Tuesday, June 1, 2010

What's a callipygian?


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Why: In this New Yorker Shouts & Murmurs thing by Woody Allen:
As I browsed I suddenly felt two burning orbs scoping out my anatomy and turned to see America’s No. 1 box-office attraction clocking my callipygian.
Answer: "Having well-shaped buttocks!" (An adjective, not a noun, Woody Allen.) Its comes from Greek kallipugos (kallos, "beauty" + puge, "buttocks"), used to describe a famous statue of Aphrodite. This one. Look at them:
Source: World Wide Words

The More You Know
: When you say "ogle," does it rhyme with "mogul" or "toggle"? Discuss.

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