm going to be out of email contact for much of the coming 
week.  What do you think, Ranjit -- will this BRIEF OUTAGE cause a lot of 
terrible problems?

em