A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg

gutta  (GUHT-uh)  plural guttae (GUHT-ee)  noun  1.  A drop.  2. One of a series of ornaments, typically in the shape of a truncated cone on buildings (in the Doric order in classical architecture).  From Latin gutta (drop).  Earliest documented use:  1398.  “Guttae occasionally are pyramid-shaped with flat sides rather than cones or cylinders.”  Stephen Mouzon & Susan Henderson; Traditional Construction Patterns; McGraw-Hill; 2004.

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From:  Jack R. Bierig  Subject:  Weird plurals  You wrote:  There are not a lot of such words in the English language, but I just used a couple of such pairs, a few sentences ago (is/are, I/we; also there’s me/us).  Know any others?  How about mine/ours?  
From:  Kjersti Thoen  Subject:  cow/kine  In Norwegian we say ku and kuer (for more than one), but we also use kyr for many kuer (cows).  
From:  Beye Fyfe  Subject:  cow  When it comes to verbs, one cows, two cow.

From:  Christina Vartanian  Subject:  gutta  I always wondered why in medicine we note drop/drops as gtt/gtts.  I’ve wondered for over 20 years and never looked it up.  Thanks for the epiphany!  
From:  Alex McCrae   Subject:  gutta  As a self-confessed diehard golf history aficionado (and long-lapsed player), for me today’s word gutta took me back to the formative days of the game and the then-technologically revolutionary gutta-percha golf ball that rapidly replaced the less durable and shorter-running leather-bound feathery ball.  (Yes, it did contain actual bird feathers.)  Gutta-percha is essentially natural rubber (latex), extracted from tapping unique species of trees native to Malaysia.  This milky, viscous liquid could be moulded, mechanically shaped, and hardened, ultimately on an assembly-line scale, which facilitated the addition of uniform surface dimples, thus adding both better control and accuracy in shot-making and greater distance when struck well.  Gutta-percha . . . where the rubber hit the road . . . Hmm . . . or more like . . . the fairways, and greens . . . and occasional sand trap, and creek bed.  Ha!



Flannelette typically refers to a napped cotton fabric imitating the texture of flannel.  The weft is generally coarser than the warp.  The flannel-like appearance is created by creating a nap from the weft; scratching it and raising it up.  Flannelette can either have long or short nap, and can be napped on one or two sides.  Baby flannel is a lightweight fabric used for childrenswear.  Cotton flannel or Canton flannel is a cotton fabric napped on one side or two sides.  Ceylon flannel was a name for a wool and cotton mixture.  Diaper flannel is a stout cotton fabric napped on both sides, and used for making cloth diapers.  Vegetable flannel, invented by Léopold Lairitz in Germany in the 1800s, uses fibres from the Scots pine rather than wool. The term "flannel shirt" is often used casually to mean any shirt with a plaid or tartan pattern.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flannel



Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together.  Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood pulp-based rayon.  Blended fibers are also common.   Felt from wool is considered to be the oldest known textile.  Many cultures have legends as to the origins of felt making.  Sumerian legend claims that the secret of feltmaking was discovered by Urnamman of Lagash.  The story of Saint Clement and Saint Christopher relates that the men packed their sandals with wool to prevent blisters while fleeing from persecution.  At the end of their journey, the movement and sweat had turned the wool into felt socks.  Feltmaking is still practised by nomadic peoples (Altaic people:  Mongols; Turkic people) in Central Asia, where rugs, tents and clothing are regularly made.   Some of these are traditional items, such as the classic yurt (Gers), while others are designed for the tourist market, such as decorated slippers.  In the Western world, felt is widely used as a medium for expression in both textile art and contemporary art and design, where it has significance as an ecologically responsible textile and building material.  Felt is used in a wide range of industries and manufacturing processes, from the automotive industry and casinos to musical instruments and home construction, as well as in gun wads, either inside cartridges or pushed down the barrel of a muzzleloader.  Read more and see graphics at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felt



