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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