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.<div>
<br></div><div>David and Pierre both identified the correct definition, but David's pipe tobacco def cleaned up with 8 points. Take it away, David!</div><div><br></div><div>David 9 points</div><div>Ranjit 3 points</div>
<div>Elliot 3 points</div><div>J-J 2 points</div><div>Eric 2 points</div><div>Hutch 1 point</div><div>Pierre 1 point</div><div>Linda 0 points<br><div><div><br></div><div>--Nick<br><div><br></div><div>----<br><div><br></div>
<div>Hutch: <span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Well, this is unusual. NONE of them are particularly believable this time.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br>
</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Elliott: </span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">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.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Linda</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">--</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">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.</span></div>
<div><br></div><div>Jim: <span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">I'm of the opinion that this would be capitalized, a la Quisling or Typhoid Mary.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Elliott: </span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Sounds like Linda --- and unlike Nick!</span><br>
</div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Linda: </span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Can't imagine what was inspiring this def when I wrote it?????</span></div><div>
<br></div><div>Hutch</div><div>--<br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">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.</span></div>
<div><br></div><div>Jim: <span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">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.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Elliott: </span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Creative, but #1 sounds too specialized.</span></div><div>Linda: <span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">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</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Linda: 1 point</span></div><div><br></div><div>J-J</div><div>--<br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">koonting, adj. Of or pertaining to the lower of two high tides occurring during a day.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br>
</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Elliott: The Dutch have nautical words, and this is creative, so one point.</span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br></span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Linda: </span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Another harmless little def, or so it appears.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br>
</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Hutch: 1 point</span></div><div><font face="arial, sans-serif">Elliott: 1 point</font></div><div><br></div><div>Ranjit</div><div>--<br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">koonting, n. A lavender-scented, cone-shaped confection popularized by Dutch and Belgian immigrants to the United States. From Dutch "koontje", "little cone".</span></div>
<div><br></div><div>Elliott: <span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Nice etymology, and mentions Dutch, but I'm suspicious of the ``lavender-scented''.</span></div><div>Linda: <span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Does sound Dutch, but lavender? I know Herbes de Provence has it, but it's not my favorite in sweets.</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
<br>Jim: 1 point</div><div>David: 2 point</div><div><br></div><div>Dictionary<br>--<br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">koonting, n. A three-string guitar-like instrument used in West African music.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Elliott: Not Dutch enough. Unless there was a Dutch West Africa....</span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br>
</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Linda: </span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Hmmm.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br>
</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">David: 1 point</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Pierre: 1 point</span></div><div><br></div><div>Eric</div>
<div>--<br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">koonting, n. The transverse bar at the bow of a dogsled that transfers load from the harness to the frame and runners.</span></div>
<div><br></div><div>Eric: <span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Of course, considering the diversity of interests I keep seeing on this list, I bet this def comes up against a half-dozen mushers.</span></div>
<div>Elliott: <span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Is the front end of a dogsled the *bow*? Hunh. Anyhow, I don't think the Dutch do dogsleds, so my heuristic eliminates it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Linda: </span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Not up on my dogsledding terms, but sounds plausible. 2 points</span></div>
<div><br></div><div>Linda: 2 points</div><div><br></div><div>David</div><div>--<br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">koonting, n. (fr. Dutch) Pipe tobacco mixed with cinnamon and nutmeg.</span></div>
<div><br></div><div>Elliott: <span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">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.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Linda: </span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">sounds plausible--HM</span></div>
<div><br></div><div>Jim: 2 points</div><div>Ranjit: 2 points</div><div>Pierre: 2 points</div><div>Elliott: 2 points</div><div><br></div><div>Pierre</div><div>--<br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">koonting, n. A position available for a new apprentice in any of several medieval guilds.</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
<br>Elliott: <span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Doesn't sound medieval enough, unless you add ``in the Netherlands''.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Linda: </span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Rather innocuous, but out of points.</span></div>
<div><br></div><div>Elliott<br>--<br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">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.</span></div>
</div></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Jim: </span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">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!</span></div>
<div><font face="arial, sans-serif">Elliott: </font><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">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''?</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Linda: </span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Can a ship get so many barnacles that it tips from them?</span></div><div><br></div><div>
<font face="arial, sans-serif">Ranjit: 1 point</font></div></div><div><font face="arial, sans-serif">Hutch: 2 point</font></div></div>