A busy weekend for me is this one. It includes a two-hour roundtrip drive on Saturday for a conference and a five-hour one-way drive on Sunday for another conference. No rest for the wicked, I suppose. So, I will have to post my vocabulary entry early. Maybe I can take my Sunday nap on Saturday afternoon.
DEFENESTRATION
I ran across this word in my studies of church history. The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) was probably the bloodiest European war ever before we figured out how to do it up really big in the twentieth century. It started in Germany which, at the time, was the seat of the Holy Roman Empire (every term is ironic here). The Catholics and the Protestants were bunching up and spitting at each other, so you just know there had to be a fight brewing. When Ferdinand, cousin to the Emperor and staunch Catholic, was appointed king of Bavaria, he ran into a lot of opposition from the resident Protestants. One day a group of Bohemain Protestants appeared before the court asking for policy changes. When the king scoffed at them, they grabbed a couple of his advisors and threw them out the window. And that, my friends, is defenestration--throwing someone out a window. The Defenestration of Prague set off the Thirty Years' War.
So next time your kid or one of your students or a subordinate at work asks about the consequences of some infelicitous action, just intone gravely, "Denefenstration. Now." Of course, in West Texas where most buildings are single-story, that's not much of a threat. More humiliation than anything else. (BTW, the Prague advisors landed in a pile of garbage, so they suffered more humiliation than physical harm, too.)
Friday, September 23, 2005
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Weekend Words C
OK, already, it has been a busy weekend. I mean we had Cowboy Day today, so that meant a parade which mostly consisted of small business owners driving tractors or Kubotas or even riding lawn mowers shamelessly promoting their businesses by throwing candy to (or at) the sidewalk gawkers. The Wayland Band was good, but they were just marching to the drummers' cadence (there's a good C word) when they went by us. Oh, yeah, we both had to be there. Cat loves a parade, no matter how small. And she is such a purist that she refused to sit in a folding lawn chair to watch it. Nosirree-bob, you're supposed to sit on the curb if you feel like sitting. I sat in my folding chair on the sidewalk, out of range of the candy hurlers, thank you. And upwind of the smoker to my right. It's West Texas so there is wind.
Well, now to the word. I would like to say that it is CHOATE (KO-it) meaning "fully formed, complete, organized" since that would be the logical antonym of inchoate (q.v.). But inexplicably the word simply doesn't exist--except as the last name of a friend who pronounces it the way that it is spelled. So this week it will be CIRCUMBENDIBUS, a whimsical combination of Latin and English which means an odd way around. Use it when you have had to do things not strictly by the rules. "Had to use a circumbendibus on that one, I'm afraid." It's sort of like a circumlocution, which is saying something in a way that is less than direct. I have on occasion been suspected of circumlocution, but generally I am just trying to express the idea perfectly correctly. I know you will understand; I certainly do.
Oh, here's another C word that I used just today--COMESTIBLE. It just means something that you can eat. It is sort of a circumbendibus for "food."
Well, now to the word. I would like to say that it is CHOATE (KO-it) meaning "fully formed, complete, organized" since that would be the logical antonym of inchoate (q.v.). But inexplicably the word simply doesn't exist--except as the last name of a friend who pronounces it the way that it is spelled. So this week it will be CIRCUMBENDIBUS, a whimsical combination of Latin and English which means an odd way around. Use it when you have had to do things not strictly by the rules. "Had to use a circumbendibus on that one, I'm afraid." It's sort of like a circumlocution, which is saying something in a way that is less than direct. I have on occasion been suspected of circumlocution, but generally I am just trying to express the idea perfectly correctly. I know you will understand; I certainly do.
Oh, here's another C word that I used just today--COMESTIBLE. It just means something that you can eat. It is sort of a circumbendibus for "food."
Friday, September 09, 2005
Weekend Words B
What? Is it the weekend already? Wow, this week just blew by. It was very active at work and we have been sanding and painting the cabinets in our kitchen (ooh, I should post a photo!) at home, so I really haven't had a moment to ask myself, "Hmm, what am I going to do now?" But I know that you showed up today looking for vocabulary, so here is the second in the series:
BLOVIATE
This is a pretty new word (=neologism) that I came across on the internet. It means to speak excessively, often loudly, "unencumbered by the thought process," as Tom and Ray would say. You have all heard people bloviate; heck, you may have done it yourself sometimes. (I know I have.) A few weeks ago, I was gathered with the full-time religion faculty at my university. We had the task of coming up with measurable learning outcomes for our program. This got pretty tedious since some of the folks were railing against behaviorism and others were yearning to go play golf. But they still wouldn't accept my proposal: "The religion major will be able to bloviate endlessly on topics related to religion with sufficient effectiveness to thereby make a living off religion." Seems measurable to me.
Since B also stands for "blonde joke" I will pass on this one. A college guy has a date with a stunning blonde and decides to take her to a football game (hey, they get in free with their student IDs). It is the first time she has watched a football game all the way through, so on the way out of the stadium he asks her how she enjoyed it.
