Michael Gates's Blog, page 17
November 13, 2016
Word of the Day: bastinado
What's the word I'm thinking of? Today, it's....
bastinado (noun)
Punishment that involves caning the soles of someone's feet.
"I will deal in poison with thee, or in bastinado, or in steel; I will bandy with thee in faction; I will o'errun thee with policy; I will kill thee a hundred and fifty ways: therefore tremble and depart."
--William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act V, Scene I
After that election, there are several people who could use a bastinado.
bastinado (noun)
Punishment that involves caning the soles of someone's feet.
"I will deal in poison with thee, or in bastinado, or in steel; I will bandy with thee in faction; I will o'errun thee with policy; I will kill thee a hundred and fifty ways: therefore tremble and depart."
--William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act V, Scene I
After that election, there are several people who could use a bastinado.
November 11, 2016
November 7, 2016
A Devilish Dictionary for the 2016 Campaign
Here's a basket of lexicographic deplorables:
November 3, 2016
Word of the Day: trundle-tail
What's the word I'm thinking of? Today, it's....
trundle-tail (noun)
A dog with a curly tail
"Be thy mouth or black or white,
Tooth that poisons if it bite;
Mastiff, greyhound, mongrel grim, 50
Hound or spaniel, brach or lym;
Or bobtail tike or trundle-tail;
Tom will make them weep and wail:
For, with throwing thus my head,
Dogs leap the hatch, and all are fled.
--William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act III, scene VI
Who let the trundle-tails out?
trundle-tail (noun)
A dog with a curly tail
"Be thy mouth or black or white,
Tooth that poisons if it bite;
Mastiff, greyhound, mongrel grim, 50
Hound or spaniel, brach or lym;
Or bobtail tike or trundle-tail;
Tom will make them weep and wail:
For, with throwing thus my head,
Dogs leap the hatch, and all are fled.
--William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act III, scene VI
Who let the trundle-tails out?
October 31, 2016
Story Cubes 20 / Random Sequence / Halloween
You wave your flashlight like a magic wand, and the kid's shadow becomes a monster on the wall. You make some popcorn and cook up a story for him about aliens building the pyramids. Are they around today, he asks? You say you think so. Aliens are always here, flitting around the skies in all directions. The key to seeing them is to get under the covers and count some sheep.
You can quote me on that.
~~~
(The bold-faced words are interpreted from the images on Rory's Story Cubes)
You can quote me on that.
~~~
(The bold-faced words are interpreted from the images on Rory's Story Cubes)
October 28, 2016
Link Mania: Coffee Words
A list of Coffee words
Climb every mountain
Ford every stream
Follow every rainbow
'Till you find your "bilita mpash"
16 weird and wonderful words we really need emojis for :)
What's your favorite antediluvian word? I like "mooncalf" (TWITO, page 90). Archaic words
October 11, 2016
Two FREE Kindle E-books
Fire up your e-readers! My two Kindle editions on Amazon are FREE from October 12th (tomorrow) through October 16th. A funny dictionary and a scary story -- what a combination! Both have 4.5-star ratings (out of 5) on Amazon.
The Word I'm Thinking Of
The Iron Box
The Word I'm Thinking Of
The Iron Box
October 5, 2016
Word of the Day: expostulate
What's the word I'm thinking of? Today, it's....
expostulate (verb)
To express strong disagreement or disapproval
"My liege, and madam, to expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is,
What day is day, night night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time;
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief. Your noble son is mad...."
--William Shakespeare, Hamlet Act 2, scene 2
Presidential debates: full of expostulation you could say. And you will.
expostulate (verb)
To express strong disagreement or disapproval
"My liege, and madam, to expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is,
What day is day, night night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time;
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief. Your noble son is mad...."
--William Shakespeare, Hamlet Act 2, scene 2
Presidential debates: full of expostulation you could say. And you will.
September 24, 2016
Story Cubes 19: End Game (fiction)
"Rules! You can't move your rook diagonally!" he said.
"Oh right," I said, and instead moved the chess piece one measly square forward. "I'm more of a bridge player, actually." It was a fib. I hate playing games.
The old man looked up pat me. "Bridge? Bleh!" he spat (not literally). "Checkmate!"
I wasn't sure if it really was checkmate, but his queen was threatening my king, so I let him have his victory. "Well played!" I said. As a volunteer at the nursing home, I didn't think it was my place to be disagreeable.
He waved his hand at me, as if to say it was nothing. "You need to shine your apple," he said.
I couldn't help noticing his Adam's apple bobbing as he said it, and I suppressed a giggle. I had only a vague idea of what he meant, but I said, "Yep!"
I didn't like to think of him locked up in there, no family visitors, spending his days staring out of the window -- through the keyhole, so to speak. Not being able to sleep at night -- so the nurses said -- and watching for shooting stars.
"I'll see you next week," I said.
"If I'm here," he said.
"Come on, why wouldn't you be?"
"Checkmate", he said. Then he put his hand on top of his rook and moved it across the board -- diagonally.
###
(The bold-faced words are interpreted from the images on Rory's Story Cubes)
September 13, 2016
Word of the Day: Festinate
festinate [FESS-tih-nate] (adjective, verb) [TWITO, page 53]
To move or act at high speed; hasty
"Advise the duke, where you are going, to a most festinate preparation; we are bound to the like. Our posts shall be swift and intelligent betwixt us."
--William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act III, scene 7
My mom has a dusty old upright player piano in her basement. I took a few piano lessons as a kid and used to practice on it. But I never liked playing the piano. I always preferred to insert a piano roll and let the thing play itself. It wasn't electric, though; I had to do some festinate pumping of the foot pedals to make it make it play "Melancholy Baby" or some other tin pan alley hit at the proper speed.
To move or act at high speed; hasty
"Advise the duke, where you are going, to a most festinate preparation; we are bound to the like. Our posts shall be swift and intelligent betwixt us."
--William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act III, scene 7
My mom has a dusty old upright player piano in her basement. I took a few piano lessons as a kid and used to practice on it. But I never liked playing the piano. I always preferred to insert a piano roll and let the thing play itself. It wasn't electric, though; I had to do some festinate pumping of the foot pedals to make it make it play "Melancholy Baby" or some other tin pan alley hit at the proper speed.
