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Z is for ZoCher

Mourne Kransky

12:54 / 27.08.02

I don’t foresee much debate here but I have been trying to write a vitally important presentation for the last 24 hours and, as is usually the case, have been thinking about 101 other things, such as :

the letter Z. Just how good is Z (pron. Zed by the way, mispronounced Zee by North Americans, and formerly known as Izzard btw).

Has a lovely 50’s-60’s SF feel to it and some impossibly exotic associations: Zog, Zita, Zebedee, Zhaan, Billy Zane, Ziggy Stardust, endless...

Also, here in Scotland, some common surnames survive where the olde Englishe letter yoch is rendered still today by the letter Z (Menzies, Dalziel…

The Latin letter Z came from the Greek alphabet and, before that, from a Semitic source. The ultimate origin is probably Egyptian.

I am a Z zealot.

Eloi Tsabaoth

13:07 / 27.08.02

You should read 'The Thought Gang' by Tibor Fischer.
It's zeb.

Ethan Hawke

13:11 / 27.08.02

There's a book by Tibor Fischer called The Thought Gang in which he uses every freakin' Z-word known to man. It's about a specialist in pre-Socratic (miletian, I think) thought, who becomes bank robber. It was published during Tarantino's heyday, if that explains it. Anyway, he and his cohort use the greek word zetetic to describe their process of seeking a philosophical truth. I suppose it's link scepticism but not so negative. Anyway, I can feel the Classicist mafia swooping down to correct me, so I must flee to the nearest temple for sanctuary. Have mercy on me, oh kindly ones.

Bear

13:13 / 27.08.02

I suggest you read 'The Thought Gang' by Tibor Fischer, it sounds right up your street.

Eloi Tsabaoth

13:15 / 27.08.02

There's a book by Tibor Fischer about a philosopher who becomes a bank robber. It's called 'The Thinking Gang' or something. Anyway, there's lots of Z words in that.

Ethan Hawke

13:15 / 27.08.02

Zounds! The Biznuth and I think alike.

Here's another Z word from chess (and from the German) Zugzwang. It refers to an end-game situation in which the player whose turn it is can't move without putting himself in check.

(nevermind)

This reminds me of a book I read...

...what was it called...

...oh yeah, "Consider Phlebas".

Anyway, "z" is also for "zany" so I wouldn't get too proud of the letter, unless you're Lucille Ball. Maybe that would be bad zedding.

ONLY NICE THINGS

13:34 / 27.08.02

And if you liked consider Phlebas, you should probably know that the poem from which the title was taken was read by Tibor Fischer, who wrote this really cool book about a scholar of Zetetic philosophy, which uses lots of words beginning with "Z", not least "Zetetic".

Ariadne

13:38 / 27.08.02

Or you could read The strange letter Z by Debra Daley. Daley is a New Zealander and the reason for the title is that, for a New Zealander abroad, the letter Z leaps out of any printed page, no matter whether it's actually about New Zealand or not.

w1rebaby

13:42 / 27.08.02

You could also read this. With the sound on.

Saint Keggers

13:46 / 27.08.02

"(pron. Zed by the way, mispronounced Zee by North Americans, and formerly known as Izzard btw)."

Wrong! Its pronounced Zee by Americans. Us Canadians still pronouce it Zed. I guess screwing up the language is one of the reprocussions of dumpimg the monarchy.

Jack Fear

14:48 / 27.08.02

fridgezilla: the sound on that game is terrifying. When he eats the cookie, the grunting, the hiccup, the sigh afterwards--it sounds like Muppet porn.

