The Daily Word for May 30, 2021

 

divagate - verb - to stray or digress

For some, it's easy to divagate, that is, fall off one topic and segue into another when conversing. It's like dancing at a wedding. You never know what the D.J. is going to start spinning on the turntable that will cause you to divagate quickly from the hustle to the twist. (I'm really dating myself here.) But when you speak to someone and tend to divagate often, it may be confusing for the listener. I'm thinking you know someone who does this sort of thing. I do. I have a close friend, a woman, who can jump from one topic to the next totally unrelated one without realizing it. When I question the relevance, how the two fit, she ignores me and keeps right on going. Which makes me think that her therapist isn't making any progress in the right direction. 

Anyway, it isn't easy to confabulate and stay on track these days due to myriad distractions. Yet if you tend to be the kind to divagate, give us listeners a transitional sentence or two before diving head first into an unassociated subject. We won't think you're losing your marbles if you do. 

Peace out. 

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The Daily Word for May 29, 2021

 

emacity - noun - fondness for buying things

If you happen to live in the Northeast, you may be looking out the window at rain as a moist Memorial Day Weekend has been in the forecast for a few days now. Rather than head for the beaches, many may be heading for malls either in masks or full face to quench their emacity. 

Personally, I'm cheap. By and large, I can't relate to the concept of emacity albeit there are exceptions, one involving Dollar Tree. It is amazing what you can find for a dollar and under at this store. If you have a spare twenty dollars and want to walk out with twenty useful items, you are in for a blissful twenty minutes or so. The other day, I bought two spatulas for two dollars. Why two? There is always one that occupies the dishwasher. I expect that both of my new spatulas will outlast anything I purchased at the chi-chi outlets catering to gourmet chiefs. And I am usually right–about spatulas anyway. What I am getting at in a roundabout way is that emacity might just be something you and I and everyone else have in common. Why not? You can't take things with you when you leave the planet.

Whatever you do today, enjoy the journey. Satiate your emacity if you need to. The economy can always use a boost. 

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The Daily Word for May 28, 2021

 

howff - noun - a favorite meeting place; pub or bar

Here's another Scottish term that you may just wish to adopt: howff. It doesn't look legit, but I suppose it flies in Scotland and maybe even the rest of the U.K. Since people are beginning to shed fear and creep back into their favorite joints (as we might call a howff in the U.S.), it may just be relevant, especially this Memorial Day Weekend as it is the unofficial kick-off to summer. Howff might just be easy to remember. Imagine walking into Keybar, seeing a bumper-to-bumper crowd and muttering to yourself, How the f** am I supposed to find my friends in this mess?  The formula to remembering the word is  

                                             How + the f bomb + "friends" = howff

The revised question would be: How the f** am I supposed to my friends in this howff?

Memorize the formula. There'll be a quiz next week. (Only kidding.)

Enjoy the long weekend! 

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The Daily Word for May 27, 2021

 

criticaster - noun - a minor or inept critic

If you consider yourself to be an artist on any level, then you are most likely familiar with criticasters. If you aren't, then be wary of the individual who poses as an expert but whose education and/or experience is minimal. This kind of critic, a criticaster, should not be critiquing anything. As a writer who has been in the publishing field for over twenty years, I can promise you there are multitudinous criticasters out there that are less appetizing and fragrant than castor oil. Unfortunately, though, they are unavoidable. 

For you writers especially, caveat emptor when it comes to literary agents. Before you allow that rejection or multiple rejections strip you of a modicum of confidence, do a bit of research. Find out the backgrounds of these people. Some of them, I promise you, are downright laughable. You'd be surprised at just how many science majors populate the literary community. Not to discredit biologists, but since when are they authorities on creative writing? Face it. The side of the brain that relates to math or science isn't the side of the brain that relates to language or art. And, take it from me, there are very few ambidextrous brains out there, especially in today's technologically preoccupied world. 

