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Well, unless I misplaced some emails (and I don't think I did), there
were no so many ballots cast in this round, and the race was very
close. But the chad has settled, and the winner, for the first time
in her nearly ten years of intermittent participation is... Nora!
Woohoo! Take it away, Nora!
<br>
<br>
[edit] And since I received a couple of additional ballots after the
polls had closed, I now include those votes as well. And Nora still
wins, by a bigger margin! I will add that I almost withdrew the word,
because Pierre was familiar with the French word for "waffle iron",
which is a cognate. But I deemed it to be not close enough, and this
prior knowledge doesn't seem to have helped him.<br>
____________________________________
<br>
<br>
General comments:
<br>
Nora: An excellent round! most seem plausible to me and none stand out
as the best one! well, here goes!
<br>
Fran: Wow, these are hilarious!
<br>
Judith: Can I give each .3 point? Well, not my own (which I
recognize!), but the math gets tricky...I'd have to give each
.3333333...... point. They are <b class="moz-txt-star"><span
class="moz-txt-tag">*</span>all<span class="moz-txt-tag">*</span></b>
totally ridiculous. Congratulations on finding the word!
<br>
Hutch: Good quality round! Definitions all over the place.
<br>
Elliott: Nice crop of definitions this time.<br>
____________________________________
<br>
<br>
gauffer - n. - The last pin scored in hedge-pedge.
<br>
by Eric. Ranjit 1, Pierre 1, correct guess 1 = 3 points
<br>
Ranjit: Ah, the murnival gambit. Hedge-pedge!! 1 pt.
<br>
Fran: I never believe the obscure-game definitions, and then they turn
out to be true. But I am not voting for it anyway.
<br>
Hutch: An imaginary special term of a made-up game, but I like it. Give
this one my imaginary tie-breaker point.
<br>
Pierre: One point and the sonica/murnival award.
<br>
[Jean-Joseph: As far as I can tell, hedge-pedge does not exist, which
means that Eric is going to have to make up rules for it.]
<br>
<br>
gauffer - n. - A heated press which simultaneously molds and vulcanizes
rubber.
<br>
by Ranjit. Fran 2 = 2 points
<br>
Fran: I really like this one! 2 points.
<br>
Hutch: Boring, so probably true. ... Or someone trying to get votes by
<br>
creating a believably boring definition.
<br>
Elliott: Sounds convenient. Sounds efficient. Sounds like Eric.
<br>
<br>
gauffer - n. - An isolated leaf which has changed color on an otherwise
green tree.
<br>
by Jim. Nora 1 = 1 point
<br>
Nora: two votes! if this isn't the term, it needs to have one!
<br>
Fran: Nobody would have a name for this!
<br>
Elliott: The thing deserves a name. "Gauffer" doesn't sound like a
biology word, but it could easily be an art word.
<br>
<br>
gauffer - n. - The crew member of a whaling ship who throws the lance
into the whale.
<br>
by Judith. Pierre 2 = 2 points
<br>
Fran: No, gauffer is too much like gofer or gaffer--on the whaling
ship, the gauffer would be in charge of pulling the chunks of whale
onboard and getting them packed into the hold properly, not spearing
the whale.
<br>
Hutch: "gaffer"
<br>
Pierre: Two points for homeocetacity.
<br>
<br>
gauffer - v. - [variant of GOFFER] To press ridges or narrow pleats
into
(a frill, for example); to flute; crimp.
<br>
by dictionary. Nora 1, Fran 1, Eric 1, Linda 2 = 5 points
<br>
Nora: the only verb... hmmm... one point for being contrary.
<br>
Fran: I like this one for being kindof like the other one I voted for!
1 point.
<br>
Eric: One point for not so implausible.
<br>
Elliott: Maybe ... but I don't recall hearing it in twenty years of
Scottish country dancing. [later:] Well, shiver me timbers! The OED
says you do this using "goffering-irons", which sounds more like a
golfing term to me.
