Chart of words known better by men than women, and vice versa

boing
81

I’ll bite, without resorting to the omniscient Google.

  • peduncle - a short stem, supporting something (e.g. the ones in grapes)
  • bellguard - ? something to do with swords? Possibly the part protecting the hand.
  • cantle - ?
  • talatat - ?
  • pommel - a bulbous thing attached to something.
  • flying jesses - ?
  • elytra - chitinous and hardened wing (e.g. in Coleoptera)
  • fillis- ?
  • Vuylstekeara - I don’t even know how to start pronouncing this…
  • pastern - ?
  • furnishings (not meaning furniture or pillows, etc) - ?
  • nare - same as nostril? (narice in Italian)
  • hallux - The big toe, in Latin (alluce in Italian)
  • mastaba - Some kind of funerary monument
  • keiki - a plant taken from a parent plant.

7.5 out of 15. Lemme check whether I got them right.
Yes! Not too shabby for a 2.5th language.
Latin is still an asset (hallux, nare, peduncle) Similar words in Italian are too (pomolo o pomello, peduncolo, elitra).
Random stuff helps (keiki - same in Italian, heard at a plant shop)

MerelyGifted, given some of the other words, I’m now picturing you brandishing a sword from your horse.

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82

I think what we really need here is a list of words that nobody knows, regardless of gender or nationality.

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83

It’s actually the root for the word alcohol, as the Islamic alchemists who invented distillation, referred to the distillation as al-kuhl, which was changed into alcohol as it became introduced to the rest of the world…

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84

…and growing orchids on my windowsill. :smiley:

I’ll reply to my own OP later today and provide any other needed definitions.

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85

You’re sure to get a fair number of people who are not super educated but watch a lot of science documentaries and/or Project Runway. And I’ve known a lot of PhDs who are almost willfully ignorant of anything that isn’t their specialist subject.

And if you were to ask me if I’m left handed or right handed, I’d have to say “yes”.

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86

bellguard - the bell-shaped front section on a foil, epee, and sabre’s handle which protects the hand

cantle - the back section of a saddle’s seat

talatat - Arabic; smaller Egyptian blocks mostly used in Akhenaten/Amenhotep IV’s building projects

pommel - the front of a saddle’s seat; the cap at the end of the hilt of a European sword

flying jesses - leather bits attached to hunting hawks’ legs

fillis - type of English stirrup named after an 19th-20th century horseman who specialized in dressage

Vuylstekeara - a multigeneric hybrid orchid which I can’t pronounce either

pastern - the angled part directly above a horse’s hoof

furnishings (not meaning furniture or pillows, etc) - the hairs inside a cat’s ears; hawking equipment (hoods, jesses, perches etc) is called furniture

nare - a bird’s nostril

mastaba - Arabic; Old Kingdom Egyptian tombs so named for the similarly shaped benches outside Egyptian homes

keiki - Hawaiian; spontaneously appearing baby orchids which grow on flower stalks. I potted mine in yogurt containers with holes punched in the bottom :slight_smile:

5 Likes
87

If I ever form a band, I’m using this.

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88

Nice one!

I’ve long thought Flying Jess would be a great name for a mare who loves jumping :smiley:

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89

I’d like a list of words where their familiarity really deviates from their usage. Two lists, really: words that people frequently but don’t know and words that are rarely used but everyone knows.

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90

I think the last time I saw it was an unfortunately transphobic gag on Arrested Development circa 2004.

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