[Fictionary] SMEUSE results

[Ranjit Bhatnagar]

SMEUSE RESULTS!

The truth: it's the gap under a hedge made by animals passing through. I
forget where I originally saw this definition, but here's a podcast about
it: https://www.waywordradio.org/smeuse/ - "a dialectical term from Sussex
in South-East England - and this is in current use". And I used the wording
from here:
https://highparknaturecentre.com/index.php/blog/2018/word-of-the-week-smeuse

The true definition got 10 points, more than any other, but it's not
eligible to win, so we move on to Jim's adjective for "careworn", with 9
points. Congratulations, Jim, it's on to you!

Runners-up: Jean-Joseph, with 8 points for waxing a rope, and 5 points for
Simon's biscuit-joining - both are verbs!

Now on to the full ballot and commentary:


GENERAL TALK:

* I’m going to toss out all definitions that seem to related to “smear” or
“amuse”, because I had a lot of trouble getting those two words out of my
*own* head while trying to write my submission, so y’all might have as
well. - Jim

* My first inclination on seeing this word was to treat it like an earlier
version of "smoosh".  I decided not to do that, and I've also decided not
to vote for any definitions that feel like they're in that vein. - Joe

* Lots of crafting definitions! - Nicolas

* My, this one sure drew a lot of submissions. - Elliott

* Several people decided this sounds like "smoosh". Several others thought
it sounds like "smudge". - Hutch


THE BALLOT:

smeuse (n): A crackle-glazed finish applied to decorative ceramics.
- Liz Heffner: *2+2 = 4 points*
* 2 points - Ziv
* 2 points - Linda
* smear-like - Jim
* Mine, so definitely not voting for this one - Liz
* It could be this one but I've assigned my points. - Nicolas
* "smudge" - Hutch


smeuse (n.) -- A hand-cranked or wind-powered lance sharpener.
- Elliott Moreton: *2 points for correct guess*
* not technically amuse-like, but darned amusing. I suspect Elliott. - Jim
* This did give me a chuckle, as I imagined knights of old trying to use Ye
Handy Pencil Sharpener For Giants. - Liz
* Wind-powered lance sharpener?  Is that what Don Quixote used? - Joe
* Don Quixote would be a fan! - Nicolas
* I don't think this is a smeuse, but I certainly hope this exists and has
a strange name! - Ziv
* It would have been more vigorous without ``or wind-powered'', but the
siren song of Don Quixote was just too strong. - Elliott


smeuse, n. Unrefined sugar produced by evaporation of fresh persimmon juice.
- Eric Cohen: *2 points for correct guess*
* I can’t see why the sugar would care that the juice was fresh, and so
don’t believe the definition would include that word. - Jim
* Firstly this is a food object, which appears to be a 'nope' on general
principles.  Also it seems like far too much effort for something that
would most likely just be called...sugar.   Honorary points for use of
'persimmon' though. - Liz
* Sounds tasty, but too specific for there to be a word for it. - Joe
* My impression, not based on firsthand knowledge, is that persimmons are
pretty sour. - Jean-Joseph
* "Smeuse Juice" *LOL* There's a beer (maybe from Canada?) called "Moose
Juice". I've not eaten very much persimmon, but I don't think you could get
much usable sugar out of the juice. - Hutch
* most delicious definition! - Nora


smeuse (n.) - a specialized drywall used in extremely humid environments.
- Joe Robins: *2+1 = 3 points*
* 2 points! Largely by the Holmsian eliminated-the-impossible criterion. -
Jim
* One point. - Jean-Joseph
* 0 pt.  Mainly because of the word specialized, which seems superfluous. -
Liz
* Construction definition number 1. - Nora


smeuse - n. - a woman who laughs at her own jokes
- David Randall:* 2 pts*
* So, I immediately discounted this on first pass, then kept coming back to
it for two reasons. 1) I didn't like anything else more.  2)  The word
ending of -euse does suggest a noun with feminine application and I thought
that made this definition either the correct one or blimmin' clever, so
worth the points. 2 pts. - Liz
* amuse-like - Jim
* la reine s'amuse? - Ziv
* MUSE plus S'AMUSER? - Elliott
* This one might have been believable with a faux derivation from some
obscure (or imaginary) French feminine noun. I admire someone's chutzpah
for going for such a derivation, but can't give full marks for not going
all out. Give this my imaginary tie-breaker point. - Hutch
* Honorable mention because this is I! and I am me! :) (See!) - Nora


