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It was much closer that I expected, considering the number definitions
and the availablility of three-point votes. But Hutch knows what time
I go to bed, and his last-moment ballot broke the four-way tie in favor
of Judith's tiropita and tzatziki snacks. Without even needing extra
votes from her tiny grandmother symphony. Take it away, Judith!<br>
_________________<br>
General comments:<br>
Linda: If I were in the mood to eat, I would have to many choices. Life
certainly is a banquet! I especially like Judith's joke def.<br>
Nora: This was a great round. Lots of good and funny definitions.
Thanks for giving us the opportunity to vote thrice! It looks like
Mediterranean and South American themed definitions were popular. It
was the way my brain headed, so I'm glad to know great minds think
alike <span class="moz-smiley-s3"><span> ;-) </span></span>.<br>
eLLioTT: Wow, that's a lot of candidates, not one of them even remotely
plausible. I'll start by eliminating the food defs, since I don't <b
class="moz-txt-star"><span class="moz-txt-tag">*</span>want<span
class="moz-txt-tag">*</span></b> them to be true.
<br>
_________________<br>
<b>gnammas</b> - n. - Mortar mixed with varicolored pebbles for a
decorative appearance.<br>
<b>tafoni</b> - n. - A colorful confection of nougat mixed with chopped
nuts, candied fruit, etc.<br>
by <b>Melissa</b>. Judith 3, Ranjit 2, Jed 2 = <u><b>7 points</b></u><br>
Ranjit: Cute combo! I have long held that Taliesin West is made of
nougat:<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/idyllopuspress/1850158571/">
http://www.flickr.com/photos/idyllopuspress/1850158571/</a><br>
Jed: I like the way these two are related, and the definitions sound as
plausible as any.<br>
Eric: Spumoni & tortoni, dept. of.<br>
_________________<br>
<b>gnammas</b> - n. & adj. - Of corduroy, grooved transversely to
the axis of the garment. (In phr.) <b>gnammas</b> and <b>tafoni</b> -
1. A suit or pair of pants which uses corduroy in both orientations to
reduce friction and noise. 2. Two persons whose differences make them
compatible. Swiss Italian, fr. gnammo 'quiet, stealthy'.<br>
by <b>eLLioTT</b>. Melissa 3, Linda 3, Jim 3 = <u><b>9 points</b></u><br>
Melissa: because I am charmed by the corduroy<br>
Ranjit: The tv ads for the Tafoni Leisure Suit Company were a big hit
on the schoolyard when I was a kid -- I remember we all used to run
around repeating the ZOOP ZOOP and SSSSHP SSSSHP sound effects from the
cartoon commercials.<br>
Jed: Entertaining! The inclusion of def. 2 <b class="moz-txt-star"><span
class="moz-txt-tag">*</span>almost<span class="moz-txt-tag">*</span></b>
got me to give this a point for entertainingness, but not quite.<br>
Linda: 3 points because I love corduroy, and because I thought the
words sounded a bit Italian but not quite.<br>
Eric: This is clearly ridiculous. I *did*, however, once buy some
corduroy pants, greatly reduced, not noticing, until this was pointed
out to me, that these pants were "irregular" in that one of
the quarters making up the pants legs was 180 degrees reversed from
the other three. So, depending on the prevailing light, my legs
were three-quarters light blue and one quarter dark, or the
reverse.
<br>
Nora: I think I prefer the Versace gnammas and tafoni to the Gucci.
Don't you?<br>
eLLioTT: Mine. I was envisioning a pair of burglary pants, one leg
made of horizontal corduroy, the other of vertical corduroy. Hideous
but silent!
<br>
_________________<br>
<b>gnammas</b> - n. - A burial ritual which ensures that the soul of
the deceased is released and will not return as a haunt.<br>
<b>tafoni</b> - n. - An amulet or charm included in a burial to prevent
haunting. See <b>gnammas</b>.<br>
by <b>Fran</b>. Melissa 1, David 2, eLLioTT 2 = <u><b>5 points</b></u><br>
Linda: This is great, honorable mention<br>
eLLioTT: Two points, because you never know.
<br>
_________________<br>
<b>gnammas</b> - n. - An officer who searches for lettuce being
illegally cultivated.<br>
<b>tafoni</b> - n. - A young Yezidi who is learning about the faith.<br>
by <b>Pierre</b>. Ranjit 1, Eric 1, Larry 2 = <u><b>4 points</b></u><br>
Joe: I don't get it. What's the connection?
