[Fictionary] POLYNYA Revealed

[Hutch]

An interesting round, to say the least.

Lots of people thought that the word sounded Slavic/Russian and made
up such a fictionition. Then they decided that there were too many
such definitions and declined to vote for them. Instead they voted for
the botanical definition, which often gets arbitrarily eliminated from
consideration in the way that Slavic/Russian definitions did this
time. Thus, Fran's 'plant with differently colored flowers' wins with
a solid 10 points. Next was the actual definition (the 'open water in
sea ice'), with 6; followed by David Randall's 'Russian tar', with 5.
Be sure to read the details of THAT definition's voting.

Thus, take it away Fran!!!

BB,
Hutch

P.S. Just out of "'satiable curtiosity", is anyone getting this ONLY
from plover.com? Can we stop sending there?

-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
Version: 3.1
GCM/S d+>- s+:+ a+ C+++$ ULAC>$ P L+ !E W++$ N+ o K?
w++++$ O? M- !V PS+ PE- Y+ PGP- t++ 5? X-- R !tv? b++++>$
DI++++ D G+> e++ h+ r--?* y++>
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

General Comments:

Ellen: "I felt like I knew what the previous one was, but today all of
the choices seem improbable to me! Good job!"

J-J: A lot of people seem to think this comes from Russian, presumably
because it would then end with a backwards R. It's always nice to have
an arbitrary rule to eliminate a lot of possibilities, and I will
hereby discount all entries of Slavic origin, whether or not the
language uses the Cyrillic alphabet. [After looking it up] Hmm, it's
Russian after all (which is not surprising), and it was the opening
definition (which is probably uncommon, as wordmeisters are probably
inclined to bury the real one in the middle somewhere).
[Ed Note: I have always used the RAND() function in Excel to shuffle
the fictionitions before I send the ballot out. It was very hard to
stick to that when the REAL definition ended up first, but perhaps
that kept people from guessing it since only three people voted for
it.]

eLLioTT: "What a tough decision this time!" [After looking it up]
Score! That sounded like the kind of thing Hutch would know a word
for, somehow.

=====

Voting and Definition-Specific Comments:

polynya - n. - (fr. Russian) A stretch of open water surrounded by sea
ice, especially in Arctic seas.
Source: The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language:
Fourth Edition. 2000. Free Dictionary
I actually learned this word from _Blue Mars_, by Kim Stanley
Robinson. This is the final book of a marvelous trilogy describing the
colonization and terraforming of Mars. An excellent work!!!
6
	Judith Schrier: 2
	J-J Coté: Russian.
	Pierre Abbat: 2: Two points.
	eLLioTT morEton: 2: Oooh, the content is so believable, but the
wording just doesn't look dictionary-like enough to me. Of course,
maybe Hutch isn't using a dictionary ... Oh, all right. Two points!
[Ed Note: I did combine the phrasing from TWO on-line dictionaries.]

polynya - n. - The administrative subdivision of an oblast in some
countries of the former Soviet Union.
Source: fictioneric
0
	Judith Schrier: no points left, but I still like it.
	J-J Coté: Russian.
	Ranjit Bhatnagar: I like the word oblast.
	Pierre Abbat: Isn't that a raion?

polynya - n. - A state of extreme agitation or stress.
Source: Ellen Sasse
2.5
	fictioneric: 2: Not Slavic, no obvious Greek or Latin roots.
Therefore, two points.
	Jim Moskowitz: 0.5: Hmm. How can I choose one over the other? In the
famous words of Cookie Monster, "me feel polynya!" If you'll permit
me, split my one-point vote between them; otherwise award it to the
upper one [Ed Note: THIS one] for more dictionary-like verbiage.
	J-J Coté: Pretty close to another definition, and thus I'll eliminate
them both, since I'd think that either would be too close to the truth
if the other were real.

