Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2009 June 5

= June 5 =

definition of a Russian word
06/04/2009 --  Thursday   8:40 pm

I am looking for the definition of a Russian word which I am coming across

in various literature: Science Fiction,  Poetry, etc.

The Russian word is:    priporoshenn  /  priporoshennye  (most likely descriptive ending)

I have had no success with the online translators: Google Languge Tools, Langenberg.com

and others. Either the word is just transliterated or ignored all together, just repeated.

How do I determine the meaning of such a "rare" word?

Thank you for your attention.

xerxesxeresXerxesxerxes (talk) 01:49, 5 June 2009 (UTC)

end
 * Припорошенный means lightly covered with snow, powder, dust etc. --Cam (talk) 03:39, 5 June 2009 (UTC)
 * See припорошенный терминал on Flickr - Photo Sharing! -- Wavelength (talk) 16:58, 5 June 2009 (UTC)
 * See припорошенный терминал on Flickr - Photo Sharing! -- Wavelength (talk) 16:58, 5 June 2009 (UTC)

Henry David Thoreau and bird that fouls own nest
Did Thoreau anywhere in his works allude to the proverbial bird that fouls own nest? The question arises as a certain somebody attributed a quote of nest befouling to Thoreau.--Mosquitoyer (talk) 01:51, 5 June 2009 (UTC)
 * The quotation is a lot older than Thoreau. Sources differ as to its origin, but all place it long before Thoreau's time; Wolfgang Mieder and Alan Dundes in their study of proverbs refer to a Latin version from c 1023AD by Egbert von Lüttich, and an English version in a 16th century translation of Erasmus. --Maltelauridsbrigge (talk) 10:32, 5 June 2009 (UTC)

Difference between "no" and "nil"
I had recently attended a meeting wherein on being asked is there any pending points.I replied ,"no point" and my colleague said,"nil point".The chair asked us what is the difference between the two? I am stumped. Can anyone give me an answer? sumal (talk) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.93.197.198 (talk) 03:02, 5 June 2009 (UTC)
 * My Webster lists no as an adjective (meaning not any) and nil as a nown (instead of the number 0). That would make you right. Googling led me to believe that "nil point" would be a BE version of zero points with lots of people forgeting a plural "s" as a typo. As a compound noun there are people who use it instead of Zero-point. 71.236.26.74 (talk) 04:48, 5 June 2009 (UTC)


 * In Latin, nil is an alternative form of the substantive "nihil" (nothing), therefore your colleague's answer sounds strange, if not incorrect.
 * I understand nil point as: "a point about nothing" which is still a point and it is different from "no point".
 * --pma (talk) 06:53, 5 June 2009 (UTC) (RMK: this post contains a nil point, a nil point point, this remark, and then there is no other point).


 * I reckon, like the most recent posters on the other desk on which you posted this query, that the reference is to the Eurovision Song Contest, where the phrase "nil points" is commonly used - I think it's the French way of saying "no points", as the on-stage commentary is usually French and English. So the difference is one's French (nil) and the other's English (no). --TammyMoet (talk) 14:41, 5 June 2009 (UTC)


 * The French is actually "nuls points", although that is probably still the source. Adam Bishop (talk) 14:56, 5 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I've noticed "nil" tends to be used in British English, especially in sports scores and the like, where "zero" or "oh" would be used in American English. So while the New York Yankees might win "two-zero" or "two-oh", Manchester United would win "two-nil". +Angr 15:20, 5 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Almost always. - Jarry1250 (t, c) 19:02, 5 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Other sports seem to avoid these words as well. In tennis, it's "love", and in cricket it's a "duck" or "yet to score", "not yet off the mark" or some other formulation.  It's possible to say "Smith is on zero/nil", but it's unusual.  --  JackofOz (talk) 22:43, 5 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Did they mean "null point"? --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 02:32, 6 June 2009 (UTC) I should read the thread before I post. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 05:30, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Jack, here in England we say "nought" for a cricketer on 0. Which is most of the team at the moment. --TammyMoet (talk) 08:33, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Badminton and I think table tennis also use love for zero. Note that duck is only use for an individual score and indeed only when a player is out for a duck, I don't believe it's usually used when player is still playing or didn't get out. See Names for the number 0 in English as well Nil Einne (talk) 08:51, 11 June 2009 (UTC)

The length of dashes
How long shall the dashes be? I think that the dashes are too long in the sentences below. But what does the guidelines say?

Examples:


 * "We were getting a lot of complaints from pianists all over the world — they said that..."


 * "At the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris, Steinway won three awards — the Grand Gold Medal of Honor "for excellence in manufacturing and engineering pianos", the grand annual testimonial medal, and an honorary membership in the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts."

Fanoftheworld (talk) 15:35, 5 June 2009 (UTC)


 * See Manual of Style and Manual of Style. -- Wavelength (talk) 15:45, 5 June 2009 (UTC)


 * (e/c) Conventions vary, but usually one would use either unspaced em-dashes—like this—or spaced en-dashes – like this – not spaced em-dashes as you wrote above. — Emil J. 15:47, 5 June 2009 (UTC)
 * I can't help but point out the irony of your own signature breaking that very convention you cite. +Angr 16:02, 5 June 2009 (UTC)
 * That's just a graphical device, the signature is not a part of a normal sentence. You see, making half of a word bold and the other half italic also violates usual conventions, and your + does not stand for addition (or if it does, then it does not make any sense to me). — Emil J. 16:16, 5 June 2009 (UTC)
 * As judge, I rule this to be a lame defense and that Angr wins. Tempshill (talk) 17:49, 5 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Emil J, as you say, conventions vary, and it depends on what stylebook you are using. Although the Wikipedia Stylebook says one thing, the AP Stylebook says to always use spaces on opposite sides — like this — on opposite sides of an em dash. — Michael J  17:58, 6 June 2009 (UTC)


 * OK then "dash gurus", my UK and US keyboards both have a single variant of short horizontal line character, the "-" character. Yet on more than one occasion, I've seen edits where someone has come by and replaced the "-" with en-dash or em-dash characters, citing the MOS sections linked to by Wavelength.  How does one easily type these longer dashes?  Astronaut (talk) 18:17, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Entering  results in &mdash; (em dash).  Entering   results in – (en dash).  Under the edit window, there is a menu.  Choose "Insert" then click on the desired symbol to the right to insert it at the position of the cursor.
 * See also Dash and Help:Special characters. -- Wavelength (talk) 19:04, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Umm, that's a lot of extra typing or mouse work. Perhaps that's why I only ever use the "-" :-) Astronaut (talk) 19:08, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Yeah, it's inconvenient. I notice that Microsoft Word 2007 automatically replaces " - " (that's a space, then a dash, then a space) with an em dash.  Tempshill (talk) 20:20, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * If you’re using a Mac, option-hyphen will give you the en-dash and shift-option-hyphen the em-dash. Ian Spackman (talk) 20:40, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * And if you're using Windows, Alt-0150 will give you the en-dash and Alt-0151 the em-dash (in both cases you have to use the numpad to enter the numbers). +Angr 20:42, 6 June 2009 (UTC)
 * compose--. gives an en-dash, compose--- an em-dash. — Emil J. 10:47, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

Lithuanian translation
Would anyone happen to know how to say "I am number one" in Lithuanian? A friend of mine used an online translator but I'm doubtful of its accuracy. Anyway have any idea? Thanks! 141.153.214.65 (talk) 22:01, 5 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Category:Wikipedians by language has a link to Category:User lt. -- Wavelength (talk) 22:05, 5 June 2009 (UTC)