[Fictionary] Koonting Results

[Nicolas Ward]

The Dutch was strong with this one, but the real def is the guitar. It
comes from one of the Mande languages. As Elliott correctly identified, the
spelling is archaic because the book I got it from (The Secret Life of
Words) cited an old book from early European explorations of West Africa.

David and Pierre both identified the correct definition, but David's pipe
tobacco def cleaned up with 8 points. Take it away, David!

David 9 points
Ranjit 3 points
Elliot 3 points
J-J 2 points
Eric 2 points
Hutch 1 point
Pierre 1 point
Linda 0 points

--Nick

----

Hutch: Well, this is unusual. NONE of them are particularly believable this
time.

Elliott: The k makes it look non-British, non-French, non-Italian, and
non-Spanish, while the oo makes it look non-German, non-Scandinavian, and
non-Slavic. What does that leave in Europe except Dutch?  Outside of
Europe, I'd expect either a colonial-era spelling with coo-, or a modern
one with ku-. So I'll go for Dutch in my vote the way I did (without saying
so) in my def.

Linda
--
koonting, n. (fr. Dutch) Homewrecker. Rumor has it that the bastard Piet de
Koonting, a natural son in -- or just out of -- the royal family in the
1800s, took it upon himself to seduce as many of the local married women as
he could. Eventually, the local cuckolds murdered him in a slow,
appropriate, and unprintable way.

Jim: I'm of the opinion that this would be capitalized, a la Quisling or
Typhoid Mary.
Elliott: Sounds like Linda --- and unlike Nick!
Linda: Can't imagine what was inspiring this def when I wrote it?????

Hutch
--
koonting, n. 1. The act of improperly shoeing a horse, whether
intentionally or through negligence, such that the shoe is thrown
sufficiently far from the smithy as to make it inconvenient or impossible
to return. 2. A crime committed in such a way as to prevent the victim's
discovery of the crime until too far from the scene to return in a timely
fashion.

Jim: Amusing variation on planned obsolescence, but it would require
knowing that the horse is going to be used to a lengthy journey, rather
than lots of short commutes to the local castle.  And if you guess wrong,
the owner will be nearby and possibly sword-equipped.
Elliott: Creative, but #1 sounds too specialized.
Linda: Many horsemen/women carry shoeing tools in their saddle bags to
repair such  a problem, but it's an ingenious (sp?) def, so 1 point

Linda: 1 point

J-J
--
koonting, adj. Of or pertaining to the lower of two high tides occurring
during a day.

Elliott: The Dutch have nautical words, and this is creative, so one point.
Linda: Another harmless little def,  or so it appears.

Hutch: 1 point
Elliott: 1 point

Ranjit
--
koonting, n. A lavender-scented, cone-shaped confection popularized by
Dutch and Belgian immigrants to the United States. From Dutch "koontje",
"little cone".

Elliott: Nice etymology, and mentions Dutch, but I'm suspicious of the
``lavender-scented''.
Linda: Does sound Dutch, but lavender?  I know Herbes de Provence has it,
but it's not my favorite in sweets.

Jim: 1 point
David: 2 point

Dictionary
--
koonting, n. A three-string guitar-like instrument used in West African
music.

Elliott: Not Dutch enough.  Unless there was a Dutch West Africa....
Linda: Hmmm.

David: 1 point
Pierre: 1 point

Eric
--
koonting, n. The transverse bar at the bow of a dogsled that transfers load
from the harness to the frame and runners.

Eric: Of course, considering the diversity of interests I keep seeing on
this list, I bet this def comes up against a half-dozen mushers.
Elliott: Is the front end of a dogsled the *bow*?  Hunh.  Anyhow, I don't
think the Dutch do dogsleds, so my heuristic eliminates it.
Linda: Not up on my dogsledding terms, but sounds plausible.  2 points

Linda: 2 points

David
--
koonting, n. (fr. Dutch) Pipe tobacco mixed with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Elliott: Slightly less weird than lavender-scented cones, and the Dutch did
control the East Indies spice trade for a while, so two points for
verisimilitude.

Linda: sounds plausible--HM

Jim: 2 points
Ranjit: 2 points
Pierre: 2 points
Elliott: 2 points

Pierre
--
koonting, n. A position available for a new apprentice in any of several
medieval guilds.

Elliott: Doesn't sound medieval enough, unless you add ``in the
Netherlands''.
Linda: Rather innocuous, but out of points.

Elliott
--
koonting, n. The tendency of a ship sailing east or west outside the
Tropics to veer towards the Pole, owing to the faster accumulation of
barnacles on the shady side of the hull.

Jim: Hmm. I can't decide whether this or the horseshoes def is more likely
to be Elliott. Good imitation, whichever of you wrote the non-Elliott one!
Elliott: Too wordy because of the ``sailing east or west outside the
Tropics''.  Is there an old-timey nautical word that means ``sailing east
or west''?
Linda: Can a ship get so many barnacles that it tips from them?

Ranjit: 1 point
Hutch: 2 point
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