The Daily Word for July 29, 2021

 

zorro - noun - a type of fox seen in South America (Lexico.com)

I don't live in a South American country although politically and economically, sometimes it might seem as though I do. I do live, however, in a bustling suburb of New Jersey, not terribly far from New York City. I don't know if COVID has anything remotely to do with it, but lately elements of nature seem to be gaining ground. Creatures not typically seen in the 'burbs are popping up. It is as though these foreign species are intuiting our probable demise and capitalizing on it. Maybe they are saying to themselves, "Okay, here's our chance. These humans may die out fairly soon and leave us to inherit planet Earth. We'd better start thinking about our own version of gentrification. We'll move in and push the surviving humans out." And why not? After all, they were here first. 

You are probably curious as to what unusual examples of wildlife I've had skulking about lately. In my own garden, I've seen hummingbirds (which I did not see before the pandemic), two kinds of foxes (not zorros as far as I know), news of a bear running through neighbors' yards (but not my own–yet). I also have legions of deer: does, stags, and fawns that I have to feed, or they will eat all vegetation in sight. And oddly enough, although this did not happen in Jersey's 'burbs, my sister's boyfriend was bitten by a rattlesnake in the Catskills. That sort of thing just doesn't happen on this coast too frequently. (At least I don't think it does.)

Am I personally afraid of being displaced by Mother Nature? Not at the moment, no. But you have got to wonder whether it is possible in the next few decades, especially if we don't get our acts together and take better care of the planet and ourselves. 

I'll be taking the weekend off to partake in the natural wonders of the Jersey shore. There are no deer or zorros on the beach as far as I know. You enjoy your weekend as well. 

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The Daily Word for July 28, 2021

 

astrobleme - noun - eroded remnant of a large ancient crater made by the impact of a meteorite or comet

I know. You are probably asking yourself why I would chose this obscure word out of thousands of other more familiar, more practical ones. As a poet, I beg your pardon as I'd like to use it as a metaphor. 

If you have any kind of penchant for extraordinary, heaven-sent beings as most do, you know that there are a few from the past that qualify as astroblemes of a sort. Years ago, these stars fell to Earth, made a huge, explosive impact, and left us with their remnants, their art. Surely these astroblemes have become immortal. Case in point, last night I was watching Apple TV's documentary series "1971" and was reminded of how the musicians of that year (some are still alive and kicking like the Rolling Stones) inspired so many. John Lennon, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Elvis (not that he has been mentioned yet) are some of the most memorable. The craters that these meteoric talents left when they crashed into the planet will never be filled as no one in the industry can truly replace them. As a singer-songwriter, I have to admit that these astroblemes have rocked my world, creatively. Although I was only in middle school in 1971, all of the music released in that year stayed with me because it reacted to the times, illustrating it. In its attempt to do the same, the music of today has not succeeded as well, not by a long shot. 

Still, there are contributors in other fields who fit into the category of astrobleme, and their influence will continue to collide, resonate with us mere humans for a long time to come. I think that most of us would like to mimic them just so that we, too, can secure immortality. We can only try.

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The Daily Word for July 27, 2021

 

absquatulate - verb - to leave somewhere abruptly (Lexico.com)

I live in the suburbs of Jersey–in the shadows of New York City. On clear days, I can see the skyscrapers looming on the horizon 25 miles away as I drive east on Rt. 22. For whatever reason, this part of the country has a quicker pace, maybe the quickest. The "New York minute" is approximately thirty seconds as opposed to sixty everywhere else. Traditionally, inhabitants of this region have people to see, places to go and little patience so that they tend to think nothing of absquatulating at the drop of a hat. And when they do, the rest of us don't think that it is rude because the behavior has become commonplace. 

Sometimes absquatulating can become involuntary. For example, yesterday afternoon I attended a monthly meeting of my book club, a coterie of highly educated, intellectual teachers –my former colleagues who devour tomes whole and don't think twice about doing so. I formed the club because every time we got together as friends, all they would talk about was books. As humans, they are beyond bibliophiles. Anyway at yesterday's gathering, we were all engrossed in a discussion about plagiarism that had nothing whatever to do with the month's selection–ironically, Fredrick Blackman's Anxious People–when one member threw a wrench in the engine with "I have to go. Michael is cooking dinner and needs to eat obnoxiously early." Naturally, once she stood up to absquatulate, the rest of us–like lemmings–did, too, and before we knew it, we were saying our farewells and heading to our cars. Just like that. Absquatulating may just be as catching as COVID. I hope not, though. If a party is any good, I tend to want to stay. How about you? 