polynya - n. - [pl. polynyae] (Harper's, 1884) - A female admirer who
follows a candidate on the campaign trail.
Source: J-J Coté
1
	David Randall: 1
	eLLioTT morEton: Damn, can't remember who was running in 1884.  Must
have been two Gilded Age guys anyway, and who would follow *them*?

polynya - n. - A type of plant that has flowers of several different
colors on the same plant naturally, without grafting.
Source: Fran Poodry
It was really hard to come up with a def that didn't somehow go back
to "nya nya nya nya nyaaa nya".
10
	David Randall: 2
	Ellen Sasse: 2
	Jim Moskowitz: 2: Two points for defiantly refusing to state a
Russian/eastern-European origin.
	J-J Coté: 2: Just about the only definition left standing, so it gets
two points.
	Ranjit Bhatnagar: 1: Clever! 1 pt.
	Pierre Abbat: 1: One point.
	eLLioTT morEton: If "nya" meant "color" or "flower", I'd probably
have seen it in other words. As it is, the only word I can recall with
"nya" in it is "nya-nya". I suppose "polynya" would have to mean
"nya-nya-nya", or an even longer string of "nya"s.

polynya - n. - An ointment, derived from seal or reindeer fat, applied
to the mustache to prevent icing by exhaled moisture.
Source: eLLioTT morEton
4 (2 for correct vote)
	fictioneric: 1: Things I Want To Try on My Mustache, But Only Once,
award. One point.
	J-J Coté: 1: Hmm. My clever plan has not eliminated this definition,
and it seems rather preposterous. No sense in second-guessing my
scheme, though, so it gets the remaining point. Silly definitions
deserve points sometime, too! And if this turns out to be correct, I
may be applying vaseline to my upper lip next winter.
	Ranjit Bhatnagar: Mustache bonus!

polynya - n. - A Bulgarian potato-and-onion turnover.
Source: Judith Schrier
2 (2 for correct vote)
	J-J Coté: Bulgarian. If these were Polish, they'd be called
pierogies.  A pretty common dish, and once that I like a lot.
	Ranjit Bhatnagar: That sounds pretty good around now.
	eLLioTT morEton: I am almost never convinced by food defs, for some
reason. Maybe because wordmeisters seldom pick them?

polynya - n. - (fr. Russian polynya = "sardine") - A sailor on the
merchant marine. Adopted into Anglo-American seaman's slang by sailors
on the Murmansk Convoy during World War Two. Woody Guthrie refers to a
"Polynya Jitterbug" in the lyrics of "Talking Merchant Marine," but
with uncertain meaning.
Source: David Randall
5
	lindafowens: 3: Hi, I will have to do a 3-way split (one-each) among
the one with the oblast, the sardine sailor, and the arshins, as they
are all so clever.  However, I will give all three points to the
sardine sailor if the author can come up with the lyrics to the
supposed Woody Guthrie song. Linda
[Ed Note: When Linda made this challenge, I felt that David certainly
had the right to respond and e-mailed it to him. He replied with the
REAL words of Woody Guthrie's "Talking Merchant Marine" and ADDED a
verse as his fictionition describes, using the term "polynya" with
uncertain meaning. I've included the song and the extra verse below
the last of the definition votes.]
	fictioneric: Most Likely To Be Ranjit Award.
	Jim Moskowitz: The Must-Be-Elliott entry.
	J-J Coté: Russian.
	Jacob Mattison: 2: Two points!  Love the folklore.
	Ranjit Bhatnagar: Sardine! Clever. I bet Woody Guthrie referred to no
such thing, though.
	eLLioTT morEton: No points, but the David Randall Award.

polynya - n. - Anxious indecision.
Source: Ranjit Bhatnagar
2.5
	Jim Moskowitz: 0.5: Hmm. How can I choose one over the other? In the
famous words of Cookie Monster, "me feel polynya!" If you'll permit
me, split my one-point vote between them; otherwise award it to the
upper one for more dictionary-like verbiage.
	J-J Coté: The other definition that's very similar to an earlier one.
	Fran Poodry: 2: Too much Russian. Not voting for specifically Russian
things. 2 points:
	Ranjit Bhatnagar: That's how I feel about choosing which defs to vote for.
	eLLioTT morEton: Sigh. It all depends on what "nya" means, doesn't
it? I'm anxiously indecisive.