"Oh, the tight pants and the big muscles were great, but I don't understand all that fuss over 25 cents," she says. In response to his obvious mystification, she adds, "OK, at the beginning, they flip a coin and one side wins it. Then the rest of the time, everyone keeps yelling, 'Get the quarter back! Get the quarter back!' Helloooooo, it's just 25 cents!"
BLOVIATE
This is a pretty new word (=neologism) that I came across on the internet. It means to speak excessively, often loudly, "unencumbered by the thought process," as Tom and Ray would say. You have all heard people bloviate; heck, you may have done it yourself sometimes. (I know I have.) A few weeks ago, I was gathered with the full-time religion faculty at my university. We had the task of coming up with measurable learning outcomes for our program. This got pretty tedious since some of the folks were railing against behaviorism and others were yearning to go play golf. But they still wouldn't accept my proposal: "The religion major will be able to bloviate endlessly on topics related to religion with sufficient effectiveness to thereby make a living off religion." Seems measurable to me.
Since B also stands for "blonde joke" I will pass on this one. A college guy has a date with a stunning blonde and decides to take her to a football game (hey, they get in free with their student IDs). It is the first time she has watched a football game all the way through, so on the way out of the stadium he asks her how she enjoyed it.
"Oh, the tight pants and the big muscles were great, but I don't understand all that fuss over 25 cents," she says. In response to his obvious mystification, she adds, "OK, at the beginning, they flip a coin and one side wins it. Then the rest of the time, everyone keeps yelling, 'Get the quarter back! Get the quarter back!' Helloooooo, it's just 25 cents!"
Saturday, September 03, 2005
Weekend Words
Some of my blogger friends have taken to posting special series of posts on Fridays (you know who you are). I wondered what is interesting enough to me to do that sort of thing and it occurred to me that my fascination with words might just do the trick. I know at least 52 English words that are not generally used by the public, so a series on unusual words could easily last a year. Here's the first installment. I think I will do this alphabetically.
APROSEXIA (a-pro-SEK-see-uh)
Now that's a fun word to say, isn't it? Conjures up all sorts of images that have nothing to do with the word's meaning. Just think what they would say at the office in response to your casual comment, "Yes, I am doing a very hands-on study in the effects of aprosexia this afternoon. I'm afraid I won't be able to attend that On-the-job Safety meeting. It's a pity, but research does come first." What your colleagues would doubtless miss is that they would likely be doing the same thing, just in a different location. Aprosexia means the inability to concentrate. So the next time you suffer this disability, you will just have to excuse yourself with something like "I'm sorry but I get so aprosexic while eating chocolate." Hmm, that might be good for a box of Brach's from a secret admirer.
While we are at it, here's another word that begins with an "a" and ends with "xia": ataraxia (a-tuh-RAK-see-uh). This is a state of perfect tranquility. The adjective form is "ataraxic." Perhaps you will want to protect a friend's privacy by telling an erstwhile intruder, "Are you kidding me? You want to talk with her now? Don't you know how ataraxic she is at this time of the morning?"
APROSEXIA (a-pro-SEK-see-uh)
Now that's a fun word to say, isn't it? Conjures up all sorts of images that have nothing to do with the word's meaning. Just think what they would say at the office in response to your casual comment, "Yes, I am doing a very hands-on study in the effects of aprosexia this afternoon. I'm afraid I won't be able to attend that On-the-job Safety meeting. It's a pity, but research does come first." What your colleagues would doubtless miss is that they would likely be doing the same thing, just in a different location. Aprosexia means the inability to concentrate. So the next time you suffer this disability, you will just have to excuse yourself with something like "I'm sorry but I get so aprosexic while eating chocolate." Hmm, that might be good for a box of Brach's from a secret admirer.
While we are at it, here's another word that begins with an "a" and ends with "xia": ataraxia (a-tuh-RAK-see-uh). This is a state of perfect tranquility. The adjective form is "ataraxic." Perhaps you will want to protect a friend's privacy by telling an erstwhile intruder, "Are you kidding me? You want to talk with her now? Don't you know how ataraxic she is at this time of the morning?"
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Weird lights at night
OK, I promised to post a photo of Hong Kong night lights. I do have some pix that are clearer, but this one really looked mysterious. We were coming down a hill on a bus and we could see the buildings across the harbor. But of course the bus was bouncy, so that accounts for the wiggly lines.
Plumeria [frangipani]
Five years ago when we moved to West Texas from Hawai'i, we brought a thick, stubby stick with us. It was a plumeria branch, only four or five inches long. We set it in some moist potting soil and eventually it grew roots. For five years it has grown steadily in a big pot in our sun room, pushing out its big green leaves that drop off unceremoniously, leaving this spindly miniature tree. But now it is finally ready to bloom! We are so excited, Cat and I! The top photo was taken yesterday. The photo below shows two blossoms almost opening. This morning they were still tightly wrapped. So tomorrow, I hope that they will open up and release their beautiful smell. Thank you, God, for this gift.
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