<br>
<br>
gauffer - n. - A speech, sermon, poem, etc. which is suitable for a
wide
range of occasions; an all-purpose declamation.
<br>
by Elliott. Ranjit 2 = 2 points
<br>
Ranjit: That's a good one. I don't believe it, but 2 pts.
<br>
Fran: Yeah, I've heard that one. But maybe it's better than simply
speaking WITHOUT a planned speech!
<br>
<br>
gauffer - n. - A person whose job it is to stuff the turducken with one
of three stuffings: Cajun, plain bread, or crabmeat/bread.
<br>
by Linda. correct guess 2 = 2 points.
<br>
Ranjit: I wanted chestnut-apple stuffing. I'm never hiring a gauffer
to cater MY thanksgiving again.
<br>
Nora: this gets my silly vote!
<br>
Fran: Julia Child always did this herself! No need for extra people in
the kitchen!
<br>
Hutch: Somebody's hungry!
<br>
Pierre: Ghost point for using the word "turducken", which sounds funny.
<br>
Elliott: Oh, come on -- there <b class="moz-txt-star"><span
class="moz-txt-tag">*</span>are no turduckens<span class="moz-txt-tag">*</span></b>.
That was proved a long time ago by Vasco Da Gama or John James Audubon
or somebody like that. It's just a story to scare little kids, and
nowadays there are more-fun things to do in the evenings than scare
little kids.
<br>
<br>
gauffer - n. - (med. and ear. mod. French) - 1) A pickpocket disguised
as a pilgrim. 2) A term of abuse directed toward a Spaniard.
<br>
by David. Judith 2, Hutch 1 = 3 points
<br>
Fran: ????
<br>
Hutch: I like it! Terms of abuse are always good choices: 1 point.
<br>
<br>
gauffer - n. - [Old French gualfourt, from Frankish walfurdu, whale
passage] A strait which is dangerous to cross unless guided by a whale
or porpoise.
<br>
by Pierre. Eric 2, Linda 1 = 3 points
<br>
Ranjit: That's why the dock inspectors always ask you before you depart
what your porpoise is in making this crossing.
<br>
Fran: I really don't think this would happen enough for there to be a
name for it. It sounds like some fantasy novel.
<br>
Hutch: Guided by a whale or dolphin???? No way this is it, but a great
concept!!
<br>
Eric: Two points for being CUTE!
<br>
Elliott: I can imagine a whale or porpoise guiding you <b
class="moz-txt-star"><span class="moz-txt-tag">*</span>through<span
class="moz-txt-tag">*</span></b> a strait, but <b class="moz-txt-star"><span
class="moz-txt-tag">*</span>across<span class="moz-txt-tag">*</span></b>
it? (Not that my imagination is in any way informed by science on this
point, mind you.)
<br>
<br>
gauffer - n. - A machine used to extract small trees from the ground.
It
can be hand-held or attached to a tractor or other engine for
extracting larger trees.
<br>
by Nora. Judith 1, Hutch 2, Elliott 2, correct guess 1 = 6 points
<br>
Fran: If the tree is small enough to require only a hand-held machine,
you might as well just pull with your hands.
<br>
Hutch: I've seen this device (whether this is its name or not). A big
metal ring, about 2-3 m across, from which depend four (on the ones
I've
seen) large, triangular teeth. (No other way to describe them; think of
a shark tooth a meter to a meter and a half on a side.) The operator
opens the ring, placed it around the trunk of the tree, and then closes
the ring again. The whole device is lowered so the tips of the teeth
touch the ground. Then, the whole ring is revolved (with the trunk of
the tree being the center of rotation) and lowered still further. The
teeth dig into the gound, down and in, cutting through roots as
necessary, until they meet. The whole thing is locked into place and
lifted from the hole, carrying with it the tree and a root ball of
appropriate size. I've never seen one that could possibly be called
"hand-held", but it's easy to imagine one. 2 points. <br>
Elliott: Cruel, but nearly believable. Two points.<br>
<br>
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