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The Daily Word for July 26, 2021

 

blind pig (N. Amer. informal) - noun - a place where alcoholic drinks are sold illegally (Lexico.com)

Here's another term I've never heard used, and I live in North America, which doesn't mean I have had no experience with one, though. I must admit that the mere thought of one does take me back to my adolescence when the drinking age in New Jersey was eighteen. As I turned eighteen just after the Vietnam War ended, the government felt that if members of my generation could be drafted, then we could surely be responsible enough to drink moderately and responsibly. Obviously, the lawmakers possessed not a modicum of common sense. Nor did they understand human nature. 

However, bar owners of the seventies capitalized on the legislation, opening up secondary shops with entertainment to draw in legals and illegals alike. There was one drinking establishment called "The Old Straw Hat" just off a pretty dangerous highway, nicknamed the "Double Deuce," that was definitely a blind pig: they got away with serving fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen year olds in addition to the legit eighteen year olds. It is no wonder I lost a friend to cirrhosis last year. At present, another has it and the psychosis associated with it. (He is convinced he is a rock star.) Perhaps my friends would have become alcoholics sans the blind pigs of the era. I don't know. But let me say that the blind pigs didn't help. Which is probably why the drinking age in most states has since been elevated to 21. The way people drink these days, I doubt that the drinking age will be lowered any time soon. (It also helps that there is no longer a draft. Thank Goodness for small favors.)

Many are using the pandemic as an excuse to imbibe more booze. If you are one of these people, please curtail your bad habit. Those of us who have already don't want to go to any more funerals involving alcohol. We love you too much to lose you prematurely. 

It's Monday. Start the work week off right. 

The Daily Word for July 25, 2021

 

mudlark - noun - a person who scavenges in riverside mud at low tide for anything of value

You know that the economy must be pretty good if you don't see any mudlarks lurking around riverbanks or beaches. To be quite honest, I haven't seen any in years. I used to see them all of the time. Some bearers of hi-tech sensory equipment, looking for lost diamond rings, were more sophisticated than others that were happy discovering small change inside seashells. Both types were always on the annoying side since they interrupted the landscape of horizontal bodies and kicked up sand in the faces of those horizontal bodies as they surveyed the sand.

Yesterday, my daughter and I took a short trip to the banks of the Delaware where we leased tire-like tubes and drifted down the river five miles, which only took about two hours due to an unprecedented, fast current. The rental agency forewarned us to stay close to the left bank, which we managed to do even through the ins and outs of rocks and rapids. We did have time to pay attention to what was occurring on land, though, and did not see anyone remotely similar to a mudlark, which would have been a lark anyway since the occupation is no longer as commonplace (see above), and all those who want something for nothing were probably engaged in doing nothing on couches in basements. I can be cynical. I know. 

Despite not seeing any mudlarks (not that we wanted to see them), our senses were filled with the beauty and delights of a natural "lazy river," much better than any to be had at Disney World or Great Adventure, for a fraction of the ticket price, too. So if you are looking for a few hours of socially distanced, family fun, try tubing down a river near you. Doing nothing can take on a whole new direction: supine on an inflatable plastic donut floating downstream without a paddle. A perfect situation for a Sunday.

Enjoy! 

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The Daily Word for July 23, 2021

 

pre-loved - adjective - second hand

It has been a long, long time since I have heard the term "pre-loved." "Used" or "nearly-new" I hear a lot. How about you? And I have always been a fan of thrift shops because I can usually find something pre-loved that is in really good shape for pittance. But what if I were to tact on a secondary definition to the word's existing one? Perhaps a more literal one? If I could, I would add 2. the experience of having loved. 

