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foozle: msg#00024culture.language.word-of-the-day
**************************************************************** Attention word gurus: try WORD SWEEP!, the first board game to feature Merriam-Webster definitions! Available at Borders Bookstores. http://www.wordsweep.com **************************************************************** The Word of the Day for January 25 is: foozle \FOO-zul\ verb : to manage or play awkwardly : bungle Example sentence: Carl thought he had an easy putt lined up for a birdie, but instead he foozled the shot and hooked the ball to the left. Did you know? "Foozle" dates only to the late 19th century, but its origins are obscure. The German dialect verb "fuseln" ("to work carelessly") could figure in its history, but that speculation has never been proven. Not particularly common today, "foozle" still holds a special place in the hearts, minds, and vocabularies of many golfers. In golf, to foozle a shot is to bungle it and a foozle is a bungled shot. In a _Century_ magazine piece from 1899 called "Two Players and their Play," Beatrice Hanscom reveals more of golf's specialized vocabulary: She tops her ball; then divots fly; In bunkers long she stays; She foozles all along the course In most astounding ways: In sooth, it is an eery thing The way Priscilla plays. You Are Subscribed As: gclw-mw-wod7@xxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe, please click here: http://www.drhinternet.net/mw/u/966408/568f14b4ab4f050b/N472L6 To change your e-mail address or to subscribe to the html version of Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day, featuring audio pronunciations, please visit: http://mw.drhinternet.net/sm/wod/changeofaddress.iphtml (c) 2007 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated Merriam-Webster, Inc. 47 Federal Street P.O. Box 281 Springfield, MA 01102 |
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