Vocabulary: What Rhymes with Purple?

What rhyme with purple? Hirple!

Hirple: walk with a limp; hobble.
Oxford Dictionaries Online

I'm fairly certain that the word hasn't seen any real use since the 15th century, and never in America, but it's interesting for two reasons. The first, of course, is that it rhymes perfectly with "purple." The second interesting point is that it made me think about the different words for human locomotion and the subtle differences between them. What is the variation to "hirple" that set it apart from "limp" or "hobble?" Why didn't "hirple" remain in common use? There doesn't seem to be a solid answer, but perhaps it's just that fewer people have been hirpling since 600 years ago.

Vocabulary with Handsome Jack: Choking and Strangulation

In the recently released video game, Borderlands 2, a discussion occurs between the antagonist and his assistant regarding the difference between choking and strangulation. Below is the best link I could find to the  conversation, which begins at the 17 minute mark. If you have yet to finish the game, the segment itself does not really contain any spoilers. The video before it does, so beware.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48-J1hKDeSo

For people who cannot click the link, here is a transcript of the discussion:

Handsome Jack: Jimmy, please make a note: I'm strangling Mister Moorin for bringing up my wife.

Mister Blake: Choked... Mister Moorin...

Handsome Jack: No, no, Jimmy, choking is something you do when you eat too fast. As I'm crushing Mister Moorin's windpipe with my watch chain, what I'm doing is actually referred to as strangling.

It is a distinction that had never really occurred to me before. By most definitions, the two words are synonymous. The real difference comes from the specificity of "strangulation":

Choking: have severe difficulty in breathing because of a constricted or obstructed throat or a lack of air. Hinder or obstruct the breathing of (a person or animal) by choking.

Strangle/Strangulation: squeeze or constrict the neck of (a person or animal), especially so as to cause death.
Oxford Online Dictionary

While someone who is being strangled is also being choked, it is not always true that someone who is being choked is being strangled. Mister Blake's choice in words is not incorrect, but it is less precise and unacceptable to Handsome Jack. Even if Mister Blake recognized this, he was probably wise not to have argued.

Vocabulary: Germane

Germane (adj.): Closely related, connected, or relevant to the current topic or situation.
Courtesy of Oxford Dictionary Online

This could easily just be me, but I was largely unaware of this word until about two weeks ago when I read it somewhere and realized I'd never really encountered it before. This is a good example of how even relatively well-read people have plenty of opportunities to continue to expand their vocabulary.

As a fun aside, this definition arose from its use in Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act V, scene ii: "The phrase would be more germane to the matter if we could carry a cannon by our sides; I would it might be hangers till then."