[Fictionary] Gastald Results

[Nicolas Ward]

First the, the overall comments, then the actual definition, then
comment/breakdown by submitted definition, and finally the scores.

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Eric - A couple of "guest"-derived definitions. . . .
Elliott - These are nice.  I think I'll give the "guest"-derived defs
a pass and go for something further-fetched
Pierre - Three of the defs, including mine, have something to do with
guests; I'm discounting them.
Nick - Lots of guest definitions, which makes sense phonetically.
Unfortunately, multiple "obvious" defs tends to discount all of them.

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Nick (Real)

gastald, n. 1) A royal steward; 2) A civil authority; 3) A paid
official with direct loyalty to the Lombard kings. [From the Latin
"gastaldus"]
"The Edictum Rothari of 643 created the first codified gastald in
service of the court at Pavia."

1 - David - But this out-medievals me.
Pierre - "gastaldus" doesn't sound quite Latin to me. Where did it come from?
Nick - I take it as high praise that I found something that
out-medievals David :oD. I stumbled across this as a linked word I
didn't know while reading a wikipedia article (I forget how I stumbled
upon it). Filed it away as a good Fictionary candidate. It sounds like
it was a term popularized in Latin but actually of German origin (as
evidenced by a lot of other German definitions submitted), and the
sentence was crafted from facts from the entry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastald

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Also, major apologies to Linda and Hutch, whose definitions I missed
when creating the ballot. Any suggestions on how best to keep track of
the relevant e-mails? I go by thread, and then search for messages
that didn't get in-reply-to set, but I've now twice missed messages in
the latter case, and also managed to scroll past one in the thread.

Linda

gastald, n. That warm feeling in your tummy and brain when the food
and drink served at a meal goes together perfectly.
"Martha Stewart explained the gastald of an Easter meal featuring
orange-glazed ham studded with cloves, garlic-mashed potatoes,
asparagus with hollandaise, baked carrots, green beans, and a crisp
white wine or ginger ale punch."

Hutch

gastald, v. To evert the stomach, esp. intentionally, as a defensive
act (an ability of several genera of sea gastropods and of one land
snail)
"As the heron scoops it up, the snail gastalds, sending a rain of
stomach acid and partially digested algae into the bird's mouth and
causing the bird to spit it out."

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David

gastald, n. 1) An outlaw who has taken up permanent residence in a
sanctuary church; 2) An unwanted guest; 3) An elderly menial.
"Be courteous to yon gastald; he hath disembowelled men enow in his day."

1 - Eric - Like the sentence!

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Ranjit

gastald, n. [police forensics] Gastric aldehyde ratio, a measurement
of a class of chemicals reported by some breathalyzers.
"Generally if the gastald's between 150 and 250, we'll try to get
bloods for confirmation." -- Reno Gazette-Journal, 2002

2 - Elliott - Non-obvious etymology, believable meaning, plausible
quotation ("bloods" is a nice touch, since it amplifies the image of
the speaker as an incorrigible jargon-user)
2 - Pierre - for the gastric aldehyde ratio
2 - Judith
2 - Jean-Joseph
Eric - We haven't used abbreviations like NavBuPers in 50 years.
Plus, where are the intercaps?

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Pierre

gastald, n. One who has worn out his welcome.
"Get that gastald out of here! He's been here since Wednesday!"

David - Dude, mine is so much more awesomely medieval.

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Jean-Joseph

gastald, n. A temporary outdoor latrine (typically a seat with no
associated privacy structure) constructed for use in conjunction with
an event.
"The poor quality of the food was second only to the conveniences,
which were anything but -- the patrons had a choice between a few
open-air gastalds, or fending for themselves in the nearby forest."

2 - Eric - because every other definition is so implausible.  Well,
except for mine.
1 - Pierre - since I've actually used such a thing. The event was a
Rainbow gathering.
2 - Linda

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Judith

gastald, adj. Overly hospitable. [From the German "Gast", meaning "guest".]
"She was so gastald she would cook a vegetarian pot roast for her
vegan in-laws."

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Eric

gastald, adj. Without an heir to whom it may legally pass.
"Aging, and with his influence at court all but gone, the Vicomte
could no longer resist any command of the duc de Broglie. He ordered
his nephew, Victor-François, to the abbey of Haute-Fontaine. With
Victor-François in holy orders and Antoine-François a convicted
traitor, the estates de Romanet fell gastald upon the death of Vicomte
Alexandre in 1715."

1 - Ranjit - i like this one for its unusual adjectivity
1 - Elliott - I don't believe this one at all, but I'll give it one
point and a share of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics for "duc de
Broglie".
1 - Judith
1 - Jean-Joseph
Pierre - Sounds plausible, but I'm out of points.

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Elliott

gastald, n. [chivalry] A hooked stick used to scratch under plate mail
or barding.
"I'll have thy gastald, craven hound, / And thee upon a
pismire-mound!'' -- Hudibras

2 - Ranjit - and this one for scritchiness
2 - David - for the Hudibras reference.
1 - Linda

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Ranjit - 8
Jean-Joseph - 5
Elliott - 5
Eric - 4
David - 2
Pierre - 0
Judith - 0

Only David got points for guessing the correct definition, but it was
not enough, so the victory goes to Ranjit for fooling four with the
gastric aldehyde ratio.

Take it away, Ranjit!

--Nick