So, how do you avoid such criticasters? You don't. As I said, do the research. If the person's resume reflects competence in a field relative to your art, then you might wish to take his/her/their criticism to heart and learn from it. If not, ignore the criticaster. Chances are he/she/they were bullied in high school and are out for revenge, and you're the likely target. 

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The Daily Word for May 26, 2021

 

misogamy - noun - hatred of marriage

Not surprisingly, misogamy is Greek in origin. The suffix "gamy" comes from "gamos," or marriage. I will have to admit that before this morning I had no idea that there was a term associated with disliking the ancient rite of passage called marriage. However, any or all divorced individuals might just need a concise four-syllable word to identify their negative stance on the subject of wedded bliss. Admittedly, I am one of those people: a misogamist. It sounds awful, but I am not alone, fortunately for me. My number 1 romantic interest out in L.A., a therapist, whom I've mentioned in this blog before, told me the other day that he supports misogamy because "people change after they are married." I can't disagree with this generalization. In my own experience, I have witnessed many who have transmogrified into various states of being after taking the wedding vows. Some have become indolent sloths, some, complacent toads, some, just entirely selfish or just plain difficult jackasses. Why this is true may have something to do with the idea of a permanent contract. People can and do take advantage of deals that purport to be unbreakable. I don't know. Those of you who have been happily married for eons have no reason to drift into misogamy. Sadly, though, you may be in the minority. Just sayin'. 

I don't mean to be a misogamist. I don't want to be a misogamist. Maybe I'm just waiting for the right person or persons to change my mind about marriage or just "modern love"? I'm open to change. 

Happy Hump Day to all, single or married or otherwise! 

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The Daily Word for May 25, 2021

 

cudbear - n.- a purple powder used for dyeing

While scrolling down the list of "weird and wonderful words" on the website with the same name, cudbear reached out and grabbed me, not because of its definition but because its suffix is bear. If you happen to live in New Jersey, as I do, you might already know that bears are now commonplace, almost as ubiquitous as the deer that pretty much eat everything green in sight. So far, the bears haven't consumed much in the way of vegetation as they are more interested in garbage. With this in mind, perhaps a neologism can be created, similar to cudbear. How about crudbear? 

crudbear - noun - large, furry, intimidating creature, generally black and indigenous to New Jersey, that enjoys eating crud out of suburban trash cans. 

All I had to do was add an "r" in just the right place. What a difference an "r" can make!

If you happen to see a crudbear (or any bear), make yourself as large as possible, sing any repugnant song that you can think of (How about "Puppy Love"?), and slowly back away. Do not run. And do not attempt to stand between the crudbear and your garbage can. Garbage has never done anything remotely heroic for you, so why should you put your life on the line for it?

Enjoy copious laughter today and always! :)

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The Daily Word for May 24, 2021

 

kenspeckle- adj. - Scottish - conspicuous or easily recognizable (lexico.com)

Ironically, the thing about the word kenspeckle is that it does reflect its meaning, but only partially. It stands out yet isn't recognizable. The Scottish have a vocabulary all their own, especially when it comes to profanity. We Americans have X-amount of "dirty words" under our belts (I'm sure you know them all), whereas the Scots have innumerable at their disposal. I know this for sure as a Welsh friend of mine and I were bored one day and decided to do the research. If you are enticed, feel free to do some Googling on the topic. The internet is at your disposal. 

To tell you the truth, I can't even remember one of the foul words, but I did walk away from that afternoon with a newfound respect for the Scottish people, who, by the way, are thinking about breaking away from the U.K. With a lexicon like theirs, they don't need to lean on England. They have all the kenspeckle vocabulary necessary to stand independently and be counted. 

To honor the Scottish logophiles' originality and inventiveness, I have a tee time at the local golf course. (Don't forget that Scotland invented the game.) Maybe I should refresh my memory and choose a few choice Scottish expletives to expound when I hook a ball into the woods? Then I could be my own version of kenspeckle. Ooo wee! I can't wait! 

Happy Monday! Today be kenspeckle, but only if your heart is into it. 

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