<br>
Ranjit: Ok, that's just silly. 1 pt.<br>
Jed: I like the lack of obvious connection between these two, which
leads me to construct all sorts of possible non-obvious connections.<br>
Eric: One point, for "Yezidi".<br>
Nora: At first, my eyes read "Jedi" for "Yesidi." May the gnammas be
with you, young tafoni.<br>
eLLioTT: The idea of illegal lettuce is appealing (makes it taste that
much better), but I don't see the connection between the two defs.<br>
Larry: I can't really imagine how lettuce can be illegally cultivated.
Which is why I love this one. I don't think it's the right answer, but
it's the answer I <span class="moz-txt-underscore"><span
class="moz-txt-tag">_</span>wish<span class="moz-txt-tag">_</span></span>
was right.<br>
_________________<br>
<b>gnammas</b> - n. - The sediment left behind during the cooling phase
of the <b>tafoni</b>-making process.<br>
by <b>Jed</b>. Pierre 3, Nora 2, Hutch 3 = <u><b>8 points</b></u><br>
Judith: Shouldn't this be included with the set above [mortar/nougat]?<br>
Pierre: 3 points for simplicity.<br>
Nora: boring, but one definition instead of two and not involving the
Mediterranean or South America, so TWO (2) points.<br>
_________________<br>
<b>tafoni</b> - n.pl. - Hollows on a sheer face found in granular rock
such as sandstone, with rounded entrances, smooth concave walls, and
limited depth. They often occur in groups that can riddle a hillside,
cliff, or other rock formation.<br>
<b>gnammas</b> - n.pl. - Rock holes commonly found in granite outcrops
and especially on the top of domed inselbergs. The word "gnamma" is of
Aboriginal origin and comes from the Western Desert group of languages.<br>
<b>Real definitions</b>, cobbled together from a few internet sources.
See
notes below. Judith 1, David 3, Jim 2 = <u><b>6 points</b></u><br>
Joe: This sounds too good to be correct.
<br>
Ranjit: That's just too gneiss a definition to be true.<br>
Nora: The Wester Desert Desert lives and breathes at 45 degrees.
Caliente!<br>
eLLioTT: Entirely plausible, except for the part where a word starting
with ``gn'' is attributed to Aboriginal Australia. I might have
believed Switzerland.
TUFA and GNEISS, maybe?<br>
[and after checking]: Oh, wow!
Duh! I should have realized that ``gn'' could spell a palatal nasal as
well as a g-n cluster. The OED has examples where it's spelled without
the g. I swear I did not invent the following one, though I do wish I
had:
<br>
1928 K. S. PRICHARD Coonardoo iv. 52 His eyes, namma holes in
viscid orbits,<br>
glittered at her, as he swung his naked feet.
<br>
Nothing that good for ``tafoni'', which the OED says is Corsican.
<br>
_________________<br>
<b>gnammas</b> - n. - In South American cuisine, a strongly seasoned
paste made of fish entrails. Customarily served spread on <b>tafoni</b>.<br>
<b>tafoni</b> - n. - The edible leaf of a fern native to the rain
forests of South America.<br>
by <b>Joe</b>. Nora 1, Hutch 1 = <u><b>2 points</b></u><br>
Ranjit: The unique shape of the tafoni later inspired the invention of
crinkle-cut french fries.<br>
Pierre: A fern leaf would be hard to use as a serving sheet. "South
American cuisine" is too inspecific; this sounds Amazonian, and would
probably not be found in Argentina or urban Colombia.<br>
Nora: ONE (1) point for South American food. it was my second choice
of food groups, so kudos to the like-minded thinker.<br>
_________________<br>
<b>tafoni</b> - n. - A traditional dance of the western Mediterranean,
performed to celebrate <b>Gnammas</b> in late July or early August.<br>
by <b>Hutch</b>. <u><b>No points</b></u><br>
Jed: I almost wrote a definition in which Gnammas was a celebration,
but decided it was just too similar to Lammas to be plausible.<br>
Eric: Lammas, dept. of.<br>
eLLioTT:<br>
It was upon a Gnammas-tide
<br>
He asked me to tafoni.
<br>
We'd feast on love, his eyes implied---
<br>
But it was all baloney.
<br>
_________________<br>
<b>gnammas</b> - n. - The hereditary censor of the Empire of Trebizond.<br>
<b>tafoni</b> - n. - The hereditary jester of the Empire of Trebizond.<br>
By <b>David</b>. Correct guess 3, Kir 1, Joe 1, Larry 1 = <u><b>6
points</b></u><br>
Kir: (and this was difficult)<br>
Joe: One point, for the lovely notion of there being a hereditary
jester. (And where the heck is Trebizond?)
<br>
eLLioTT: ``Checks and balances'', we call it in the U.S. One point for
the concept, and for using the word ``Trebizond''. Did they ever have
an empire? I know they had an Archbishop once.
