Michael Gates's Blog, page 43
September 15, 2014
Link Mania: Cromulent Eponyms
Guess what eponym we can thank Amelia Bloomer for?
~~~
10 Words The Simpsons Made Famous
Including "cromulent" (TWITO, page 36). Springfield's "cromulent" motto: "A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man."
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27 Phrases Only Spies Will Understand
Maybe I'm your "rabbit".
~~~
10 Words The Simpsons Made Famous
Including "cromulent" (TWITO, page 36). Springfield's "cromulent" motto: "A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man."
~~~
27 Phrases Only Spies Will Understand
Maybe I'm your "rabbit".
September 14, 2014
Word of the Day: Do you know what "conglobate" means?
What's "the word I'm thinking of"? Today, it's....
conglobate [KONG-lo-bate] verb (TWITO, page 33)
To form into a globe or ball
"He decided to conglobate all of his string into a weird planetesimal."
And a "planetesimal" is a small celestial body (used here metaphorically).
(photo by me)
conglobate [KONG-lo-bate] verb (TWITO, page 33)
To form into a globe or ball
"He decided to conglobate all of his string into a weird planetesimal."
And a "planetesimal" is a small celestial body (used here metaphorically).
(photo by me)
September 11, 2014
Photo of the Week: Reflection (by me)
Real or surreal? Click the pic for a closer view, if that floats your boat.
September 10, 2014
Much Ado about NOTHING
Walking through the park with three ears of corn in my shopping bag, I stopped to listen to an accordion band.
It didn't occur to me that there was anything punny (let alone funny) about this, until later someone remarked, "Wow, five ears listening to 'Lady of Spain'!"
To which I replied, "It really wasn't that corny."
Amaizeing, huh?
(photo by me)
It didn't occur to me that there was anything punny (let alone funny) about this, until later someone remarked, "Wow, five ears listening to 'Lady of Spain'!"
To which I replied, "It really wasn't that corny."
Amaizeing, huh?
(photo by me)
September 9, 2014
Random Sequence: ormolu
"His rich surroundings, though conjured by himself (or rather by his cash-books), had assumed the nature of a Frankenstein monster that awed and possessed him. He would no more have dreamt of really enjoying himself, than he would of reading any of the gilded books upon him marble and ormolu center table."
--"A Few Friends" by Korma Lynn in Godey's Lady Book and Magazine, May 1864
(I found a bound copy of several issues of Godey's in my basement and have been flipping through the dusty pages.)
ormolu = an alloy of zinc and copper used to imitate gold, or gold powder used for gilding
All that glitters is not ormolu.
--"A Few Friends" by Korma Lynn in Godey's Lady Book and Magazine, May 1864
(I found a bound copy of several issues of Godey's in my basement and have been flipping through the dusty pages.)
ormolu = an alloy of zinc and copper used to imitate gold, or gold powder used for gilding
All that glitters is not ormolu.
September 8, 2014
Link Mania: Unabashed, Indefatigable Martinets
10 Words with Difficult-to-Remember Meanings
Are you nonplussed by unabashed, indefatigable martinets who lack panache?
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Word in the news: facekini
A ski mask for all seasons. Bank robbers, take note.
~~~
Forest for the Trees: codde, whiffletree, arboreal, sapling, bonsai, maquis, tannin, thicket...
Here are two related words, not on the (great) list above: "bosk" (TWITO, page 23), a noun meaning a small wooded area, and "sylvestral" (TWITO, page 144), an adjective pertaining to trees.
(photo by me)
Are you nonplussed by unabashed, indefatigable martinets who lack panache?
~~~
Word in the news: facekini
A ski mask for all seasons. Bank robbers, take note.
~~~
Forest for the Trees: codde, whiffletree, arboreal, sapling, bonsai, maquis, tannin, thicket...
Here are two related words, not on the (great) list above: "bosk" (TWITO, page 23), a noun meaning a small wooded area, and "sylvestral" (TWITO, page 144), an adjective pertaining to trees.
(photo by me)
September 7, 2014
Word of the Day: Do you know what "luciferous" means?
What's "the word I'm thinking of"? Today, it's...
luciferous [loo-SIF-er-us] adjective (TWITO, page 85)
1. Bringing or providing light
2. Providing insight or enlightenment
"I therefore take the liberty to say, that I do not regard meteoric light as due to the presence of a luciferous atmosphere belonging to the meteorite itself...."
--Daniel Vaughan, "A Catalogue of Observations of Luminous Meteors" (1858)
And yes, the name Lucifer ("light bringer") is related.
luciferous [loo-SIF-er-us] adjective (TWITO, page 85)
1. Bringing or providing light
2. Providing insight or enlightenment
"I therefore take the liberty to say, that I do not regard meteoric light as due to the presence of a luciferous atmosphere belonging to the meteorite itself...."
--Daniel Vaughan, "A Catalogue of Observations of Luminous Meteors" (1858)
And yes, the name Lucifer ("light bringer") is related.
September 3, 2014
September 2, 2014
TWITO News: Free Audiobook
Listen up, logophiles! Did you know that my book, The Word I'm Thinking Of, is also available as an audiobook, voiced by the talented Narrator Jack? It's available from Audible.com, and I have 25 complimentary copies to give away. Leave a Comment here, and I'll send you a code to use to download your free copy from Audible.
August 28, 2014
Random Sequence: chanticleer
"We will endeavor to describe a village wedding in Sweden. It shall be summertime, that there may be flowers; and in a southern province, that the bride may be fair. The early song of the lark and chanticleer are mingling in the clear morning air, and the sun, the heavenly bridegroom with yellow hair, arises in the south."
--"Village Wedding in Sweden", anonymous, in Godey's Lady Book and Magazine, May 1864
(I found a bound copy of several issues of Godey's in my basement and have been flipping through the dusty pages.)
chanticleer [SHON-toh-clear] = a rooster, though when capitalized, it can also refer to a male vocal ensemble. The word apparently comes from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, where the rooster Chanticleer is described thus:
"For crowing there was not his equal in all the land. His voice was merrier than the merry organ that plays in church, and his crowing from his resting place was more trustworthy than a clock. His comb was redder than fine coral and turreted like a castle wall, his bill was black and shone like a jet, and his legs and toes were like azure. His nails were whiter than the lily and his feathers were like burnished gold."
What a stud!
--"Village Wedding in Sweden", anonymous, in Godey's Lady Book and Magazine, May 1864
(I found a bound copy of several issues of Godey's in my basement and have been flipping through the dusty pages.)
chanticleer [SHON-toh-clear] = a rooster, though when capitalized, it can also refer to a male vocal ensemble. The word apparently comes from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, where the rooster Chanticleer is described thus:
"For crowing there was not his equal in all the land. His voice was merrier than the merry organ that plays in church, and his crowing from his resting place was more trustworthy than a clock. His comb was redder than fine coral and turreted like a castle wall, his bill was black and shone like a jet, and his legs and toes were like azure. His nails were whiter than the lily and his feathers were like burnished gold."
What a stud!