Leave no corn tortilla behind:  6 smart ways to use them up by Becky Krystal   For tacos, try heating the corn tortillas over medium to medium-high heat in a dry skillet (cast iron is good), or directly over the burner on about medium-low if you have a gas stove.  Let the tortillas darken and even char in spots.  For enchiladas, I found that adding a light coating of cooking oil spray to the tortillas kept them from turning to total mush in the sauce.  There's no need to let them get as dark as you would for tacos.  If you're making quesadillas, you don't need to worry about preheating the tortillas since they'll warm and toast once you fry the assembled packet.  - In soups.  Soup feeling a little thin?  No need to go for the flour or cornstarch when tortillas will not only do, but shine.  - To layer a casserole or pie.  Like lasagna but wish it was more like enchiladas?  Go ahead and layer a nice big casserole dish with corn tortillas, alternating with your choice of saucy filling.  - Chilaquiles.  In this Mexican dish, tortillas are fried then mixed with a sauce or salsa, along with the cook's choice of meat, eggs and cheese.  - Chips.  Tostadas are kind of like one giant chip on which you can pile your choice of toppings.  - Bowls.  Since we've established you can bake corn tortillas into chips, you might as well bake them into a shape.  https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Leave-no-corn-tortilla-behind-6-smart-ways-to-13900733.php



My mother made kumla fairly often.  I learned kumla basics by watching her.  It seems to be more Norwegian than Swedish in origin.  My mother made kumla with side pork and onion filling.  I started using other kinds of pork because good side pork was not available at too many places outside of the upper Midwest.  Now, I think I prefer kumla without side pork.  I’ve tried it with side pork a couple times and was disappointed.  Many people make kumla with no filling and serve ham, side pork, bacon, pork chops, Swedish brown beans, rutabagas, etc. on the side.  Some dumpling recipes call for barley flour or oatmeal.  Others call for egg and a few add some boiled potatoes to the raw potato mixture.  There’s a recipe that says to boil the dumplings in milk.  Roger Johnson puts a little baking soda in the mixture.  He says it makes them lighter.  Some people put maple syrup on kumla.  I’ve been told that is a misdemeanor offense in most states.  John Njaa  http://www.section20.com/RecipeCards/kumla_story.htm



Kumla (Potato Dumplings) by Lynda Lochevar  https://www.twincities.com/2011/01/26/side-kumla-potato-dumplings/



In the name of research:  Why linguists are keeping some sign languages hidden  Keeping fragile languages isolated may mean the people who rely on them lose out.  Michael Erard 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/sign-language-hidden-linguists-indonesia-nicaragua-a8794556.html



GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY Mich.  The Traverse Area District Library Sights and Sounds Department is one of the largest music and movie collections in a public library in Michigan but it also offers people the opportunity to check out an instrument or tool they've always wanted to learn about.  Link to more information about the library at https://upnorthlive.com/features/upnorthfamily/check-out-instruments-at-the-traverse-area-district-library



Cardamom is a spice made from the seed pods of various plants in the ginger family.  Cardamom pods are spindle-shaped and have a triangular cross-section.  The pods contain a number of seeds, but the entire cardamom pod can be used whole or ground.  The seeds are small and black, while the pods differ in color and size by species.  There are two main types of cardamom:  black cardamom and green cardamom, and there is also white cardamom which is a bleached version of green cardamom.  Green cardamom is the kind found most often in Nordic and Middle Eastern cuisine, while recipes in India and Asia will often specify whether green or black cardamom is used.   It will be hard to find a true substitute for the unique flavor of cardamom, but in a pinch, you can blend other warm spices to help replace it.  Cinnamon will be the key, and the best blend would be equal parts of ground cinnamon and nutmeg.  If you don't have nutmeg, use ground ginger or ground cloves along with the cinnamon.  Link to recipes at https://www.thespruceeats.com/all-about-cardamom-995599  Easy and tasty:  Mix cardamom with honey and drizzle over apples, pears or cooked, diced sweet potatoes.



http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2116  June 26, 2019