foozle

[email protected] 25 Jan 2008 10:23:38 -0000
Newsgroups gmane.culture.language.word-of-the-day
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The Word of the Day for January 25 is:=20

foozle   \FOO-zul\   verb
          : to manage or play awkwardly : bungle
=20

Example sentence:
          Carl thought he had an easy putt lined up for a birdie, but in=
stead he foozled the shot and hooked the ball to the left.

Did you know?
          "Foozle" dates only to the late 19th century, but its origins =
are obscure. The German dialect verb "fuseln" ("to work carelessly") cou=
ld figure in its history, but that speculation has never been proven. No=
t particularly common today, "foozle" still holds a special place in the=
 hearts, minds, and vocabularies of many golfers. In golf, to foozle a s=
hot is to bungle it and a foozle is a bungled shot. In a _Century_ magaz=
ine piece from 1899 called "Two Players and their Play," Beatrice Hansco=
m reveals more of golf's specialized vocabulary:
=20
She tops her ball; then divots fly;
In bunkers long she stays;
She foozles all along the course
In most astounding ways:
In sooth, it is an eery thing
The way Priscilla plays.





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