Honestly, I don't think too many of us out there really know how to love each other. And I don't necessarily censure anyone for inability because human nature is so self-absorbed. Yes, it is important to love oneself, but it is also essential to empathize. Real love depends on the ability to walk in someone else's shoes, even the very uncomfortable ones that were probably a mistake to buy. Selfishness can be seen when we blame others who have hurt us before we blame ourselves for wrongs we might have committed because we get caught up in our own pain. After the dissolution of our love affairs, we promise ourselves that we will never take the risk of trying to love so closely again, but we always do. Sometimes we repeat patterns. The pre-loved try to love unselfishly again and again sans realizing they are equally as selfish as the selfish that they take the risk to love. And it goes on and on and on. 

So what is the takeaway? Those of you who are pre-loved (definition 2) shouldn't allow yourselves to become pre-loved (definition 1). You shouldn't allow heartbreak to let you feel used, nearly new. You should embrace each disappointment, accept that you, too, have made mistakes because it does take two to tango, and dance on, alone, if necessary. After all, there is nothing wrong with dancing with yourself as long as you like the music you've chosen. And you can choose the playlist, the soundtrack of life. Thank Goodness for free will.

Have a wonderful Friday! 

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The Daily Word for July 22, 2021

 

ragtop - noun - a convertible car with a soft roof (Lexico.com)

I don't know about you, but I often find myself waxing nostalgic, not that everything was perfect fifty years ago, but there were a few things that have left the planet, such as genuine customer service, hassle-free flying on commercial carriers, the music and artists of the '60s and '70s (which I still have via my record albums), and colorful cars (the ragtops) that I really miss. When I was five years old back in 1963 (okay, feel free to do the math to uncover my age), my dream car was an all-white Mustang ragtop, the kind a Barbie doll might tool around in, oblivious to race riots and a pointless war in Southeast Asia. For me, that car was bliss in concrete terms. I'd search for one today if it wasn't for the fact that parts might be nearly impossible to find should it break down, and you and I both know it would. I did own a 1979 Mustang once and it lasted a year before it blew a rod. Unfortunately, fantasy and reality are two different concepts. 

Still, we need fantasy. And we need it badly today. So feel free to reflect back on all that was once seemingly flawless in your naive youth. It is okay not to accept reality in order to accept it eventually, once you wake up from the reverie. You will always have the imagery to hold onto even if your favorite aspects of the past have died. 

Enjoy the day! 

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The Daily Word for July 21, 2021

 

mollitious - adjective - luxurious, sensuous

I like words (okay, yes, I think I've made that obvious), especially those that have pronunciations that intimate their meanings. Mollitious is one of those words. Apparently, the term that derives from the Latin moltities for softness can be found in a poem penned in 1644 by Francis Quarles (Lexico.com). I can imagine that he probably employed it to describe his true love's skin.  But can things that are not especially palpable be considered mollitious? I would say yes. As I am a songwriter, I listen to quite a bit of music to gain a sense of perspective and a competitive edge. I want to know what's out there. With the exception of Melody Gardot's, unfortunately, there isn't much in the way of mollitious songs, which is why I am striving to create more. And yesterday, I had the opportunity to do just that in my young cousin's recording studio. Sounds can be soft. But this blog is not meant to be an advert for what I do, so I'll focus on you. 

What is the purpose of this particular blog? It is to recommend immersing yourself in anything that might be mollitious, abstract or concrete. To feel or to experience anything soft, luxurious is a feast for the senses, and something small can contribute largely to the quality of life. After all, you don't have to have excessive dollars to find a soft cushion or pillow on which to rest your head. Touching a rose pedal in someone else's garden can be  transformative to your mood as its softness will affect every sensory receptor in your body. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Truly, the simple, mollitious connections are what make life worth living. 

Happy Hump Day! 

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The Daily Word for July 20, 2021

 

crescendo - noun - highest point reached in a progressive increase of intensity (Google)

Do you ever feel as though you are living inside a crescendo? Unfortunately, I'm not referring to a musical experience here; I'm thinking in terms of how some situations (generally negative) start small and then escalate from there, eventually reaching a stressful apex. Case in point, if you read yesterday's installment of this blog, you already know that I had attended a chi chi wedding in Bermuda over the weekend. All was transpiring extremely well until the flight home when acts of God beyond United's control forced the regularly scheduled flight to land, not in Newark like we were supposed to, but in Boston. 

