One Strange Rock
One thing I really enjoy is when a word that I only know from scrabble, is actually used in some other setting.
I recently watched the first episode of a documentary series called “One Strange Rock” in which I learned that one of the most important organisms on our planet is the DIATOM. Diatoms are algae with distinctive cell walls made of silicon dioxide and they are responsible for producing a large part of the oxygen you are currently breathing. While trees do turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, a greater amount is produced by diatoms. We probably would not be here if they did not exist.
I knew the word, and have certainly played it a few times without knowing what it was, so I thought this blog should be about “One Strange Rock” and diatoms.
Firstly, a challenge for you:
How many 7 or 8 letter words can you think of that finish with the letters –ROCK. Answers at the end of the blog.
If you have the letters DIATOM plus a blank there are only five words:
A = DOMATIA A plant structure which harbours mites
C = COADMIT To admit several things equally
S = MASTOID A bump on the temporal bone behind the ear (also DIATOMS)
T = MATTOID A person on the borderline between sanity and insanity.
Hmmm…… MATTOID…… could that apply to anyone you know? :-)
Not many 7 letter words. Perhaps we could find something interesting if we looked at 8 letter words including the letters DIATOM:
AN = MANATOID Resembling a manatee (a type of sea cow)
CG = DOGMATIC Overbearing. DOGMATICS is OK. I wouldn’t have guessed that!
CI = DIATOMIC Composed of two atoms
CS = COADMITS
EH = HEMATOID Resembling blood
EN = DOMINATE To control
NEMATOID Pertaining to intestinal parasitic worms
ER = MEDIATOR One who mediates
ES = ATOMISED
EZ = ATOMIZED To reduce to a fine spray
LP = DIPLOMAT Someone skilled in diplomacy
LS = MODALIST A believer in modalism. (Someone who sees the Father,
Son and Spirit as modes of being, not actual persons)
LY = MODALITY The state of being modal
MS = AMIDMOST In the very middle
MU = DOMATIUM Singular of DOMATIA. See the 7 letter words.
MN = DOMINANT A controlling genetic character
NS = DONATISM Tenets of donatists. Schismatic body of Nth African Christians
SAINTDOM The state of being a saint.
SS = MASTOIDS
ST = MATTOIDS
SY = TOADYISM Fawning or flattering behaviour
Having typed out the explanation for MODALIST, I am still not sure what it means. What exactly is a mode of being?
Diatoms – essential to your ability to breathe, but perhaps not to your ability to win a game of scrabble. Although you never know. After last week’s blog on wise words which included SIDEWISE and mentioned SIDEWAY/SIDEWAYS I went along to club on Monday night and played SIDEWAY. You never know when a particular group of letters is going to come your way.
How did you go with those ROCK words?
BEDROCK Rock underlying other consolidated material
CAPROCK A layer of rock over another layer
DEFROCK To deprive of ecclesiastical authority
LAVROCK A skylark (also see LAVEROCK)
MUDROCK Any rock derived from clay or mud
OUTROCK To surpass in rocking
PARROCK A small Scottish field (can be used as a verb, to put in a field)
PREROCK Before the advent of Rock music
RIMROCK An outcrop of resistant rock
SOUROCK Sorrel
TARROCK The young of the kittiwake gull before the first moult
UNFROCK To deprive of ecclesiastical authority
ANTIROCK Opposed to Rock music
DISFROCK To deprive of ecclesiastical authority
HARDROCK A tough, uncompromising man
LAVEROCK Same as LAVROCK
MOONROCK A rock from the surface of the moon
SHAMROCK A plant with 3 leaves
TRAPROCK Any fine grained columnar igneous rock. Especially basalt
YELDROCK A bird more commonly called the yellowhammer
And to finish I offer you one really strange rock:
Imagine ROCK is already on the board and you are looking at ?DMNOOO.
You could make the blank another K and play KOMONDOROCK. Apparently it is a large, shaggy coated dog.... and that is not just a shaggy dog story!
Too exotic even for Nigel? Yes, I think so.
Maybe when we develop Nigel 2.0….. :-)
Cheers
Patrick