January 2010
74 posts
“For her everything was red, orange, gold-red from the sun on the closed eyes,...”
– Ernest Hemingway, For Whom The Bell Tolls
Hilariously Timely →
Word of the Day
yellow-dog • \yel-oh-DAWG\ • adjective
1 : mean, contemptible*2 : of or relating to opposition to trade unionism or a labor union Example Sentence: The workers were all bound under yellow-dog agreements, so they weren’t able to appeal to any union forces to help renegotiate their contract.
Did you know? In the 19th century, the noun “yellow dog” developed a derogatory sense,...
Goodbye, J.D. Salinger →
AspiringSlacker Inspired Me
A dear pen-pal-esque friend inspired me with her latest blog post, so here goes a mini “things I love” list of my own:
1.The latest Portugal photoshoot from J. Crew. And this insanely expensive, (and somehow sold out!!!!), leather jacket: http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Feature_Assortment/NewArrivals/jacketsouterwear/PRDOVR~26159/26159.jsp
2....
Write one leaf about floating.
Floating one by one
Fallen leaves on a river
Drifting slowly by
(via writeoneleaf)
Word of the Day
maxixe • \muh-SHEESH\ • noun
: a ballroom dance of Brazilian origin that resembles the two-step Example Sentence: ”In the 1920s, the maxixe took over the ballrooms of Rio de Janeiro.” (The Toronto Star, September 20, 1998)
Did you know? The maxixe was in vogue for only a few decades in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but its influence has lived on in the still-popular samba....
Word of the Day
martinet • \mar-tuh-NET\ • noun
1 : a strict disciplinarian*2 : a person who stresses a rigid adherence to the details of forms and methods Example Sentence: Spencer complained that his office manager was a power-hungry martinet who compelled him to follow ridiculous rules.
Did you know? When France’s King Louis XIV appointed Lieutenant Colonel Jean Martinet to be inspector general of the...
Word of the Day
bolide • \BOH-lyde\ • noun
: a large meteor : fireball; especially : one that explodes Example Sentence: Though probably no more than a foot in diameter, the bolide offered a brief and spectacular light show as it streaked across the sky.
Did you know? ”Bolide,” like “fireball,” is a name applied to very bright meteors that often trail sparks. A clue to the origins of...
Hello, Bacon, My Love →
Word of the Day
Seriously, it just keeps getting better…
Valhalla • \val-HAL-uh\ • noun
1 : the great hall in Norse mythology where the souls of heroes slain in battle are received*2 : a place of honor, glory, or happiness : heaven Example Sentence: ”When the time comes, a lot of folks who vote people into baseball’s Valhalla will make character a major qualification.” (Sid Dorfman, The...
Word of the Day
Mrs. Grundy • \MISS-uz-GRUN-dee\ • noun
: one marked by prudish conventionality in personal conduct Example Sentence: After a barrage of complaints from Mrs. Grundys, the Web site’s managers decided to remove the “objectionable” photos.
Did you know? ”What would Mrs. Grundy say?” Dame Ashfield, a character in Thomas Morton’s 1798 play Speed the Plough, was...
Word of the Day
colubrine • \KAHL-yuh-bryne\ • adjective
*1 : of, relating to, or resembling a snake2 : of or relating to a large cosmopolitan family (Colubridae) of chiefly nonvenomous snakes Example Sentence: ”By the time the music starts throbbing at 9, there will undoubtedly be a colubrine line slithering down Mass. Ave.” (Christopher Muther, The Boston Globe, March 2002)
Did you know?...
Because I Work in Advertising, I Sometimes Will... →
Takin' a Poll
So I’m going to be reorganizing my bookshelf. Currently, I have the books in order by height, but I’d like to try something different. I’m thinking either standard alphabetical or by color.
What do you all think?
“I like the dark part of the night, after midnight and before four-thirty, when...”
– Dave Eggers, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Write one leaf about honey.
Honey in my tea
The golden, sticky sweetness
Drizzled down my throat.
(via writeoneleaf)
Word of the Day
I’m starting to think they’re running out of words of the day…
Augean stable • \aw-JEE-un-STAY-bul\ • noun
: a condition or place marked by great accumulation of filth or corruption Example Sentence: The presidency of Ulysses S. Grant was marred by his refusal to clean out the Augean stables of his own administration.
Did you know? ”Augean stable” most often...
Word of the Day
And when I think I’ve seen it all from the Merriam-Webster “word of the day,” they throw in this delightful number:
conquian \KONK-ee-un\ adjective
: a card game for two played with 40 cards from which all games of rummy developed
Example Sentence: The two friends whiled away the long summer days with endless games of conquian.
Did you know? Conquian is a very old card game,...
Because I am a Sucker for Pretty Journals... →
Word of the Day
Sigh, so fitting…
doldrums • \DOHL-drumz\ • noun
*1 : a spell of listlessness or despondency2 often capitalized : a part of the ocean near the equator abounding in calms, squalls, and light shifting winds3 : a state or period of inactivity, stagnation, or slump Example Sentence: ”A vacation on a tropical island could be just the thing you need to fight against the winter...
Write one leaf about the snooze button.
A Haiku for the Snooze Button:
Oh, dear snooze button
you tease me with your promise
of more sleep to come.
(via writeoneleaf)
Word of the Day
Because, obviously, this would be the word of the day…
triskaidekaphobia • \triss-kye-dek-uh-FOH-bee-uh\ • noun
: fear of the number 13
Write one leaf about princesses.
Like every typical five-year-old girl in the late 80’s, I was generally obsessed with the Disney princesses: Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Ariel and, of course, Sleeping Beauty. To me, while I always had a soft spot for Belle, (She’s a reader!), at the time, Sleeping Beauty, or Aurora as she is otherwise known, was the ultimate princess, in my toddler mind. In fact, I was so...