By the time we were able to exit the 707, we had experienced a delay of five hours. (The flight from Bermuda to Newark is normally 1.45 hours.) No one was in a buoyant mood, especially the one agent United had assigned to solve everyone's mutual dilemma: How to get back to Newark in the middle of a storm. Needless to say, the dilemma wasn't solved. So my daughter and I booked a last-minute room in our favorite Bean Town haunt, the Parker House Hotel, managing to negotiate mass transit in order to arrive there at bed time. But the aforementioned has little to do with the crescendo, which I mentioned in the third sentence. I'm talking money here. The initial price quote for the room was $287.10, high, but it's Boston. By morning, the price had increased to $353.01 due to the addition of excessive bogus taxes such as State Occupancy (whatever that means). After taking two buses home (I was not going to deal with the ineptitude of United again), for a total of six hours, I looked up my credit card statement and was shocked to see that the hotel's bill had grown to $403. The crescendo was completely unwarranted. Needless to say, I'll probably be on the phone this morning with the hotel and perhaps even Visa. 

Moral of the story? Don't travel in anything other than your car during a pandemic. It ain't over till it's over.

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The Daily Word for July 19, 2021

 

connubial - adjective - relating to marriage or the state of marriage

Sometime in May, I introduced you to the word misogamy, which means hatred for marriage. In the post, I confessed to being somewhat of a misogamist as I have had a wealth of bad experiences either first or secondhand pertaining to the institution. Usually, I don't adopt a viewpoint without solid evidence as I try to be as fair as possible. One valid statistic that remains unwavering is that half of all marriages in the U.S. wind up in divorce. Mine is included somewhere in the mix. 

However, I don't doubt that connubial bliss could just be a reality; and an A-list wedding I had the good fortune to attend in Bermuda this past Friday night might be substantive proof. Granted, the two, a gorgeous Brazilian-American lawyer and her Egyptian/Finnish-American entrepreneur, had both been married and divorced before. Both have children, she, two sons, and he, two daughters, putting them in the category of the Brady Bunch but in reverse. Could it be that they had made their share of mistakes during the course of round 1 and had learned enough from them so that round 2 might endure eternally? I tend to have hope that it will so much so that if Vegas had established the odds, I might place a bet that their connubial union would succeed. Admittedly, I'm an optimist, but one who has little in the way of luck.

With the aforementioned in mind, it's Monday in New Jersey. So anything can happen. 

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The Daily Word for July 13, 2021

 

eviternity - noun - eternal existence or everlasting duration

I am absolutely positive that you have found yourself in at least one situation that seemed endless, inside minutes that lasted an eviternity. Oddly enough, these everlasting circumstances tend to be negative as the positive occurrences usually evaporate in seconds, evading your attempts to latch onto them. Last night, on my way home from a songwriting session with a sweet bunch of veterans, I got caught in a vicious torrential rain storm that included flashes of intermittent lightning. The lines delineating the lanes on the Interstate blurred into oblivion so that I found myself blindly following a truck's taillights, praying that the driver of the rig could somehow see better than I. Those forty miles inside an hour or so of white-knuckle tension perpetuated for eviternity. Seriously? I never thought I would make it home. But I did. And was thankful for the small miracle. 

As part and parcel of life, you and I will encounter times that will seem to endure for eviternity, but the fact is, they won't. They will come and go, emphasis being on the go. No matter how many storms we experience, the sun always winds up appearing in the sky to erase them. All we have to do is roll with the motion of the flash floods until the sun can soak them up and dry the land. Nothing lasts for eviternity. Life is just not built that way. 

I'll be taking a break until Sunday.

Enjoy! 

