Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PIEBALD
Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.
connect this word to others:
Although "piebald" might sound like a problem you have on Thanksgiving when there's nothing left to scrape from the Cool Whip tub, it actually means "mixed, mottled, motley, patched, patchy, v_r__g_t_d."
Can you recall that last synonym?
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"PIEBALD"
The "pie" part means "magpie," this kind of bird:
(Thanks, Wikipedia!)
And the "bald" part means "white" or "spotted."
So, something literally piebald is spotty or patchy with different colors, especially both dark and light ones, in a way that reminds you of a magpie. For example, here's a piebald deer:
(Thanks, Deer-Departed.com!) (Awwww.)
As cute as the deer is, its piebald appearance is caused by a genetic defect, a condition that might also cause deformities; in fact, sadly, piebald deer usually die before they become adults.
Anyway, figuratively piebald things have different parts or sections that contrast with each other, often in a messy, inconsistent, or unappealing way.
Pronunciation:
PIE bald
(rhymes with "Ty called")
Part of speech:
Adjective: "this piebald faculty," "that piebald fanbase."
Other forms:
"Pied" can mean the same thing as "piebald." (As in "the Pied Piper," who, in Robert Browning's poem, wears a coat "half of yellow and half of red.")
"Piebald" is also a noun, meaning "a thing, usually an animal, with patches of different colors."
The noun for the quality is "piebaldness."
How to use it:
Talk about piebald mixes, patches, and patterns, sometimes literally, like on piebald pigs, deer, sheep, and horses; and sometimes figuratively, like in piebald works of literature and piebald stretches of history.
Often the word "piebald" carries a negative tone, implying ugliness, deformity, and/or inconsistency. I know, it's crazy--because the animals above are straight-up cute.
What's not cute is a piebald faculty or staff: one that's patchy, with some members useless or stubbornly unwilling to blend into the office culture. Or a piebald script for a movie: one that's patchy, with some scenes hastily written or full of tired old tropes.
examples:
"Three and a half centuries of progress might seem a lot, but it is a tiny mote in the piebald passage of human history."
— Staff, Nature, 11 March 2015
"They were a motley crew, with tangled beards and long hair that fell in curls... the great man was distributing prize-packets, and the excitement of the piebald crowd grew momently."
— I. Zangwill, The King of Schnorrers, 1909
has this page helped you understand "piebald"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "piebald" without saying "patchy" or "splotchy."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) tried to impose order on this piebald (resume, work history, cabinet of records, outline for a lecture, method/approach/system of doing something, etc.)."
Example: "I tried to impose order on this piebald work history. But the gaps are too glaring."
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Our game last month was "Inspired by, but in no way associated with, the game show Chain Reaction."
In each issue, you filled in two puzzles—an easier one and a tougher one—by supplying the terms to complete the chains.
From the previous issue:
An easier puzzle:
Serendipitous
T_____
Chain
A tougher puzzle:
Thresh
G____
A______
Intake
Answers:
Serendipitous
Timing
Chain
Thresh
Grain
Alcohol
Intake
Next up, our game for July: "Big Bang Thicket."
In each issue, hack your way through the polysyllabic title of an episode of The Big Bang Theory, and use your knowledge of vocabulary to answer the question about what happens in that episode.
Try this one today:
In "The Luminous Fish Effect," does Sheldon experiment with fish as night lights or as message transmitters?
review this word:
1. The opposite of PIEBALD is
A. SHAGGY.
B. INFURIATED.
C. MONOCHROME.
2. Writing for Scientific American, Carolyn Porco describes one of Saturn's moons as "piebald," with _____
A. "points of blue light, glimmering and otherworldly."
B. "one hemisphere as white as snow and the other deep black."
C. "orange and yellow swirls that seep together like watercolors."
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Although "piebald" might sound like a problem you have on Thanksgiving when there's nothing left to scrape from the Cool Whip tub, it actually means "mixed, mottled, motley, patched, patchy, v_r__g_t_d."
"PIEBALD" The "pie" part means "magpie," this kind of bird:
(Thanks, Wikipedia!)
(Thanks, Deer-Departed.com!) (Awwww.)
"Three and a half centuries of progress might seem a lot, but it is a tiny mote in the piebald passage of human history."
Explain the meaning of "piebald" without saying "patchy" or "splotchy."
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) tried to impose order on this piebald (resume, work history, cabinet of records, outline for a lecture, method/approach/system of doing something, etc.)."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. The opposite of PIEBALD is
|
