[rant]never to be read with [d] sound as in "meddle" and "medal"![/rant]

Today’s Word:
Mettle (Noun)

Pronunciation: [‘me-dêl (British ‘me-têl)]

Definition 1: A person’s character, spirit, courage, strength of principle—the stuff one is made of, usually in a positive sense.

Usage 1: Today’s word has an adjective, mettlesome "high-spirited, courageous" (not to be confused with "meddlesome" though pronounced the same), as the feats of mettlesome Achilles on the battlefields of Troy.

Suggested usage: Today’s word was one of William Shakespeare’s favorites. In Act II of his ‘Henry IV’ Prince Hal reports "I am no proud Jack, like Falstaff, but a Corinthian, a lad of mettle, a good boy." It was still a poignant term in1928 when D. H. Lawrence wrote in ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover,’ "Her mettle was roused, she would not be defeated."

Etymology: Today’s word came into being as a variant spelling of "metal" in the 16th century but by 1700 it had assumed the metaphoric meaning full time. "Metal" continued to be used to refer to character as well as the metallic substance long after. "Metal" was borrowed from Old French "metal" or "metail" from Latin metallum "mine," taken from Greek metallon "mine, ore, metal."

—Dr. Language,  yourDictionary.com

The Agora is sometimes heated up as a melting pot where each member can test the mettle of pet theories of others by his favourite method of metallurgy which is likewise tested.  I hope this process will yields much steel and gold from raw ore.

Here’s to the happy pursuit of your suggested alchemy, Flam. I hear mettle used seldom, but when I do, it is paired with the related word fettle.

n.
1a. Proper or sound condition. b. Mental or emotional state; spirits: was in fine fettle.
2. Metallurgy Loose sand or ore used to line the hearth of a reverberatory furnace in preparation for pouring molten metal.
tr.v. Metallurgy fet·tled, fet·tling, fet·tles

To line the hearth of (a reverberatory furnace) with loose sand or ore in preparation for pouring molten metal.

[From Middle English fetlen, to make ready, possibly from Old English fetel, girdle.]

Some examples of this pairing:
Fine fettle / Heavy Mettle (theatre review).

IT’s mettle, practiced, fettle-fervid, (poem by by dan berkey).

such was the mettle and fettle of the band that they took the set to a storming finish. (Brian Miller review of Mariza at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall).

England must be on mettle / ENGLAND should, by rights, be in fine fettle as they begin the most important week of their winter programme. (Michael Henderson for sport.telegraph).

gailr

I once thought of cooking sea nettle with a fettle
but couldn’t test its mettle for it settled in a kettle.

Perhaps it would help
if you season it with betel.

I believe it was served this way
to Hansel by her Gretel.

But stick to the seed
as you should not eat the petal.

Its argot will make you feel
a little bit unsettle.

gailr
[disclaimer] this is not an actual recipe, nor does it properly describe a plant or medical symptoms. [/disclaimer] :D

Gailrrr,

Here is a message from Hansel to you, "I am brother to my sister Gretel. >:("

The German boy’s name Hansel is deminutive form of Hans and the girl’s name Gretel is more officially Gretchen.  Their English equivalents are respectively John and Margaret, which trace back to Hebrew Yochanan and Latin Margarita.  The former means "God has been gracious" and the latter is from the Greek word margaron "pearl" or "precious."

I don’t know if the siblings had borne the present names before Grimm Brothers published German folklores but Jacob and Welhelm must have definitely liked the pair "gracious" and "precious."

Flaminicious,

Dear Master Hansel:

Of course you are a boy; anyone could see that. I don’t know how I entered the wrong pronoun. Please accept my sincere apologies. And this nice piece of gingerbread by way of recompense.

-gailr

Flam: I didn’t know the names meant ""gracious" and "precious." Thanks for posting them.

[quote author=gailr link=board=todays;num=1091883511;start=0#5 date=08/08/04 at 13:13:10] . . . I don’t know how I entered the wrong pronoun.  . . .

Perhaps you were thinking in French instead of English, where the possessive adjectives his (son, sa, ses) and her (also son, sa, ses!) take on the gender of the word being modified.

//Larry
Who is sometimes trop galant

       Here’s an example  word that people seemed to be having trouble with when it last appeared on this web page, including myself. (It is normally not in my vocabulary either).
     
       "[Iraq] is a place where your METTLE will be tested. Don’t ever let your guard down."
       —- Lt. Gen. Edward Soriano - Fort Lewis Commander
as quoted by "The Seattle Times" September 8, 2004.

no medal for this meddle.