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The Daily Word for July 12, 2021

 

hunt-and-peck - adjective - using only one or two fingers on a computer keyboard (Lexico.com)

Until about three minutes ago, I didn't know that there was actually an adjective to describe how some manage to negotiate a computer keyboard. According to a friend of mine who is a compact storeroom of isolated facts, many people go about hunting and pecking but don't advertise their ineptitude. Over dinner, he indiscreetly pointed out that a mutual friend of ours who heads up a Montessori school in the Philadelphia area has succeeded in hoodwinking her superiors that she can touch type at a rapid speed. Because she has not mastered the dying art of keyboarding with two fingers at a rapid pace, he has had to do much of her word-processing for her. Needless to say, neither of us thinks that she'll be able to pull the wool over her bosses' eyes for two long, meaning that they will probably issue walking papers soon. On the other hand, my father, a World War II vet (God rest his soul), was a hunt-and-peck prodigy, whose two index fingers sped across the keyboard of his IBM Selectric typewriter at fifty words per minute. Why we got rid of that typewriter after he passed, I don't know, but his is now worth about $500 on eBay. 

The good news is that hunt-and-peck as a legitimate word may become antiquated soon since more and more middle schools are requiring their students to take keyboarding. I remember that the most valuable class I had taken in high school was typing, especially because after I had graduated from a hidden Ivy League university, the first thing prospective employers would ask before interviewing me was "How fast can you type?" I'm glad that as a society, we have progressed from there. To tell you the truth, though, I have no idea what the initial question posed to recent college grads is today–probably, "Did your parents write and word-process all of your term papers for you as an undergrad?" I'm a bit cynical, I know, or maybe just realistic. 

Anyway, don't worry if you lag behind others in terms of your hunt-and-peck prowess. As long as you get the message across, it really doesn't matter. It's Monday. We all move just a bit slower today anyway.

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The Daily Word for July 11, 2021

 

buffola - (N. Amer.- informal) - a joke that gets a loud or hearty laugh (Lexico.com)

You can't read and/or pronounce buffola without thinking of buffoon. The two are related when you think about it as buffoons tend to possess a healthy repertoire of silliness; the more sophisticated may even own a few buffolas that elevate them from clowns to bonafide comedians. I don't know any buffolas worth repeating, and I don't know too many buffoons either, which may be a good thing since fools can be, well, foolish. 

Yet on occasion, I have been known to play the role of the jester myself, but only for very special people who understand that I enjoy a hearty laugh as much as anyone else. And I certainly don't mind snickering at my own homemade fun. My last surviving aunt, the wife of my deceased mother's youngest brother (also gone), just turned 91 in April. Fortunately, she's as sharp as the proverbial tack and appreciates any buffolas that you might hurl at her just because she loves to laugh. I have told her more than once that a prescription of chortling and chuckling may get her to 100, and she agrees. If I have to slip into a clown suit to make it happen, you better believe I will. I love the woman and want her around nine more years at least. 

I'm sure that you, too, act like a fool sometimes for someone's love. If you can somehow manage to keep him or her or them smiling, you don't need to know any buffolas. The best things in life, like grins and giggles, are generally free. 

Enjoy your Sunday. Make it sunny with your smiles.

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The Daily Word for July 10, 2021

 

pother - noun - commotion or fuss (Lexico.com)

Pother is a term I associate with bother; and if you are a lyricist or poet looking for a memorable end rhyme, you just might have found it.  Commotions or fusses are always on the irksome side, always a pain in the...Well, you know what I mean. Pother began being used in the 16th century (Google.com), but that's all that is known about the origin of the word. It is not exactly on the tip of everyone's tongue these days either. But perhaps it should be. 

Goodness knows there is enough going on that could segue into a pother. Here in Jersey, a pother might occur every ten seconds or so on the roadways. Why? For some ineffable reason, the people in this state suffer from severe impatience, which manifests itself behind the wheel on the roads. For instance, if you are lost in reverie at a traffic light for ten seconds, you are guaranteed a rude awakening from a blast of honking car horns emanating from the rear. And if these vehicular troops dare to pass you upon acceleration, don't be surprised if you see each driver's middle finger saluting in disrespect. It's Jersey. The finger goes a long way in communicating depth of feeling. 

Fortunately or unfortunately, all of us who inhabit the New York metropolitan area are inured to various forms of road rage or pavement pother, but we shouldn't have to be. Those of us who are intolerant should emulate the respect and patience of those visiting from the Midwest and South, rather than wave at them with one finger in frustration if they hesitate one way or the other. Although realistically, I doubt we can change in this regard, I tend to hold onto any degree of optimism. You should, too. 

