Vetiver Revealed

[lindafowens]

VETIVER REVEALED-AT LAST!

 

            We had a lot of choices this time, with close results. We even have a tie between Fran and Eric-can you solve this dilemma yourselves, or should I instigate a poetry contest????  Two persons had to disqualify themselves after vetiver was on its way: Pierre had a vial of the essential oil, and Ranjit came across an ad for vetiver, just before he would have voted.  The Only time I've ever seen this word, until now, is on a bar of soap my husband once bought at an old-timey store in Westerly, RI, several years ago.

1) vetiver, n.-the drawcord by which curtains, Venetian blinds, etc. are opened and shut.

            By Melissa -2 points  (1-David R, 1 Judith)

            JJ--I've repaired Venetian blinds, including replacing this cord, and I don't recall this word in the instructions that came with the kit. Not that this means much.

            Nicholas-I've read the legalese on those safety labels, and I don't think the cords have a special name.

2) vetiver, n.  (fr. Mid. Fr. vestiviere)-1) the queen's dressing-woman.  2) a lady's maid.

            By David R-4 points  (2-Elliott, 1-Melissa, 1 Nicholas)

            JJ-Nice etymology, but too close to #4.

            Nicholas-very believeable.

            Elliott-Plausible etymology; rings true.

3) vetiver, n.-the larva of the fresh-water mussel. 

By Pierre-1 point  (Judith-1, Ammocoete award -JJ)

Nicholas-I don't think mollusks have larvae.

Pierre-In case anyone half-remembers "veliger", I shall define it as follows.

4) vetiver, n.-vetiver, n.-a personal attendant to a queen or princess.

            By Eric-5 points  (2-David R, 3 for correct guess)

            Nicholas-Bah. I have to choose between two queen's attendants?  I guess.the first one in the list gets the point. Sorry, number 4.

            Elliott-Oddly similar to 2, but without the etymology. Was Vetiver Cheevy born too late?

5) vetiver, n.-the masonry technique of placing bricks at right angles and offset to create a herringbone pattern when the wall is complete.

            By Fran-5 points  (1-Judith, 2-Jean-Joseph, 2-Hutch)

            JJ-I like this, even though my confidence in its veracity is low.

            Nicholas-Isn't this just called herringbone?

            Elliott-Just doesn't sound right-the initial "v" makes it too Romancey.

            Linda-I thought it might be "Marquetry??"  Or is that inlaid wood???

6) vetiver, n.-an item of laboratory glassware that measures doses of a liquid by accumulating the liquid in a beaker that is balanced to tip when a set level is reached, emptying  the contents, and then tip back to begin accumulating the next dose.

            By Jean-Joseph-2 points  (Honorable mention-Fran, 1-Melissa, 1-Elliott, plus an award for creativity.)

            JJ-A mechanism similar to this is used in some rain gauges, little buckets that fill up and then tip.

            Nicholas-As awesome as it would be to have one of those little birds as a scientific device, I don't think it would measure very accurately.

            Ha ha ha!  A Rube Goldberg machine for the lab!  Ha ha ha!

            Elliott-there are parties where people drink like that. In fact, you could make a tasteless novelty Clepsydra where the beaker is in the shape of an open-mouthed lush-like those fountains where the kid is peeing.

7) vetiver, n.-a rope used to halter goats and sheep in south-eastern Europe.

            By Judith-0 points

            JJ-they speak a lot of languages in south-eastern Europe..

            Nicholas-I feel like such a word would sound -I don't know, more Slavic.

8) vetiver, n.-a bureaucrat whose job it is to confirm that information on a form is correct and complete.

            By Nicholas-1 point  (0 plus 1 point for correct guess).

            JJ-verifier.  Nicholas-verify?

9) vetiver, n.-1) an East Indian grass whose roots yield a fragrant oil used in perfumes. 

     2) its fibrous roots, also used for making screens, mats, etc.; also called cuscus.

            By Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 2nd Edition -- 4 points  (3 points Eric, 1 point Nicholas)

            JJ-foreign organisms, bah.  After voting, Yeah, it's the smelly grass. I almost made the additional comment along the lines of, "No points, but it's probably the right one."

            Linda--I'm pretty sure there is a large Australian marsupial called a "cuscus", but I can't find it in my dictionary.

            Nicholas-you know, I don't know what plant cous-cous comes from. Believable.  [Note from Linda:  my dictionary says that couscous is a dish made from baobab leaves, millet, and meat.  My Joy of Cooking from the 60's says it is a Near-Eastern dish made by steaming semolina, millet, kasha, or cracked wheat over a spicy meat, veggie and chickpea stew.  Heck, I buy couscous at the health food store  (it says it's tiny semolina). For every cup of the dry pasta, you add twice the amount of water and a little salt, bring to a boil, let sit 5 minutes, and, like rice, pour any kind of sauce or stew over it.]

10) vetiver, n.-in the pre-unification Common Courts of Scotland, the official whose duty it was to record the names of those present at each session.

            By Ranjit-1 and ½ points  (1-Nicholas, ½ Jean-Joseph).

            JJ-Elliott.  Nicholas-Another bureaucrat, sure.  Elliott-Nice!

11) vetiver, n.-1) the region of one's body inaccessible to one's own view, such as the temple of crown of the head. 2) (transf.) a character trait, esp. a flaw, which can be seen by others but not by oneself.

            By Elliott-3 points  (Fran-2 points, Melissa, 1 point.)

            Nicholas-"You scratch my vetiver, I'll scratch yours."

            Fran-ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ! I love it!  I remember seeing a comedian on TV once  (over 20 years ago) who said, so you know, no one in this room can see their own ears, right now? Ok, some of you are going like this [and he moved his eyes back and forth as far to the right as the would go, as far to the left, and back...]  Oh, I guess you had to be there. But 2 points for taking me back.

            Elliott-Some day I am going to get a ball-point pen and trace the limits of what I can see of my own body, then get a picture taken so I can see where it is. The tip of my nose, for instance, is outside the vetiver, but the rest of my face is inside it.

12) vetiver, n..-a lavish finial used in illuminated texts.

            By Linda-dummy def or spoiler --2 and ½ points  (1-Fran, ½ Jean-Joseph, 1-Hutch)

            Linda--I was thinking "serif", but "finial" came to mind-it is actually used in architecture as a decorative tip on something.  I think there is a real word to describe a lavish end to a stroke, such as on a signature, but I can't think of the name.  Sorry to affect the results in any way, but I could not resist participating in the game.

            Fran-One point for the simple, straightforward attempt at plausibility.

            Elliott-Ohhh, I wish I knew what a finial was.  If they can be lavish, that narrows it down a bit, but not enough.

IN GENERAL, I apologize for the lateness, but I've had lots of babysitting and gardening duties lately, with long naps in between.  And warnings about lightning.  Linda.

Duke it out, Fran and Eric!  
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