"nidor, n." - Word of the Day from the OED

[John Bailey]

In the Slow Learner intor Pynchon mentions that his younger self used
to go through a thesaurus to find cool-sounding words without actually
bothering to look up their specific meaning. I think I remember
reading about him doing a more mature job of cribbing from
dictionaries but that could be a misrecollection.

In any case I'd bet that in some way, perhaps even only mentally, he
notes down any interesting words he happens across. Mr Monroe does a
similar and welcome public service here.

On Thu, May 8, 2014 at 6:11 AM, Dave Monroe <against.the.dave at gmail.com> wrote:
> http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0109&msg=59965
>
> On Wed, May 7, 2014 at 12:30 PM, Henry M <scuffling at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Anyone have any insight into how lost words are found by authors (and then
>> used) such as Pynchon? Simply a matter of spending time in libraries with
>> old texts?  (Has anyone tried spending time in the NYPL in hopes of a
>> sigting?)
>>
>>
>> Yours truly,
>> ٩(●̮̮̃•̃)۶
>> Henry Musikar, CISSP
>> http://astore.amazon.com/tdcoccamsaxe-20
>>
>>
>> On Wed, May 7, 2014 at 3:22 AM, Dave Monroe <against.the.dave at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>> From: <oedwotd at oup.com>
>>> Date: Tuesday, May 6, 2014
>>> Subject: "nidor, n." - Word of the Day from the OED
>>> To: OEDWOTD-L at webber.uk.hub.oup.com
>>>
>>>
>>> OED Online Word of the Day
>>> ________________________________
>>>
>>> Your word for today is: nidor, n.
>>>
>>> nidor, n.
>>> [‘ The smell given off by animal substances, esp. of a fatty or greasy
>>> nature, when cooked or burnt. Also: any strong or unpleasant odour, vapour,
>>> etc.’]
>>> Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈnʌɪːdə/, /ˈnʌɪdɔː/,  U.S. /ˈnaɪˌdɔ(ə)r/, /ˈnaɪdər/
>>> Inflections:  Plural  unchanged, (occas.) nidors.
>>> Forms:  16 nidour,   16– nidor.
>>> Etymology: <  classical Latin nīdor a rich strong smell (from food or
>>> things burnt), fumes, cognate with ancient Greek κνῖσα, and Icelandic hniss
>>> (17th cent.). Compare Middle French, French †nideur (1597).
>>>   The smell given off by animal substances, esp. of a fatty or greasy
>>> nature, when cooked or burnt. Also: any strong or unpleasant odour, vapour,
>>> etc.
>>> a1620  M. Fotherby Atheomastix (1622) i. xi. §4. 116 Who maketh..his
>>> Caldron, his Sensor; his Nidor, his Incense; his Table, his Altar.
>>> 1662  H. Stubbe Indian Nectar iii. 29, I had my smell affected with such a
>>> nidor, as issues from fat, when broiled.
>>> 1678  R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe i. v. 810 That Evil
>>> Demons or Devils, were..delighted with the Blood and Nidours of Sacrifices.
>>> 1707  J. Floyer Physician's Pulse-watch 264 In the Nidor of the Stomach
>>> there are hot Winds.
>>> 1746  R. James in Moffett & Bennet's Health's Improvem. (new ed.) Introd.
>>> 43 A Nidor, or Stink, peculiar to Animal Substances in a State of
>>> Putrefaction.
>>> 1811  S. Smith Wks. (1859) I. 203/2 No living nostril has scented the
>>> nidor of a human creature roasted for faith.
>>> 1851 Harper's Mag. Jan. 163/2 He might have been tempted to express his
>>> homage through the Pagan fashion of raising altars and burning
>>> incense..provided always that the nidor were irreproachable.
>>> 1923 Blackwood's Mag. Feb. 159/2 A nidor was to him an agony impossible to
>>> endure.
>>> 1994 Sunday Times (Nexis) 3 July, The corporeal must of dead thoughts and
>>> forgotten words..the nidor of tatty jackets and grubbily thumbed flies.
>>> 1997  T. Pynchon Mason & Dixon liii. 514 With the black nidor of the
>>> Torches for her first Incense.
>>>
>>> http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/126864
>>>
>>> ________________________________
>>>
>>> Visit the OED's home page at www.oed.com
>>
>>
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