smeuse (noun): The gap in the base of a bush or hedge made by the frequent
passage of small animals.
-
https://highparknaturecentre.com/index.php/blog/2018/word-of-the-week-smeuse:
*2+2+1+2+2+1 = 10 pts*
* 2 pts - Fran
* Two points, that needs a word. - Eric
* 1 point. Sounds like something I could have read in Beatrix Potter -
Nicolas
* I'm giving my 2 points to the small animals. I have a smeuse of this kind
in my backyard where the hedgehogs pass through. I always wondered what it
was called. - Helen
* Like a slype for rabbits.  Two points for sounding dictionary-like and
being non-obvious. - Elliott
* One point! I am a sucker for the small animals. - Nora
* honorable mention. If I had a third point to award this would get it. -
Jim
* I would have expected a less French sounding word for a concept relying
on observations likely made by working folk long before the Norman
Conquest.   I did smile at the idea of SMall creatures USEing a tunnel
though. - Liz
* I really hope this has a name, but somehow it doesn't sound like a
smeuse... - Ziv
* That gap is made by the normal growth of the plant, rather than by
animals - Hutch


smeuse - v. - To apply wax or tar to rope.
- Jean-Joseph Cote: *2+2+2+2 = 8 pts*
* 2 pts - David
* 2 points. Nautical! - Nicolas
* 2 pts - Pierre
* 2 pts - Simon
* smear-like - Jim
* Again, I think the concept of applying pitch tar to rope predates those
pesky French persons.  I may be out on a limb here. Or smelling of
elderberries. - Liz
* Smear + ooze. Seems so right. - Eric
* *Waxed* rope?  ``The British wax is any man's equal, excepting my own.''
- Elliott
* "smudge" - Hutch


smeuse, n. An Antarctic stew made with pemmican and biscuits.
- Pierre Abbat: *1 pt*
* I find it unlikely that there are any recipes native to Antarctica, and
even more unlikely that if there were, they would be made with pemmican and
biscuits. 1 point for the sheer audacity. - Joe
* wait *Antarctic*? Part of the native cuisine of a region with no native
inhabitants?? - Jim
* What happens if you get a bit peckish during an Arctic jaunt? - Liz
* No, that's hoosh. - Eric
* First Mongolia, then Antarctica---what a world of soups there is! - Ziv
* Not a lot of native cuisine in a place with no natives. And where would
they get North American ingredients? - Jean-Joseph
* Biscuit-related definition #1.  I like the idea of Antarctic cuisine. -
Elliott
* Biscuit definition number 1. - Nora


smeuse, n. an oily buildup on some flexible petroleum-based plastics
- Fran Poodry: *2 pts for correct guess*
* smear-like - Jim
* Interesting.  Certainly corresponds with other words beginning with sm-
that indicate a less than delightful substance.  I was tempted. - Liz
* "smudge" - Hutch


smeuse: (Cheesemaking) to press out the whey from the curds with one's feet.
- Ziv Stern: *1+1 = pts*
* This is probably a little too close to a definition of a food product,
but it was what I was left with after I discounted the (to me at least)
less probable. 1 pt. - Liz
* One point for non-obviousness. - Elliott
* smear-like, although I like it enough to give it an honorable mention. -
Jim
* Ew - Nicolas
* Because, wine not? - Pierre
* "smoosh" - Hutch


smeuse - in literary criticism, a coined term drawing on multiple narrative
elements to humorous effect.
- Helen Plotkin: *2 points for correct guess*
* smear-like - Jim
* I wondered about this one, but it seemed just a tiny bit
too...artificial.   This may be ironic and I may regret not voting for it.
- Liz
* "smoosh" - Hutch


