December 2009
79 posts
I Have a Gift Card to Barnes & Noble
I know I’m finally going to read Everything Is Illuminated, and purchase that, as well as Excellent Women by Barbara Pym, but any other recommendations would be much appreciated. So what do you think I should buy???
Word of the Day
homogeneous • \hoh-muh-JEEN-yus\ • adjective
1 : of the same or a similar kind or nature*2 : of uniform structure or composition throughout Example Sentence: ”In my opinion the solar system is a solid homogeneous body; the planets which compose it are in actual contact with each other.” (Jules Verne, From the Earth to the Moon)
Did you know? The scientific theories of Jules...
McSweeneys is Posting Some of its "Best Of 2009"... →
I found this particular post on “declarations of conjugal interest from the Massachusetts Federalist in 1733” hilariously relevant because my friend and I were just discussing the in’s and out’s of personal ads on craigslist.
Current Reading
I just started a new book: Mating by Norman Rush. The story, narrated by an unnamed 32-year-old female postgraduate anthropology student, takes place in the expat community in a small village in Botswana. The village is home to a somewhat utopian society, founded by Nelson Denoon, an American anthropologist, and is run predominantly by, and for, disenfranchised African women. With a style...
Word of the Day
canaille • \kuh-NYE\ • noun
*1 : rabble, riffraff2 : proletarian Example Sentence: ”I am not going to write for [the New York Weekly] — like all other papers that pay one splendidly, it circulates among stupid people & the canaille.” (Mark Twain, letter, June 1, 1867)
Did you know? For a creature said to be man’s best friend, the dog doesn’t get a whole lot of respect in...
Word of the Day
ominous • \AH-muh-nus\ • adjective
: being or exhibiting an omen : portentous; especially : foreboding or foreshadowing evil : inauspicious Example Sentence: Our fears about the picnic being cancelled were heightened by the sight of dark, ominous clouds appearing over the horizon.
Did you know? ”Ominous” didn’t always mean “foreshadowing evil.” If you look closely,...
Because I'm on a Bit of a Beatles Theme Here →
Word of the Day
ergogenic • \ur-guh-JEN-ik\ • adjective
: enhancing physical performance Example Sentence: ”New to this edition are chapters for rowers and a review of ergogenic aids, such as protein supplements and other products….” (Anne Stein, Chicago Tribune, June 3, 2007)
Did you know? No matter your profession — be it office worker, athlete, physicist, or poet —...
A Few Thoughts on Music as the Year Draws to a... →
Word of the Day
arbitrary • \AHR-buh-trair-ee\ • adjective
1 : autocratic, despotic*2 : determined by whim or caprice : existing or coming about seemingly at random or by chance Example Sentence: The 10 p.m. deadline is arbitrary — we could have easily selected another time for the contest to end — but we had to pick a cutoff, and now it is set.
Did you know? ”Arbitrary” is derived from...
Word of the Day
quadrennial • \kwah-DREN-ee-ul\ • adjective
1 : consisting of or lasting for four years*2 : occurring or being done every four years Example Sentence: The 1990 U.S. soccer team was the first U.S team in 40 years to qualify for the championship tournament in the quadrennial World Cup.
Did you know? Most things “quadrennial” occur every four years (that’s the more common use). We...
“We ate well and cheaply and drank well and cheaply and slept well and warm...”
– A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway
Something Worth Reading
officialunofficial:
taphead:
so christmas is coming up, and we’re already butt-deep in chanukah. normally i send my amazon wishlist off to my parents every year on black friday, so they have a month to buy my presents. i always overpack it so they can only buy a few things, which keeps the element of surprise intact. it’s a nice little tradition. but i totally screwed the pooch on it this...
Word of the Day
finesse • \fuh-NESS\ • verb
1 : to make a finesse in playing cards : to play (a card) in a finesse2 *a : to bring about, direct, or manage by adroit maneuvering b : evade, skirt Example Sentence: “A surer hand behind the camera might’ve finessed the jokes more effectively, or established a consistent and satisfying tone.” (Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, November 6, 2009)
Did...
Word of the Day
intransigent • \in-TRAN-suh-junt\ • adjective
: characterized by refusal to compromise or to abandon an extreme position or attitude : uncompromising Example Sentence: Ms. Baxter was intransigent about her most famous rule: no gum or candy in her classroom unless you’d brought enough to share with everybody.
Did you know? English speakers borrowed “intransigent” in the 19th century...
“The books that help you most are those which make you think that most. The...”
– Pablo Neruda
Word of the Day
sastruga • \SAS-truh-guh\ • noun
: a wavelike ridge of hard snow formed by the wind — usually used in plural Example Sentence: “Over the sastrugi it is all up and down hill, and the covering of ice crystals prevents the sledge from gliding even on the down-grade.” (Robert Falcon Scott, Journals: Captain Scott’s Last Expedition)
Did you know? If...
A Little Whimsy
The word of the day made me instantly think of Shakespeare, specifically the character of Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I have always loved Shakespeare, particularly his comedies, full of tangled lovers’ webs, trickery, mirth and, more often than not, a happy ending. And, of course, whimsy. Puck is quite possibly Shakespeare’s most whimsical character, and his closing...
Word of the Day
whimsical • \WIM-zih-kul\ • adjective
1 : full of, actuated by, or exhibiting whims2 *a : resulting from or characterized by whim or caprice; especially : lightly fanciful b : subject to erratic behavior or unpredictable change Example Sentence: The whimsical decor of Mary’s home reflects her playful personality.
Did you know? As you may have guessed, the words...
“Now I am quietly waiting for the catastrophe of my personality to seem beautiful...”
– Mayakovsky, Frank O’Hara
Word of the Day
depredate • \DEP-ruh-dayt\ • verb
*1 : to lay waste : plunder, ravage2 : to engage in plunder Example Sentence: “[O]ne of our party, after being asked by the owner to help depredate a few of the green, squawky birds at a feedlot, took 4 shots and killed over one hundred.” (The Bakersfield Californian, August 16, 2008)
Did you know? “Depredate” derives...
Word of the Day
provender • \PRAH-vun-der\ • noun
1 : dry food for domestic animals : feed*2 : food, victuals Example Sentence: “The ambrosial and essential part of the [huckleberry] fruit is lost with the bloom which is rubbed off in the market cart, and they become mere provender.” (Henry David Thoreau, Walden)
Did you know? When English speakers first chewed on the word...
Word of the Day
ukase • \yoo-KAYSS\ • noun
1 : a proclamation by a Russian emperor or government having the force of law2 a : a proclamation having the force of law* b : order, command Example Sentence: “The professor’s first instruction to the [playwriting] class was a ukase: Never begin a play with a telephone ringing.” (Bruce McCabe, The Boston Globe, June 23,...