10K

Elf-friend

lfsaldenbirch , , , ,

Yes, this is one of the few “elf-” compounds attested in the OED.  Why?

 elf-friend  n.

1937   J. R. R. Tolkien Hobbit iii. 62   The master of the house was an elf-friend.

I’m giving him full credit for this one.

  • 03.032 The master of the house was an elf-friend –
  • 04.034 “Murderers and elf-friends!”
  • 18.049 And I name you elf-friend
  • 19.038 It is true that for ever after he remained an elf-friend,

“elf, n.1.” OED Online, Oxford University Press, June 2017, http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/60431. Accessed 13 September 2017.

Elf

lfsaldenbirch , ,
  • 01.017 Anything from climbing trees to visiting elves –
  • 01.075 For ancient king and elvish lord
  • 01.078 Was sung unheard by men or elves.
  • 01.123 and elves
  • 03.013 “Hmmm! it smells like elves!”
  • 03.018 They were elves of course.
  • 03.018 He loved elves,
  • 03.018 For some elves tease them
  • 03.023 and among the elves,
  • 03.024 “You are a little out of your way,” said the elf:
  • 03.025 Elves know a lot
  • 03.025 Elvish singing is not a thing to miss,
  • 03.026 The elves had brought bright lanterns to the shore,
  • 03.029 and some elves have over merry tongues.
  • 03.032 and the elves
  • 03.032 who had both elves
  • 03.035 very old swords of the High Elves of the West,
  • 03.049 to see the elves dance
  • 04.028 and friends of Elves, not unlikely!
  • 04.033 when the fair elves of Gondolin hunted them
  • 05.005 So it is an elvish blade, too,’
  • 08.071 The elvish folk were passing bowls from hand to hand
  • 08.078 unless they had been made prisoners by the elves
  • 08.115 and Bilbo had his elvish dagger.
  • 08.131 They differed from the High Elves of the West,
  • 08.131 Still elves they were
  • 08.144 Then the elves put thongs on him,
  • 09.002 would have been of no use against the arrows of the elves
  • 09.002 when the elves bound the dwarves
  • 09.003 for the elves were making the dwarves go
  • 09.004 the elves thrust their prisoners,
  • 09.004 in time to scuttle over at the heels of the last elves,
  • 09.011 as they clashed together when the last elf passed;
  • 09.011 He could not keep up with the hunting elves
  • 09.020 the elves cast them through the trapdoors,
  • 09.025 He followed the two elves,
  • 09.037 some elves were under orders to come down
  • 09.039 A number of elves came laughing
  • 09.052 the elves being very merry
  • 09.055 he could hear the elves still singing
  • 09.065 The elves that were standing
  • 09.068 where other elves stood to fend them off with poles,
  • 10.007 he heard the elves speak of
  • 10.007 not a town of elves but of Men,
  • 10.009 while the elves of the raft
  • 10.030 than the raft-men of the elves
  • 10.041 which shows he was a wise elf
  • 12.015 that they learned of elves
  • 13.037 which the elves call mithril,
  • 14.039 to ask the aid of the King of the Elves of the Wood,
  • 14.042 Still elves are lightfooted,
  • 14.043 and many skilled elves;
  • 15.019 Already a host of the elves is on the way,
  • 15.020 and elves
  • 15.028 and the Elves
  • 15.031 and elvish bowmen were among them.
  • 15.035 but their song was not as elvish song,
  • 15.053 first dismiss the elvish host to the woods where it belongs,
  • 16.006 and elves,’
  • 16.017 when up came elves
  • 16.019 and the elves immediately gathered towards the sound.
  • 16.024 my good elves.
  • 16.025 in elvish armour,
  • 16.029 even for elves I imagine.
  • 16.046 and then he said farewell to the elves
  • 17.032 and elves to arms.
  • 17.042 The elves cried out with many voices.
  • 17.044 and upon the other were Elves
  • 17.048 the Elves were set;
  • 17.048 and elves
  • 17.050 The elves were the first to charge.
  • 17.052 the elves charged again with renewed numbers.
  • 17.054 and ears of elves
  • 17.057 Elves
  • 17.058 came many of the spearmen of the elves.
  • 17.059 and many a fair elf
  • 17.059 and elves
  • 17.060 He had taken his stand on Ravenhill among the Elves –
  • 17.061 and the merry elves.
  • 17.065 If the elves could not see him they could hear him.
  • 18.003 he thought he could see elves moving
  • 18.021 and elves
  • 18.032 the elvish sword that had been taken from Thorin
  • 18.050 Then the elves turned towards the Forest,
  • 19.001 Bilbo heard the elves still singing
  • 19.002 And elves are yet singing
  • 19.004 Here elf and elf-maiden
  • 19.005 Then the elves of the valley came out
  • 19.010 Below it many elves were singing loud
  • 19.018 with the elves of the valley.
  • 19.040 and visiting the elves;
  • 19.043 between elves

Egg-shaped

lfsaldenbirch , , ,
  • 08.092 and it did not take him long to find a nice smooth egg-shaped one

Ah, the right tool for the job.  Nothing like it.

This word is, of course, attested in OED. I rather love one of the examples:

1854   J. H. Stocqueler Hand-bk. Brit. India (ed. 3) 370   Ceylon is egg-shaped.

“egg, n.” OED Online, Oxford University Press, June 2017, http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/59878. Accessed 13 September 2017.

 

Egg-question

lfsaldenbirch , , , , ,
  • 05.047 he was so flustered by the egg-question.
  • 05.073 than when Bilbo had asked him the egg-question.

This is one of the few times that hyphenating words to create a new one distracts me.  Were there truly so many questions about eggs that Bilbo’s language had a word for that?  Or is it a clue to the nature of the language itself – able to adapt to new concepts by agglutinating when appropriate?

This word does not appear in OED. Wouldn’t that have been surprising?

Eerie

lfsaldenbirch , ,

Oho!  This is a Scottish word and has earned the “British” tag!

The word occurs in the northern (not in the midland) version of the Cursor Mundi. It has recently been often used in general literature, but is still regarded as properly Scotch.

  • 08.038 but it sounded eerie

“eerie | eery, adj.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, June 2015. Web. 27 July 2015.