You think you know people, right? Well, I didn’t and I don’t. Not anymore. Modern discourse took an ugly turn a few years ago and did a full embrace of crazy. Now, civility is in grave danger of being drowned out by loudmouths and crackpots. Red-faced, vein-popping outrage has taken over, f-bombs fly, and it’s … Continue reading : watch your language :
Tag: words
the brain: magician or hostage-taker?
Hmm, tough question. On rare occasions, I lean wholeheartedly toward magician, but, no, I’m a full-time resident in the thief camp — more or less. Guess what word broke out of captivity this afternoon, for no particular reason whatsoever. Fanlight. Its arrival stopped me dead in my tracks. Where in the world did it … Continue reading the brain: magician or hostage-taker?
: hey, yoohoo, hi-diddly-ho :
Welcome to Thesaurus Day 2020, my fellow pleonastics (users of more words than necessary to express meaning). We come together today to honor the book that is every writer’s best friend, our BFF, better even than the dictionary. When we’re at a loss for a word, one perfect, expressive word, the thesaurus is the first … Continue reading : hey, yoohoo, hi-diddly-ho :
: look, they’re not extinct :
Quite the contrary. The trusty old thesaurus ¹ is alive and well and a popular fixture on bookshelves the world over. Sadly, the same can’t be said for Peter Roget, creator of this masterwork, he died (perished, croaked, met his maker) in 1869. A compiler, sorter, and compulsive list maker, Roget titled the 1852 edition … Continue reading : look, they’re not extinct :
: we aren’t crazy :
We’re creative. There’s a difference. Oh, it’s hard to distinguish at times, but there’s a difference all right. Crazy is Sideshow Don, a lunatic wrapped in a nut job inside a personality disorder. Creative is harmless and exhausting and, occasionally, fun, but it’s not insane. Harmless is good, I like harmless, fun is awesome, but … Continue reading : we aren’t crazy :
: whelmed by prefixes :
During an image search the other day I came across an illustration entitled ‘vomit.’ I found that puzzling, since the keyword I’d used was ‘relocate.’ What the heck does one have to do with the other? Well, nothing, is the conclusion I reached after wasting a whole bunch of time and effort. However, a synonym of … Continue reading : whelmed by prefixes :
: stuck :
Okay, I’m here. I’m looking at the computer screen. I’m drumming my fingers. I'm tapping my foot. And nothing's happening. There's no spark, no enthusiasm, just a general full-body malaise. So you know what? Adios, I’m out of here. Surely I can find something better to do on a damp, gray winter afternoon. I have … Continue reading : stuck :
: may I have a word? :
Despite the swagger and braggadocio, Sideshow Don isn’t a linguistic genius. His vocabulary is limited to superlatives and insults. That isn't inventive, that’s bluster. Sad. I, however, come up with new words all the time. Great words, tremendous words, the best words ever in history. I guarantee it. But I don’t stop there. Heck, no. … Continue reading : may I have a word? :
the whirly girl 