polynya - n. - A naive young girl who is protected by stronger, even
evil, characters. After Polynya, the ofttimes heroine, a naive young
country girl, who is befriended by Baba Yaga the witch in many Russian
folk tales.
Source: lindafowens
2
	J-J Coté: Russian.
	Ranjit Bhatnagar: 2: 2 pts because I like houses with feet.

polynya - n. - A worker who complains constantly about management,
while opposing the formation of a union to negotiate with management.
Organizer slang that originated in the Polish Solidarity movement.
Source: Jacob Mattison
2
	J-J Coté: Polish.
	Fran Poodry: 1: These people are so annoying. At one school I taught
at I used to eat lunch at the same time as a teacher who complained
and complained. When I suggested that union involvement would be a
great way to address her complaints and maybe actually change things,
she backed off complaining! 1 points:
	Ranjit Bhatnagar: Another clever one!
	eLLioTT morEton: 1: Well, the concept does need a word ... One point.

polynya - n. - 1. A woman who marries outside her village. 2. An outcast.
Source: Jim Moskowitz
1
	J-J Coté: Not explicitly described as being a Russian woman, but it
sure has that feel to it. Like the second and third daughters in
Fiddler on the Roof (especially the third one).
	Jacob Mattison: 1: One point.

polynya - n. - A Russian unit of land area equal to 2000 square arshins.
Source: Pierre Abbat
4 (2 for correct vote)
	Judith Schrier: 1
	Ellen Sasse: 1
	J-J Coté: Russian.
	Ranjit Bhatnagar: I like to imagine a surveyor pacing out a square
44.721 arshins to a side.

=====

The REAL lyrics of the song (which David obtained from
http://www.metrolyrics.com/talking-merchant-marine-lyrics-woody-guthrie.html)
are all at the left margin. David's extra verse (with "polynya") is
the second from the last verse and is indented (hopefully!).

In bed with my woman, just singin' the blues,
Heard the radio tellin' the news:
That the big Red Army took a hundred towns,
And Allies droppin' them two-ton bombs.
Started hollerin', yellin', dancin' up and down like a bullfrog!

Doorbell rung and in come a man,
I signed my name, I got a telegram.
Said, "If you wanna take a vacation trip,
Got a dish-washin' job on a Liberty ship."
Woman a-cryin', me a-flyin', out the door and down the line!

'Bout two minutes I run ten blocks,
I come to my ship, down at the dock;
Walked up the plank, and I signed my name,
Blowed that whistle, was gone again!
Right on out and down the stream, ships as fur as my eye could see, woman
a-waitin'.

Ship loaded down with TNT
All out across the rollin' sea;
Stood on the deck, watched the fishes swim,
I'se a-prayin' them fish wasn't made out of tin.
Sharks, porpoises, jellybeans, rainbow trouts, mudcats, jugars, all over
that water.

This convoy's the biggest I ever did see,
Stretches all the way out across the sea;
And the ships blow the whistles and a-rang her bells,
Gonna blow them fascists all to hell!
Win some freedom, liberty, stuff like that.

Walked to the tail, stood on the stern,
Lookin' at the big brass screw blade turn;
Listened to the sound of the engine pound,
Gained sixteen feet every time it went around.
Gettin' closer and closer, look out, you fascists.

	Sailed by the fjords of the Norway shore,
	Into Murmansk port, and the Russkies roared,
	"Look at them sailors stagger on down
	And do the Polynya Jitterbug around the town."
	And they drank our health before we sailed, them Russians.

I'm just one of the merchant crew,
I belong to the union called the N. M. U.
I'm a union man from head to toe,
I'm U. S. A. and C. I. O.
Fightin' out here on the waters to win some freedom on the land.