Happy Saturday to all! 

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The Daily Word for July 9, 2021

 

operose - adjective - displaying a lot of effort (Lexico.com)

To be operose should never be viewed as derogatory, yet there are always people who tend to take a positive trait and make it negative. You know what I mean. They are the same people who look at that proverbial glass and see that it is half empty and not half full. My daughter, a Millennial, can be this way. I am not sure if her attitude is indicative of her generation or what. Apparently, one of my daughter's colleagues, someone that borders on being officious, is annoying operose. She puts way too much effort into doing her job well, spending hours after hours to ensure that all the t's are crossed and the i's, dotted. In short, the colleague's work ethic is beyond beyond. As a result, my daughter complains about her endlessly, except when the woman goes out of her way to do something special on my daughter's behalf. Which is when the guilt sets in, and my daughter dons an apologetic attitude. Sound familiar? 

When we are in the midst of operose individuals, we immediately feel insecure. It is as though what we do is never good enough in comparison to what they do. It is then when their selflessness, a trait common in operose people, shines like a beacon that we are rendered speechless. The light enlarges to surround us and an epiphany occurs. Perhaps these people are not trying to make us look bad after all. Perhaps they are just doing what needs to be done, and we are not. 

Today is Friday, my personal favorite day of the week. As it is day 5 at the workplace, the slackers slack off because they know they can probably get away with it. If you find yourself in this category, try a different tactic, if only just for today. Experiment. Step into the shoes of the operose employee and walk around in them. You might just find that you like the feel of the shoes despite them being new. If nothing else, by the end of the day, you'll feel like you accomplished something.

And that's never a bad thing. 

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The Daily Word for July 8, 2021

 

bingle - noun - (Australian, informal) - a collision

Leave it to the Aussies to coin a comical term for something serious. Gotta love their sense of humor! After finishing Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm, a book about an actual bingle between a nor'easter and Hurricane Grace that I probably should have read when it was on the New York Times' bestseller list in 1997, I am finding myself in the middle of an analogous bingle, two named storms: my boss and my colleague with colliding points of view. If you work for anyone and with anyone of opposing viewpoints, you know what it is like to be stuck playing Monkey in the Middle. When in this unfavorable position, you tend to favor your boss's perspective over your colleague's for obvious reasons. The biggest one being that if you side with your colleague, who also happens to be someone you admire and a friend, chances are you will wind up losing your job. If you side with your boss, you may wind up losing your colleague as a friend. My problem is that my boss is also someone whom I respect and a friend. Most of you are thinking, The solution to her problem doesn't amount to rocket science. She needs to listen to her boss. I know. And I will, but it doesn't mean I feel good about it as the bingle between the two forces may not turn out well for my colleague if my boss finds out that he is trying to undermine her. I may have to keep the plans for his attempted coup to myself. 

In life, it is hard to deal with bingles, actual as well as metaphorical ones. The best advice is try to avoid all such entanglements, if humanly possible. If you do find yourself in a similar position that I am in now, do what you can to remain afloat. All storms, even perfect ones, wind up passing in a day or so. And even the resulting damage from them can usually be remedied in time. 

Friday is tomorrow. Whew! 

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The Daily Word for July 7, 2021

 

eyewater - noun - tears (W. Indian) (Lexico.com)

I don't know about you, but I like it when words point to literal meanings. Take eyewater, for example. Water flowing from the eyes would obviously refer to tears. If you happen to be someone who is learning English (most likely if you are, you're not reading this blog, but who knows?), you might appreciate the simplicity of eyewater, especially if you already know "eye" and "water." The simple, practical term that probably started as a neologism makes a heck of a lot of sense in a world that is often obscure and nonsensical. 

Commonplace eyewater is being spilled more frequently of late. Every time I check Facebook, I see that one of my friends has lost a parent, child, or friend to one malady or another. Weeping, or losing eyewater, is indicative of grief, but it is also a way that we can show mourners empathy or sympathy, whichever comes first. When someone loses a loved one, it is hard to know what to say. Crying in the presence of the bereaved communicates "I share your pain" sans unnecessary or uncomfortable verbiage. Unfortunately, I attend more funerals than any other gathering, so I can attest to the fact that eyewater without words works well. 

