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  #Fedefine Game 394: 1. Depauperate A. Lacking in numbers, variety or normal development B. To cause to become poor, to impoverish C. To lift out of poverty, to enrich 2. Dundrearies A. Long flowing side whiskers B. A melodramatic biographical Scottish folk song C. Knee-high socks worn under a kilt in the Scottish Highlands

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  #Fedefine Game 380: 1. Fuliginous A. Pertaining to mushrooms, moss or lichen B. Prone to corruption, willing to take bribes C. Dark, having the color of soot 2. Rotate A. Having any kind of curved shaped, whether oval, circular or elliptical B. A type of pasta that looks like a cart wheel C. Having the parts flat and spreading or radiating like the spokes of a wheel

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  ANNOUNCEMENT: I'm on holiday for the rest of the week (including the weekend), and will be too busy to post frogs, art or Fedefines.

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  #Fedefine Game 350: 1. Synapsid A. Pertaining to a synapse B. Flying synchronously, like a swarm of midges C. Any of a subclass of terrestrial vertebrates having a single pair of lateral temporal skull openings 2. Caltrop A. A device with four metal points so arranged that when three are on the ground, the fourth projects upward as a hazard to the hooves of horses or to pneumatic tires B. A tall thistle with dark green leaves and purple flower heads C. A small bowl for mixing potions

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  Is Nvidia names after this word? "Invidious is a formal word used to describe things that are unpleasant and likely to cause bad feelings in other people. Such bad feelings may include resentment, discontent, animosity, or envy."

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  #Fedefine Game 346: 1. Leucocholy A. Deafness caused by the tympanic membrane failing to touch the cochlea B. A state of feeling that accompanies preoccupation with trivial and insipid diversions C. Transformation from human to animal form 2. Obelism A. Erecting an obelisk proclaiming one's accomplishments; by extension, excessive self-aggrandizement in any form B. The practice of designating or annotating a questionable passage in a manuscript with a - or ÷ symbol C. Inhuman strength

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  #Fedefine Game 343: 1. Xenotransplantation A. Transplantation of tissue from another individual (as opposed to, say, a skin graft from the same individual) B. Transplantation of an organ, tissue or cells between two different species C. Unintended and unexpected migration 2. Urd A. The Punjabi tribe that first spoke the Urdu language B. An annual Asian legume widely grown in warm regions for its edible blackish seed C. A musical instrument that is a short version of a didgeridoo

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  #Art #JapaneseArt A bronze vase in the shape of a stylized lotus bud by Nakajima (Mitsuo) Yasumi II (1905-1986)

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  #Fedefine Game 340: 1. Whammy A. A pin that attaches the rudder of a rowboat to the hull B. A setback C. A supernatural power bringing bad luck 2. Ideophobia A. Fear of abstract images B. Fear or distrust of ideas or reason C. Fear of disembodied faces

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  #Fedefine Game 339: 1. Wah-wah A. A mute or pedal used to produce a fluctuating muted effect on a brass instrument or on an electric guitar B. A Korean onomatopeia for the sound of a dog barking C. A linguistic theory that human language originated from an imitation of sounds in nature 2. Slobgollion A. A dirty rascal, a scoundrel, a wretch B. A person so drunk that he spills his beverage C. The oozy, stringy waste or residue left behind from processing sperm whales.

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  First they came for the em dashes And I did not speak out Because I never use em dashes

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  If you wonder which civilization was more advanced around 800 CE, Western Europe or the Middle East, read this excerpt from the Wikipedia article about Caliph Harun al-Rashid: "A Frankish mission came to offer Harun friendship in 799. Harun sent various presents with the emissaries on their return to Charlemagne's court, including a clock that Charlemagne and his retinue deemed to be a conjuration because of the sounds it emanated and the tricks it displayed every time an hour ticked.&...

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  #Fedefine Game 335: 1. Woozle effect A. Dizziness brought on by concussion rather than by being spun around B. Evidence by citation, an effect that occurs when a source is widely cited for a claim that the source does not adequately support C. The tendency of long molecules to wrap around each other when combined 2. Sororal A. Sisterly B. Belonging to a sorority C. Pronounced from the back of the throat

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  #Fedefine Game 334: 1. Perianth A. A deep purple mountain flower found in the European Alps B. The vestibule of a church, accessible through the lower side doors C. The floral structure comprised of the outer and inner whorls of a flower, especially when the two are fused 2. Kyphion A. A state of contentment and inner peace B. The most prominent or highest projecting point of the bony nose bridge C. In ancient Greece, a cohort of 320 footsoldiers, marching in 20 columns of 16 soldiers

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  #Fedefine Game 333: 1. Pharmacopeia A. An apothecary, a pharmacy B. A collection or stock of drugs C. A large brown glass container with a stopper for storing pills or tablets 2. Adaxial A. Situated on the same side as or facing the axis B. Situated on the opposite side of or facing away from the axis C. Situated along or parallel to an axis

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  Europeans visiting the United States recently have been surprised by lots of new foods, like ranch dressing, lettuce that gives you explosive diarrhea and eggs that give salmonella poisoning.