smeuse - (verb) to connect two pieces of wood by using a biscuit joiner.
- Simon Herz: *1+1+1+2 = 5 points*
* I find this dubious but am so charmed by the term ‘biscuit joiner’ that I
award it one point. - Jim
* One point for a fellow biscuit. - Pierre
* I believe I've heard of such a thing as a biscuit joiner, but I don't
know anything about it. 1 point - Hutch
* Construction AND biscuit definition number 2! :) Also gets my two points
- Nora
* Nobody uses a biscuit joiner sufficiently to need to coin a term for what
it does.   Nobody should own a biscuit joiner. - Liz
* A second mention of biscuits? Curious. Though not the same kind. -
Jean-Joseph
* Biscuit-related definition #2. - Elliott


smeuse, N. Military slang for Some Use, meaning not to throw it away just
yet, for we may find some use for it.
- Linda Owens
* I find this plausible, except I would expect it to be an adjective rather
than a noun. “Those shell-casings are smeuse." - Jim
* I wouldn't put it past the military to have such a term, but based on the
Royal Marines, RAF and army personnel with whom I am acquainted, I suspect
theirs would involve profanity more often than not.  N.Y.F. for example. -
Liz
* Sounds too French to be US military slang? ;o) - Nicolas
* Rubbish-related definition #1. - Elliott


smeuse - adj. - of sad appearance owing to prolonged grief or anxiety:
careworn.
- Jim Moskowitz: *2+1+1+2+1+2 = 9 pts*
* Timely definition, I think we're all a little smeuse right now.  2
points. - Joe
* One point, seems plausible. - Eric
* 1 point - Ziv
* Two points. - Jean-Joseph
* I'm giving my one point to this beautiful, evocative definition. - Helen
* Always impressed when someone (whether it be reality or fiction) picks an
adjective. This one also sounds believable. 2 points - Hutch
* amuse-like, except opposite. Also, this was mine. - Jim
* Sounds plausible but I couldn't make it work in a regular sentence
without feeling it out of place.
    There once was a sad old coiffeuse
    Whose travails had left her quite smeuse
    She felt put upon
    When at the salon
    So left to become a masseuse.
  - Liz


smeuse n. on a factory floor, a conveyor belt or other receptacle where
workers place broken or defective parts and equipment to be carried away
for repair or discarding.
- Nora Muñoz: *1 pt + 1 for correct guess = 2*
* 1 pt - Fran
* just too specific a term. Also too close to reuse. - Jim
* Cracking definition but I'm not convinced it's the right one. - Liz
* Rubbish-related definition #2.
* "smoosh" - Hutch


smeuse, v. To combine similar colors, as when layering paints.
- Nicolas Ward: *1+1+2 pt + 1 for correct guess = 5*
* 1 pt - David
* 1 pt - Simon
* 2 pts - Linda
* smear-like - Jim
* If it's this definition after all, I shall be embarrassed, but I hope I
would have come across the word by now... - Liz
* Mine (Inspired by my wife taking up quarantine painting). - Nicolas
* "smoosh" - Hutch



JOKE DEFS, don't vote for these (unless you want to)

smeuse (n.) -- An abbreviated arrangement of "Sambre et Meuse", written to
exactly fill the twenty-five second walk between the doors of Charles de
Gaulle's airplane and limousine.
- Elliott Moreton
* and even the joke is "smoosh" - Hutch
* I had to go look this up, since I’d never heard of it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDFlSDiY2KU
It may be one of *Fiedler’s* favorite marches, but to me it’s pretty enhh.
- Jim


MORE COMMENTARY




* After voting: So, it's the gap in a hedge or wall. None of the
dictionaries I found described it as anything to do with the passage of
animals. I read those definitions as meaning not a gap UNDER a hedge but a
small break in the hedge itself. I pictured it as the sort of break in the
hedge that a child might make by repeatedly going through at the same
point, rather than where dogs or rabbits (or the like) might go UNDER,
which was the way I read that definition. So, no points for me :-) - Hutch

Merriam-Webster suggests that the "History and Etymology for smeuse:
probably blend of smoot and meuse". This seems like a very odd suggestion.
The only definition I can find for "meuse" in M-W is the river in NW Europe
and the only definitions for "smoot" are the arbitrary measurement
(invented at MIT) and something about doing casual work for a printer or
lithographer. I don't quite follow that derivation???? - Hutch again
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.swarpa.net/pipermail/fictionary/attachments/20200506/d2640f98/attachment-0001.html