Alarick's definitions

dodginess

disreputability, tendency towards the dishonest, state of doubtful authentification

She (von Speyr) had a long series of visions into saints' lives (eternalised as the "Book of All Hallows") which reads like so many school reports and has a tendency towards theological dodginess.

by Alarick September 2, 2006

bungle

(verb) to cock something up, to make a bad job of it, to complete a task incompetently.

The plumber bungled the cistern repair. Now it's raining through the ceiling.

by Alarick September 6, 2006

Pretzel

(noun) a delicious salt-bakery to accompany beer etc. The dough consists of fine wheatflour, fine maltflour, yeast, salt, fat and water. The dough is rolled into a thin sausage and dipped before baking into soda solution (NaHCO³) - this gives a lovely chestnut sheen to the crust. Crushed rocksalt is applied to the crust and the pretzel is baked - ready!
Thre crossarm form of the pretzel gives it its name - from the Italian braccio (Latin bracellus), arm.

A butter-pretzel with freshly ground coffee for breakfast -delicious!

by Alarick October 1, 2006

walnutsack

(noun) condition of scrotum after swimming in cold water, walnut bag, also at point of maximum sexual excitement, also before decisive moment (battle, competition, exams, then adrenalin-induced)

after his swim down the river, Paul's walnutsack gave his trunks the spiked look.

by Alarick September 12, 2006

spearside

on the male line of the family (from spear + side);
the spear was the traditional and typical male instrument in hunter-gatherer societies.
distaffside

no dear, that was inherited from your great-aunt spearside

by Alarick September 2, 2006

distaffside

on the female line of the family (from distaff + side); distaff = dizen-staff, stick to be wound with flax for weaving (this being the hunter-gatherer female function)
spearside

No, that was her great-uncle distaffside

by Alarick September 2, 2006