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  #Fedefine Game 332: 1. Dolorifuge A. A haunting, plaintive piece of music or melody B. A secret mountain hideout, often in a cave C. Something that banishes or mitigates grief 2. Carbonous A. Of a molecule, containing a chain of one of more carbon atoms B. Smudged with soot or as if with soot C. Brittle and dark or almost black in color

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  #Fedefine Game 331: 1. Icterid A. A large family of birds including blackbirds and meadowlarks and having a sharp conical bill B. A genus of Eurasian arachnids, most species of which have a red abdomen C. Repeated, repetitive 2. Selgninaem A. A debate tactic where the speaker dismantles a comparison made by the opponent B. In Star Trek, a toxic substance not normally detected by the sensors of a Galaxy-class starship C. A salve of unknown composition used as a cosmetic in ancient Rome

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  #SpellingBeef for 22 July 2026 Spelling Bee rejected these words: -THAR: How dare NYT disregard the famous utterance "There's gold in them thar hills!" by America's Homer, Mark Twain! -TATA: Both a casual way of saying goodbye among the upper classes, and, when used in the plural, commonly found in combination with the adjective "bodacious." -TADA: What the magician says when he reveals that the lady he just sawed in half is alive and well. None of the spelling vari...

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  #Fedefine Game 330: 1. Franion A. A habitual pleasure seeker or merrymaker B. A neutral (uncharged) ion C. A large, widespread tropical fig tree native to India 2. Fecaloma A. An extreme, rock-hard mass of impacted stool that builds up in the rectum or colon B. A dance originating from the Beira Baixa province of Portugal C. In a Roman temple, the threshold marking the border between the exposed, uncovered area and the roofed area

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  #Fedefine Game 329: 1. Union suit A. A class action brought collectively by employees at a company B. In bridge, a hand in which all cards are of the same suit C. An undergarment with shirt and drawers in one piece 2. Zemblanity A. The property of being located in the north B. Having a taste of soil or earth C. The faculty of making unhappy, unlucky, and expected discoveries by design; the opposite of serendipity

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  I've decided on a new series of toots I'll call #SpellingBeef where I disagree with the verdict of the Spelling Bee game in the New York Times. I'll only refer to games that are already past. Here's yesterday's catch: sure, it might be an entry in the Urban Dictionary only, but it's such an applicable word in so many situations.

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  #Fedefine Game 326: 1. Gardyloo A. A crank organ from Scotland B. A five-petalled flower that is a mix of white, yellow and violet C. An exclamation used in Edinburgh as a warning cry when it was customary to throw slops from the windows into the streets 2. Leveret A. A butler's attire B. A hare in its first year C. The metal drum inside a washing machine

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  #Fedefine Game 325: 1. Ailurophobia A. An irrational fear of birds B. An abnornal fear of garlic C. Abnormal fear of cats 2. Deuterozooid A. A zooid produced by budding or fission from a primary zooid B. A zooid produced by the fusing of two zooids C. The attachment of a smaller zooid to a larger zooid

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  #EasyDoesItBooks Breezy Slopes (by Emily Brontë)

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  #Fedefine Game 323: 1. Bantling A. Small, dry pieces of wood with which to start a fire B. A very young child C. A lamb that is between three and six weeks old 2. Exophoric A. Outwardly exuberant and energetic while masking a depression B. Of or relating to a spoken language utterance C. Having difficulty seeing resulting from the visual axes tending outward toward the temple

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  RE: https://social.heise.de/@mho/116919055673881129 How bad was the heatwave in Germany at the end of June? The graph shows deaths in Germany throughout the year for the last 26 years. The red line is 2026. The very noticeable spike is the end of June.

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  The late Senator Lindsey Graham's seat is now occupied by his sister, even though she's not a politician and the people didn't vote for her. There's a strong suggestion that something shady's going on, but the rules about this have a long history, and several Senators, on both sides of the aisle, have been replaced by non-politician loved ones (usually widows) in the past, some recently. If you criticize this, criticize the rule, not the instance, and propose how to fix it.

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  #Fedefine Game 320: 1. Quail A. A small Eurasian passerine bird B. To feel or show fear or apprehension C. To whine, to complain 2. Smatchet A. A negligibly small amount B. A contemptible unmannerly person C. A small, handheld tool that can be used both as an axe and as a hammer To play, reply to this toot with your answers. No cheating by looking stuff up, obviously.

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  #Fedefine Game 319: 1. Scruple A. Seaweed, barnacles and other marine life attached to a ship's hull B. A minute part or quantity, an iota C. A large wart 2. Chordate A. Any of a phylum of animals having a flexible rod of cells that forms the supporting axis of the body, a dorsally situated central nervous system, and gill slits B. In music, to form a chord; to harmonize C. Of a leaf, having a long, slender shape