Jack Fear

14:50 / 27.08.02

Oh, and there's a good book by Tibor Fischer on the subject of the letter Z, with the startlingly Burroughs-esque title The Thought Gang.

bitchiekittie

15:28 / 27.08.02

google says

z is for zocoplankton
z is for zigzag fritillary
z is for zap
z is for zycus
z is for kevin zegers
z is for zwei
z is for zeugma
z is for zoo cupcake

bitchiekittie says

z is for sweet sweet zabaglione, zaffer to make the color blue, zaftig beauty, the effectiveness of a zener diode, a zen-like calm, zeolite, zeal and zest for life, the warm softness of zibeline, resiliant zelkova, beautiful zephyr lillies, zines and zingers, the zenith, zocher

Mourne Kransky

15:31 / 27.08.02

So many literary referrals for one little letter. Obviously a letter of supreme importance then, as I rightly supposed. Thank you, erudite people.

fridge, having just watched the monster eat the zebra with such relish, I fear for the children of your future homeland.

Kegboy has restored my faith in Canadians however, Zed loyalists. In the USA they are fond of -ising rather than -izing though. Got that going for them at least.

And I shall incorporate zugzwang into a conversation sometime soon, somehow. "Zwei Zwillingschwestern zugzwangen zusammen," vielleicht.

On a trip across steamy, unseasonally hot Edinburgh to a boring and pointless bloody meeting, I amused myself with my friend, hana_bi, by coming up with Ziggurat (especially significant to moi, Pharaoh Zoser as was), Zen, Zephyr, Zorg (from Betty Blue, nice dick),

You forgot Zenom.

and that list would have continued but for my itchy trigger finger here but lovely bitchiekittie has outzedded me. Zeugma! Zaba(gl)ione! Eccellentissimo Carissima!

And zapping. Do they still use zap in the way we did in the 70's when it meant two or three of us wee local poofs getting tanked up and going to the usual boisterous (hetero) Friday night disco at Teviot Row Union and dancing together, pour épater la bougeoisie? Such youthful inebriate bravado coupled with an undoubted death wish, masquerading as political fervour.

Saint Keggers

15:44 / 27.08.02

This thread could be re-written using Zwack. The secret code of the Barvarian Illuminati.
The only things I remember from art history is the stepped pyramids are called Ziggurats. I believe they may have those in..Zanzibar. You can be in one while reading Ziggy or Zippy the PinHead. Zap! Zoom! Zwack! Such words ripped from the Batman TV show fight scenes. Zounds!

Saint Keggers

15:45 / 27.08.02

Musn't forget reading (or watching) Zorro. And watching Transor Z.

grant

16:17 / 27.08.02

zymurgy - the study of fermentation.

Beer lovers love "z".

aus

21:05 / 27.08.02

ZoCher, I heard somewhere that there was a book someone wrote and it had words in it. I mean, some of the words in it started with Z. That can't be a mere coincidence, can it?

Mourne Kransky

21:16 / 27.08.02

So it would seem from the many references to it above. Do you think they're just taking the pizz? I hope it's got rude pictures in it. I've tried reading the books where it's just lots of words and no pictures and my head hurts.

Time for bed, said Zebedee... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

aus

21:44 / 27.08.02

Reading books is a socially sanctioned perversion. I can't think of a less natural activity that people will commonly dare to perform in public. Do you know that these days it's not just allowed in government schools, but actually encouraged? It will all end in tears, I swear.

Stone Mirror

14:09 / 28.08.02

Astoundingly enough, the word zymotic has failed to make an appearance in this thread so far.

It means "of, or pertaining to, fermentation".

Goodness Gracious Meme

14:35 / 28.08.02

z is also, of course for:

Our Lady of The Two Towers

17:44 / 28.08.02

I think we should close this thread. Haven't you heard? Zed's dead baby, Zed's dead...

Mourne Kransky

22:33 / 11.03.06

none

Less searchable M0rd4nt

22:39 / 11.03.06

So, just out of interest... how drunk are you guys?

Ganesh

22:42 / 11.03.06

Experimental post.

miss wonderstarr

22:54 / 11.03.06

Someone should mention Roland Barthes' S/Z. In 1990 my film lecturer joked that he thought Barthes had seen too many Zorro films.

I thought to myself it was more like Zenith.

I think chapter 1, the first chapter proper, following the Prologue of Phase One, was "The Flying Zed."

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