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Poetry Challenge!
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challenge phrase, anyone? (with thnx to sudhir)
| Poetry Challenge! |
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challenge phrase, anyone? (with thnx to sudhir) |
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serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738
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I was taken by these two words in sudhir's answer to the "slow man's land" challenge: "strange currency" Lest you think this one is easy? Let's consider the definitions... strange Pronunciation Key (strnj) adj. strang·er, strang·est Not previously known; unfamiliar. Out of the ordinary; unusual or striking. Differing from the normal. Not of one's own or a particular locality, environment, or kind; exotic. Reserved in manner; distant. Not comfortable or at ease; constrained. Not accustomed or conditioned: She was strange to her new duties. Archaic. Of, relating to, or characteristic of another place or part of the world; foreign. adv. In a strange manner. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Middle English, from Old French estrange, extraordinary, foreign, from Latin extrneus, adventitious, foreign, from extr, outside, from feminine ablative of exter, outward. See eghs in Indo-European Roots.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- strangely adv. Synonyms: strange, peculiar, odd, queer, quaint, outlandish, singular, eccentric, curious These adjectives describe what deviates from the usual or customary. Strange refers especially to what is unfamiliar, unknown, or inexplicable: All summer I traveled through strange lands. Peculiar particularly describes what is distinct from all others: Cloves have a peculiar aromatic odor. Something that is odd or queer fails to accord with what is ordinary, usual, or expected; both terms can suggest strangeness or peculiarity: I find it odd that his name is never mentioned. “Now, my suspicion is that the universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose” (J.B.S. Haldane). Quaint refers to pleasing or old-fashioned peculiarity: “the quaint streets of New Orleans, that most foreign of American cities” (Winston Churchill). Outlandish suggests alien or bizarre strangeness: The partygoers wore outlandish costumes. Singular describes what is unique or unparalleled; the term often suggests a quality that arouses curiosity or wonder: Such poise is singular in one so young. Eccentric refers particularly to what is strange and departs strikingly from the conventional: His musical compositions were innovative but eccentric. Curious suggests strangeness that excites interest: Americans living abroad often acquire a curious hybrid accent. See also synonyms at foreign Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- strange \Strange\, a. [Compar. Stranger; superl. Strangest.] [OE. estrange, F. ['e]trange, fr. L. extraneus that is without, external, foreign, fr. extra on the outside. See Extra, and cf. Estrange, Extraneous.] 1. Belonging to another country; foreign. ``To seek strange strands.'' --Chaucer. One of the strange queen's lords. --Shak. I do not contemn the knowledge of strange and divers tongues. --Ascham. 2. Of or pertaining to others; not one's own; not pertaining to one's self; not domestic. So she, impatient her own faults to see, Turns from herself, and in strange things delights. --Sir J. Davies. 3. Not before known, heard, or seen; new. Here is the hand and seal of the duke; you know the character, I doubt not; and the signet is not strange to you. --Shak. 4. Not according to the common way; novel; odd; unusual; irregular; extraordinary; unnatural; queer. ``He is sick of a strange fever.'' --Shak. Sated at length, erelong I might perceive Strange alteration in me. --Milton. 5. Reserved; distant in deportment. --Shak. She may be strange and shy at first, but will soon learn to love thee. --Hawthorne. 6. Backward; slow. [Obs.] Who, loving the effect, would not be strange In favoring the cause. --Beau. & Fl. 7. Not familiar; unaccustomed; inexperienced. In thy fortunes am unlearned and strange. --Shak. Note: Strange is often used as an exclamation. Strange! what extremes should thus preserve the snow High on the Alps, or in deep caves below. --Waller. Strange sail (Naut.), an unknown vessel. Strange woman (Script.), a harlot. --Prov. v. 3. To make it strange. (a) To assume ignorance, suspicion, or alarm, concerning it. --Shak. (b) To make it a matter of difficulty. [Obs.] --Chaucer. To make strange, To make one's self strange. (a) To profess ignorance or astonishment. (b) To assume the character of a stranger. --Gen. xlii. 7. Syn: Foreign; new; outlandish; wonderful; astonishing; marvelous; unusual; odd; uncommon; irregular; queer; eccentric. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- strange \Strange\, adv. Strangely. [Obs.] Most strange, but yet most truly, will I speak. --Shak. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- strange \Strange\, v. t. To alienate; to estrange. [Obs.] Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- strange \Strange\, v. i. 1. To be estranged or alienated. [Obs.] 2. To wonder; to be astonished. [Obs.] --Glanvill. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- strange adj 1: being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird; "a strange exaltation that was indefinable"; "a strange fantastical mind"; "what a strange sense of humor she has" [syn: unusual] [ant: familiar] 2: not known before; "used many strange words"; "saw many strange faces in the crowd"; "don't let anyone unknown into the house" [syn: unknown] 3: being or from or characteristic of another place or part of the world; "alien customs"; "exotic plants in a greenhouse"; "moved to a strange country" [syn: alien, exotic] 4: not at ease or comfortable; "felt strange among so many important people" * * * and? cur·ren·cy Pronunciation Key (kûrn-s, kr-) n. pl. cur·ren·cies Money in any form when in actual use as a medium of exchange, especially circulating paper money. Transmission from person to person as a medium of exchange; circulation: coins now in currency. General acceptance or use; prevalence: the currency of a slang term. The state of being current; up-to-dateness: Can you check the currency of this address? currency \Cur"ren*cy\ (k?r"r?n-c?), n.; pl. Currencies (-s?z). [Cf. LL. currentia a current, fr. L. currens, p. pr. of currere to run. See Current.] 1. A continued or uninterrupted course or flow like that of a stream; as, the currency of time. [Obs.] --Ayliffe. 2. The state or quality of being current; general acceptance or reception; a passing from person to person, or from hand to hand; circulation; as, a report has had a long or general currency; the currency of bank notes. 3. That which is in circulation, or is given and taken as having or representing value; as, the currency of a country; a specie currency; esp., government or bank notes circulating as a substitute for metallic money. 4. Fluency; readiness of utterance. [Obs.] 5. Current value; general estimation; the rate at which anything is generally valued. He . . . takes greatness of kingdoms according to their bulk and currency, and not after intrinsic value. --Bacon. The bare name of Englishman . . . too often gave a transient currency to the worthless and ungrateful. --W. Irving. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- currency n 1: the metal or paper medium of exchange that is presently used 2: general acceptance or use: "the currency of ideas" 3: a current state of general acceptance and use [syn: vogue] 4: the property of belonging to the present time: "the currency of a slang term" [syn: currentness, up-to-dateness] Um...don't forget to HAVE FUN? |
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Sudhir Iyer Member Ascendant
since 2000-04-26
Posts 6943Mumbai, India : now in Belgium |
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Sudhir Iyer Member Ascendant
since 2000-04-26
Posts 6943Mumbai, India : now in Belgium |
and I just remembered that "strange currencies" is also the title of a great R.E.M. song... you can find the lyrics everywhere on the net... have fun... regards, sudhir |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
 Not sure which way to go with this...but when I have a fleeting moment, will come back for a better read...Serene One...sheesh.... |
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Titia Geertman Member Ascendant
since 2001-05-07
Posts 5182Netherlands |
I've done it /pip/Forum70/HTML/002353.html was fun to do Titia Like scattered leaves...my words will flow |
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