However, being an optimist, I'd rather correlate eyewater with tears of happiness, not grief. When was the last time you laughed until you cried? Clearly, the joyous kind of eyewater needs to be shed more frequently. 

Your mission today, if you choose to accept it, is to seek out a joke that will cause you to chuckle, chortle, cackle (whatever) until eyewater inundates your cheeks, and you have to go running for a tissue to prevent from drowning in your tears. May that sense of joy invade your pores and stay with you throughout each and every day. 

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The Daily Word for July 6, 2021

 

peterman - noun - a person who breaks open and robs safes (Lexico.com)

I came across peterman while scrolling down Lexico.com's list of "Weird and Wonderful Words."  If I don't borrow a word from a book that I am reading (I know what you mean. Who reads books these days?), then I get it from the site. According to Google, the word might have originated in Peterhead prison, which was alive and well from 1888 until 2013 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Apparently, the place housed quite a few culprits whose specialty was safe-breaking. The term jumped out at me from the litany of other rarely used words because I am, at present, digesting a new release by Fredrik Blackman called Anxious People. One of the main characters is a would-be bank robber who never quite robs a bank because it is one that does not possess a safe with any legal tender housed in it. However, he manages to hold a number of innocent people hostage at an open house apartment showing that all are hoping to purchase, separately, of course. The irony of the whole thing is that technically the nascent thief, who is an unfortunate dad just needing to pay rent, is really quite innocent. Yet the police are actively looking for him. Yes, the author got over three hundred pages out of this premise. In any case, the story is quite amusing, reminding the reader that perhaps criminals may not be all that bad after all, just misguided or in dire straits one way or another. 

I think Blackman has the right idea overall because I am one who would like to think that people are good at heart and not the opposite. Okay, yes, I'm the optimist, but there are quite a few of us around thinking the same thing. Care to join us?

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The Daily Word for July 5, 2021

 

vespertine - adjective - relating to, or occurring, or active in the evening (Google)

I came across vespertine while reading an article about the classic American short story writer O. Henry (William Porter) in The New Yorker. Ostensibly, he enjoyed using "arcane" words, vespertine being one of them. The word comes from the Latin vesper, meaning "evening." I recalled that a vesper is a church service conducted in the evening. I have no idea how O. Henry used vespertine, but he most likely included it to enhance a degree of irony in a plot as he was famous for that sort of thing. 

Since it is the weekend of July 4th, fireworks displays can be considered verspertine activities since they are launched in the evenings. This evening before sundown, I'll be playing golf with Jack and Jive, my bachelor buddies who tend to enjoy vespertine pastimes. In fact, quite a few people I know seem to be vespertine creatures in that they wake up and start smelling the roses in the evening just before dark. Yes, they are more nocturnal, I suppose.  I, too, seem to have more energy around six o'clock. How about you? 

Whether or not you thrive in the morning, afternoon or evening, enjoy whatever it is that floats your boat today before you have to return to work tomorrow. 

Cheers to all! 

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The Daily Word for July 4, 2021

 

firebrand - noun - 1. a person passionate about a cause. 2. a piece of burning wood

On this July 4th, both definitions of firebrand figure into the equation. Firstly, Independence Day wouldn't be a holiday if the early firebrands of this country hadn't united against "taxation without representation" or just a tyrannical British king. Ironically, within the past eight years, we've dealt with taxation albeit with representation and an elected tyrant who viewed himself as a king. As a result, we've seen an uprising of blue and red firebrands, but unlike back in 1776, few are united, and some are experiencing division within their own parties. History does tend to repeat itself, but the stories are never quite the same. 

Secondly, because so many states now allow individuals to purchase and set off their own fireworks, inexperience can cause myriad firebrands lying around, which unchecked, could be dangerous, especially in arid climates. Fortunately, fireworks are illegal in California. Thank Goodness for small blessings. 

Today, America turns 245 years old, and sadly, as firebrands or peacemakers, we are more divided than ever. Hopefully, history will repeat itself, and we will come together as a nation of patriots, standing behind good causes. I hope this happens as The Divided States of America (D.S.A.) just doesn't have the same ring to it as The United States of America (U.S.A.). 