<br>
Larry: 1 point, just for using Trebizond.
<br>
_________________<br>
<b>gnammas</b> - n. - 1. A hybrid between a gnu and a llama; especially
the offspring of a male gnu and a female llama. 2. An ill-advised
pairing.<br>
<b>tafoni</b> - n. - One who meddles unsuccessfully; a poor matchmaker.<br>
by <b>Larry</b>. Fran 2, Linda 2, Eric 2, eLLioTT 1 = <u><b>7 points</b></u><br>
Fran: 2 points for ridiculous! Ha ha a gnu and a llama! Ha! I might
have voted for something else but I was laughing too hard.<big><big><big><span
style="font-size: 12px;"></span></big></big></big><br>
Kir: And the gnu/llama is just too ... too ...wrong. Just wrong. But
with the chimerical genesplicing things they try these days, I wouldn't
be surprised to see someone try this. But WHY?<br>
Jed: Cute.<br>
Pierre: Crossing two bovines does produce offspring, but crossing a gnu
and a llama wouldn't produce anything.<br>
Linda: I love animal hybrids, found mostly in jokes in which you cross
one
with the other, as a centipede and a turkey, so everyone can have a
drumstick<br>
Eric: Two points, for funny.<br>
Nora: I don't know how this is even possible! Sure they can hang out
and have sex, but produce offspring? Still, if anyone would like to
produce an artist's rendering of what this would look like, please
share! <span class="moz-smiley-s1"><span> :) </span></span><br>
eLLioTT: I like the implied etymology in this one's gnammas, but I
don't get the connection to tafoni.<br>
_________________<br>
<b>gnammas</b> - n. - A term whose few uses in original sources
indicate disparate or contradictory meanings. Cf. _hapax legomenon_.<br>
<b>tafoni</b> - adj. - A <b>gnammas</b> attested only in Pliny the
Elder (N.H book iv) and in the "Sarmatian Manuscript" attributed to
Gaius Fuscus. The former context would seem to indicate "beautiful" or
"beloved", the latter "feared".<br>
by <b>Eric</b>. Jed 3, Larry 3 = <u><b>6 points</b></u><br>
David: <span style="font-size: 12px;">
Admiring disbelief.</span><br>
Jed: Gets my "there ought to be a word for this, and it might as well
be this one" award.<br>
Pierre: Creem award. If it's a Latin adjective, it would more likely be
cited as "tafonus", even if it occurred only as "tafoni"; though the
word "vix" (ancestor of "fois" and "vez") never occurred in the
nominative and is cited as "vicis".<br>
eLLioTT: No points, but the Jorge Luis Borges Award for making up stuff
about famous real books.
<br>
Larry: I have the strange feeling that this is the right answer,
because I remember from the long-long ago when I used to be on this
list, people used crazy, highly specialized dictionaries, and this is
the type of thing that might appear in one.<br>
_________________<br>
<b>gnammas</b> - n. - [Italian deriv. of gnammo - a root vegetable] A
candy made of gnammo.<br>
<b>tafoni</b> - n. - [Turkish deriv. of tafon - a root vegetable] A
regional dish of Turkey.<br>
by <b>Nora</b>. Joe 2, Ranjit 3, Jed 1, Eric 3 = <u><b>9 points</b></u><br>
Joe: 2 points, because I like the way the connection between the two is
drawn
<br>
Ranjit: Oooh, that's a different way to relate the two definitions.<br>
Jed: I really like this way of relating the two definitions, even
though I don't really buy the definitions themselves.<br>
Pierre: If there's a root vegetable called "gnammo", it's probably the
yam, so the appearance of "gnammo" in the definition makes it
implausible.<br>
Eric: Three points, for less implausible than all the rest.<br>
_________________<br>
<b>gnammas</b> - n. - Of ancient Celtic stone circles such as
Stonehenge, the marked line indicating the direction of the sunrise on
the summer solstice.<br>
<b>tafoni</b> - n. - A type of ancient circle found in the Polynesian
islands, which demonstrates a precise understanding of astronomy and
the calendar among early dwellers there.<br>
by <b>Jacob</b>. Fran 3, Kir 2, Melissa 2 = <u><b>7 points</b></u><br>
Fran: 3 points for sounding like gnomon, which I was trying to come up
with and failed, so I made a stupid definition instead.<span
style="font-size: 12px;"><br>
</span>Kir: I almost gave these points to the one who mentioned Pliny
the Elder and
the contradictory definitions. But since we didn't, after all, name our
cat Pliny the Elder, I didn't give the points, either.<br>
Melissa: because I am falling for the "gnomon" connection<br>
Eric: Lammas, dept. of.<br>
eLLioTT: GNOMON? I think a real dictionary would say more about the
``ancient circles''. Did they have more centers than modern circles?<br>
_________________<br>
<b>gnammas</b> - n. - The uppermost layer of an ice floe, composed of
ice mixed with minerals and organic materials.<br>
<b>tafoni</b> - n. - Pure ice from below the <b>gnammas</b> layer of a
floe.<br>
by <b>Jim</b>. Correct guess 2, Fran 1, Judith 2, David 1 = <u><b>6
points</b></u><br>
Fran: 1 point for actually sounding plausible.<span
style="font-size: 12px;"><br>
</span>eLLioTT: I would have voted for this def if either of the
following had been true:
<br>
(1) The author had written ``glacier'' instead of ``[ice] floe'',
or
<br>
(2) Greenland belonged to Italy.
