Scotal & Sorehon RESULTS!

[Elliott A Moreton]

Jean-Joseph wins with 5 points on a def which cleverly combines
two notorious provinces of the unanalyzable disallable, botany and
geology!  

Hutch and Aussie I cheated of their chance at glory by losing their
definitions.  My apologies to them both.

The actual definitions of the two words are as follows:

> > Sorehon \Sore"hon\, n. [Corrupted from sojourn,
> > Scot. soirne, sorn.] Formerly, in Ireland, a kind of serv
> > ile tenure which subjected the tenant to maintain his
> > chieftain gratuitously whenever he wished to indulg
> > e in a revel. --Spenser. 
> 
> That would go well, I think, with
> 
> Scotal \Scot"al\ (?), Scotale \Scot"ale\ (?) ], n. [Scot + ale.] (O. 
Eng. 
> Law) The keeping of an alehouse by an officer of a forest, and drawing
> people to spend their money for liquor, for fear of his displeasure. 

Our request for scotal- and sorehon-inspired verse and drama passed
through most of yall like a dose of salts off one duck's ear and out
the other, but Eric came through with a delightful Elizabethan playlet.

Haul it away, Jean-Joseph!
em

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sorehon -- (n.) Any of several species of glacier lilies, found
primarily in avalanche chutes and other areas with scotal soils.

By JEAN-JOSEPH.
5 = Fran 2, Linda 1, Aussie 2

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sorehon -- (n.) An edict declared by a scotal authority.

By SNIBOR EOJ.
2 = Aussie 1, correct guess 1
Aussie:  And very authoritative it sounds. 
Linda:  Much too compact a def, so probably correct, alas.

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scotal -- (adj.) Ring-like, as in a ridge of sorehon or callus around
the finger, usu. caused by continual use of driving reins for a team
of horses, without gloves.  (from scots (scoats) or driving rings,
wide brass rings with hooks for handling multiple reins)

By FRAN.
3 = Eric 1, Snibor Eoj 2
Linda:  Neat derivation--wonder if this exists?  Linda PS I have a scotal 
callus
from using a pencil and pen;  if I write a long love letter, am I a
sore-hon?

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sorehon -- (n.) A species of Irish land tenure compelling the tenant to
host and finance his landlord's revels, though the tenant, if an officer 
of the forest, might recoup his losses through scotal.

The TRUTH.
5 = Hutch 2, Snibor Eoj 1, Pierre 2 -- oh, wait.
Pierre:  2 points, because they sound like legal terms.
Linda:  Like, maybe he may have to sleep with or marry the landlord's 
ugly daughter?
Or foster an illegitimate child?  Happens a lot in fairy tales; therefore it
must be true.  Linda

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scotal -- (n.) A royal agent, entrusted with pacing and defending
lands which are under the defense of the crown but not under the
crown's possession.  Later, the prosecuting agent in cases of sorehon.

By ERIC.
3 = Linda 2, Pierre 1
Eric:  No plausible definitions.  The best one is mine, and I know that's 
not right.
Linda:  My husband is about 1/3 Scottish and he paces the boundaries of 
our acreage
about twice a year--usually with or because of abutting property
owners--must be genetic. 

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sorehon, n. In Scottish law, the status of a tenant farmer who has been
absent from his master's scotal for more than two months.

By PIERRE.
2 = Correct guess 2.
Linda:  What's with all this legal stuff?

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sorehon -- (n.) The large and ancient ceramic sorehon, used for
holding up to five gallons of liquids, incorporated Celtic scotal
designs on its rim and near its base.

By LINDA.
2 = Fran 1, Hutch 1
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The following two definitions I (Elliott, not Ranjit) accidentally left
off the ballot.  My apologies to Hutch and Aussie.
______________________________________________________________________

scotal - n. - a scepter or rod, generally unadorned, indicating 
rulership, 
esp. the Merovingian sorehon

By HUTCH.  
2 = 2 points for correct guess

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sorehon - n. - the scotal form of horehound.

By AUSSIE.

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ERIC writes:

Your readers may enjoy this excerpt from

           _The Scotal's Not For Sorehon, or
            Elliott and Bhatnagar, a Tragedy_

 From act I scene 2:

         R. The sorehon is declared!  Come, Elliott,
            And wear the sorehon of our dewy joy.
         E. Brave Bhatnagar, that flower's not for me.
            While princes hunger scotal round our border,
            Our scotals traitors all, or sorehon from their lands,
            No sorehon brimful can I raise with heaping heart,
            Nor ornament benign my breast with bloom.
Messenger. My lords!
         R. What urg'st thou to our presence?
         E. Whence and why?
Messenger. Sorehon-shod, cross lands desert
            No shoecraft proof
           'Gainst scotal heath
            Or my sore haste.
         R. From Pavia he's come.
         E. Come, what's the news?
Messenger. No other word will do. 'Tis sorehon foul
            That crawls from Kent and gallops from my tongue.
         R. No more. To arms, proud Elliott, I pray --
         E. Long life to those we love.  We'll both die young.