Enjoy celebrating this birthday safely. 

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The Daily Word for July 3, 2021

 

aristotle - noun - Australian rhyming slang - bottle (Lexico.com)

Apparently, poet T.S. Eliot once said, "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy." If he had been an Australian poet, he would have said "I'd rather have an aristotle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy," and the laughs would not have been lost, except maybe on Aristotle himself, albeit he most likely had a bit of a sense of humor as well. According to a recent article in Atlantic magazine and Bill Maher's closing monologue of last Friday night, Americans have taken up collecting aristotles of beer and wine and hard liquor and drinking the contents as a hobby. If you are old enough, you probably thought baseball was America's favorite pastime. Well, okay, yes, but baseball with the addition of copious aristotles of beer, naturally. Unofficially, drinking booze defines America's downtime.

It all sounds innocuous superficially, but the fact is that alcohol in excessive quantities can kill you one way or the other. I lost my best friend to cirrhosis last year right before the pandemic and just saw a post on Facebook illustrating that her widower husband and twenty-something daughter are partying down in FLA together at a beer microbrewery. Huh? What could he be thinking? Most likely, he's not. Oh, and I have another friend who is at present dying from cirrhosis. I don't drink myself, never had much tolerance for the stuff. It's too bad that being a good example matters not these days. 

Here's wishing you a happy, healthy July 4th. Maybe you don't want a frontal lobotomy, but you don't want cirrhosis either. Keep those aristotles in check. Your loved ones will thank you. 

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The Daily Word for July 2, 2021

 

hoddy-noddy - noun - a foolish person (Lexico.com)

Was it P.T. Barnum who once said, "There's a hoddy-noddy born every minute?" Or was it "a sucker born every minute"? Okay, it was "a sucker." Close enough. Originating in the 17th century, hoddy-noddy is another word that is never used today. Yet I'm beginning to think it should be. Perhaps the English language may need a few more synonyms for "fool"? 

Case in point: this morning, I opened up my laptop and noticed an ad promoting traveling placed in a central location. It was no ordinary, sensible advertisement for a bus tour or a cruise; however, it was designed to make the viewer think that it was. The promotion was for a virtual tour of exotic locales. Okay, I understand why some might wish to stay home since we are just getting through a global pandemic, but why would we want to spend serious dollars on a photographic montage of on-line destinations when we could Google them ourselves and pay nothing? Truly, only a hoddy-noddy would fall for such a scheme. But then again, the advertiser is counting on attracting a legion of them, and probably is doing so at this precise moment. Why? There's a hoddy-noddy born every minute. 

Ironically, the older we get, the more naive we become. The more naive we become, the more ignorant of grifters that only wish to rob us of whatever savings we have. "Let the buyer beware" is the quote we need to keep in mind as well as Barnum's.

In short, don't be a hoddy-noddy and fall for scams. The actual and cyber thieves out there are counting on lack of common sense to earn a decent living. 

Happy Friday before July 4th! 

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The Daily Word for July 1, 2021

 

hallux - noun - the big toe

Here's one that you probably haven't seen since high school anatomy class. Or if you never took anatomy, like me, you've probably never seen it or heard it used. Just out of curiosity, I Googled its origin. Not surprisingly, it comes from Latin, but medieval Latin. It, like so many things these days including cars, is a hybrid. It was born from combining allus, hallus, thumb, and hallex.  The words look like they could be the names of characters in some sort of warped fairytale. Thumb, no doubt, would be the idiosyncratic one in the family, the one that sticks out like a sore...well, you know. Thumb. Allus, Hallus, and Hallex? Maybe they could be triplets with a pension for pick-pocketing? Why not? 

Summer is the season to expose your halluxes. Yes, guys, you, too, can as well as there are some sexy sandals available for men out there. Just remember to wear them sans socks unless you happen to be  German tourists, in which case, you can if you want to advertise the fact. (Best not to do so, though.) And ladies, do spend the big bucks on pedicures before you slip your halluxes into those new cubic zirconia-encrusted flip flops you bought at Walmart as then they would be guaranteed to be seen. Oh, wow! 

Just playin' with you. 

One more day before the long holiday weekend. Yay!

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