<br>
<br>
_________________<br>
<b>gnammas</b> - n.pl. - Small bell-shaped handmade pasta, using
cornmeal as part of the dry ingredients, along with semolina, cooked
potato, and eggs.<br>
<b>tafoni</b> - n.pl. - Large, tubular pasta of similar composition as <b>gnammas</b>.<br>
by <b>Linda</b>. <u><b>No points</b></u><br>
_________________<br>
<b>gnammas</b> - n.pl. - Turnovers made with seasoned feta cheese
wrapped in filo dough.<br>
<b>tafoni</b> - n. - A yogurt based sauce, usually served with <b>gnammas</b>.<br>
by <b>Judith</b>. Correct guess 1, Kir 3, Joe 3, Pierre 2, Hutch 2 = <u><b>11
points</b></u><br>
Kir: YUM.<br>
Joe: I see I'm not the only one who thought this sounded like paired
foods that go together. 3 points for thinking alike. (Though isn't
the yogurt sauce tzatziki?)
<br>
Ranjit: That sounds delicious. But I've eaten at least three cultures'
versions of this and never heard those names, except when the cook
complained about the waiter's corduroy.<br>
Pierre: 2 points for sounding Greek, though in Greek "gnammas" would be
singular, with "gnammai" ("gnammes" in Dhimotiki, I think) or
"gnammades" for the plural.<br>
Nora: No points, but this sounds delicious! Let's all go out for
gnammas and tafoni!<br>
Larry: A little bit too much like Hummus and Tahini. It may be the
right answer, but no points from me.
<br>
_________________<br>
<b>gnammas</b> - n. - The goatskin lute of Ethiopia, considered the
"national instrument" for its prominence in traditional, folk, and
patriotic music.<br>
<b>tafoni</b> - n. - Any of several varieties of Ethiopian handmade
stringed instruments.<br>
by <b>Ranjit</b>. Pierre 1, Linda 1, Jim 1, Nora 3, eLLioTT 3 = <u><b>9
points</b></u><br>
Linda: I am in the mood for music, so 1 point.<br>
Nora: In honor of Ranjit's many handmade instruments, I give this one
THREE (3) points. <br>
eLLioTT: Oh, heck. No obvious reason this couldn't be the real one,
aside from the difficulty of making a lute out of goatskin. Three
points.
<br>
<br>
_________________<br>
<br>
And one bonus joke definition pair from Judith (don't vote for this
one):<br>
<b>gnammas</b> - n. - Your mother's mother and your father's mother.<br>
<b>tafoni</b> - n. - A very small symphony (just two instruments), to
be played by both <b>gnammas</b>.<br>
Judith: (And why did you give away my first
definition! I bet I couldda got points for it!)<br>
Ranjit: That's so cute! Four don't-vote points for Judith!<br>
_________________<br>
<br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><br>
</font>Jed writes: I just thought of a joke definition that I wish I'd
sent. Perhaps too obvious, but someone had to say it:<br>
gnammas - n. - tafoni.<br>
tafoni - n. - gnammas.<br>
<br>
If he had sent this in sooner, I might have mistakenly considered it to
be correct (and I got away with an <i>ignotus per ignotum</i> (or
whatever it's called) trick like this a number of years ago). I had
these two on a list of candidate words that I made some time
ago, and I had thought that they were synonyms. I also thought that I
had gotten them from the dictionary on my shelf (and could even
remember the margin photo!), but they are not in that dictionary, nor
the one at work, so I have no idea where I originally found the words,
and I had to look on the web to get definitions.
It is interesting, though, that the next to last hit on the first
Google page for "gnammas tafoni" is from my friend Stan Wagon's site,
and he uses the words interchangeably (apparently a common mistake).
Maybe that's where I originally found them.<br>
<br>
Jean-Joseph
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