h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

First two syllables homophonically correct.
There is just one more to finish the word, but it isn't that one.

Alleypoo

Alleyscat

Alleystool

You're being a bit too literal with the bodily waste.
It sounds like her faecal deposit. I suppose you could also say it sounds like her wealth, or even her nuclear reactor.

You mean it sounds like a faecal deposit or wealth or nuclear reactor but is spelt differently?


Alleysxxxx?

Alleyshair ?

"You're being a bit too literal with the bodily waste.
It sounds like her faecal deposit. I suppose you could also say it sounds like her wealth, or even her nuclear reactor."

Or, perhaps, like her carpeting?

I thought I was onto something when I discovered there's a word "aeolipile", but that turns out to be a type of steam engine. Still, I'll bet that the last syllable has the same root as "depilatory".

The word (actually it's a phrase) for names/occupations etc is

Nominative determinism

Nominative determinism. Excellent

Perhaps kzwg is looking for the (more general) word 'aptronym' "n. - a name befitting the occupation, role or nature of a person or character, e.g. doctor sawbones" Luciferous Logolepsy.

Exactly like her carpeting.
Put us out of our misery Jim.

"Put us out of our misery Jim."

Believe me, I would if I could. Last night, I spent more time than I should have prospecting in an online dictionary, to no avail.

Your comment suggests that I was on the right track with "aeolipile" -- except for the minor detail that only the bravest of the brave would use a steam engine to shave their armpits.

OK, close enough Jim.

The word is ALIPILE (and not all that hard to find with those on-line dictionaries, or so I thought)

Your go, and I promise to go away in disgrace for a while for bringing the game to a standstill.

I'd never forgive myself if I didn't ask you in which online dictionaries you found the word 'alipile'; so I'm asking .

By the way, your clue, 'But it sounds like: Callista Flockhart's faecal deposit', did not lead us to the solution, largely because 'pile' does not equal 'faecal deposit'.

Yes, I'd be interested to see it in a dictionary too. Google gives 72 hits for the word, many of them not in English (using an English search). I'm curious about the etymology. One site does say it's an old word but not when or where its from.

I was using dictionary.reference.com, and I specifically entered "alipile" (along with "allapile" and all the other allomorphs I could think of). I was told "No results found". See http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/alipile (you'll note that my search did at least get me to the word that you ultimately accepted as being close enough, phonetically).

Thus, like Rudest Elf and kea, I'm curious about why you thought it would be so easy to find online.

I will defend you against Rudest Elf's criticism -- I've heard "pile" as a slang term for a fecal deposit. And, of course, you then piled on two more clues.

For the etymology, I'll hazard a guess that "ali-" is a corruption of "axilla", meaning the armpit. I feel more confident that "-pile" is from Latin "pilus", a hair, as seen in our word "depilate".

For my word, I'm tempted to propose "a round vessel caused to rotate by the force of tangentially escaping steam: an early example of jet propulsion", but I suppose that would be too easy. Instead, the game will incur a further brief standstill while I cogitate. [Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]

OK, here's what I've come up with:

The right to appoint a person to a vacant church position that carries with it a source of income.

I will confess to having sloppied up the definition a bit. A more careful definition would use uncommon terms that would make the thing too easy to Google.

Good luck, all!

Advowson?


"I will defend you against Rudest Elf's criticism -- I've heard "pile" as a slang term for a fecal deposit." Care to nominate some *recognised* dictionaries/thesauruses which give that definition (ellipses do not count )?

bishopric ?


(a bishopric right)

Phooey, I thought it would take a little longer than that, but Rudest Elf has it: advowson. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advowson for a detailed treatment. My definition omitted the telltale word "benefice" but my subterfuge could not thwart the canny elf. Well done! )

As for Not-so-bald-eagle's try, "bishopric" can mean a bishop's office but not, AFAIK, the right to appoint someone to any office.

"Care to nominate some *recognised* dictionaries/thesauruses which give that definition [of 'pile'] ...?" Sorry, no, I do not care to. My attempts to chase down Pinniped's word have completely exhausted my appetite for forays into online dictionaries. All I'm asserting is that I've heard it. (Sample usage: "The supposed Moon landing was faked." "Oh, man, that's a complete pile.")

Rudest Elf, I believe you now have the floor to present an arcane definition.