TRANSPARENCY: a clear picture of what is taking place; no smoke screens

August 25, 2010

You have heard me talk about my favorite coffee shop, the LaSalle Bakery in Providence.  It is where I have my bran muffin and coffee every morning.  It is also where I read the New York Times, chat with regulars and staff about the Red Sox and the Syracuse Orange.  But it also where I [...]

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IDIOCIES: utterly senseless or foolish behavior; a stupid or foolish act, statement, etc.

August 24, 2010

There’s a difference between the two words idiocies and idiosyncrasies. I think I knew that, but I’ve never stopped to ask what that difference is.  Yesterday I read a review of Stieg Larsson’s third book in his Millennium Trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.  The reviewer referred to the idiocies in the book, [...]

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LINEAR: a method of writing in which points are unmistakeably connected

August 23, 2010

Instead of depending upon someone else’s thoughts about a word, I want to go independent on this one.  There are lots and lots of ways in which the word linear can be used, thanks to the disciplines of mathematics, science, photography, and art.
But I have a use for the word linear which may (or may [...]

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The Penultimate Word: time to check things out

August 22, 2010

It has been almost a year since I started publishing this blog, The Penultimate Word. As of today, this is the 319th piece that I have posted.  August is a traditional time in academic settings to take a break, look at the way things are going, and re-tool for the coming year.  So let [...]

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WELTER: to become deeply or extensively involved, associated, entangled

August 21, 2010

The word welter has a variety of definitions, all of which make reference to chaos.  A welter of activity means a confused, tangled mess in which someone has become mired. To some people, like me, a welter is something to be avoided at any cost.  I would rather spend hours in preparation for activity, to [...]

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PROTAGONIST: the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work.

August 20, 2010

One out of three isn’t bad.  In the definition shown above we learn that a protagonist is:

the leading character
a hero
a heroine

In Steig Larsson’s popular trilogy the subject is Lisbeth Salander.  Although she is not present on every page, the story is about her.  She is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played [...]

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SYCOPHANT: a self-seeking, servile flatterer

August 19, 2010

It is the beginning of a full-fledged political season.  Oh, there has been a good blast of political shenanigans already, but it’s only a warm-up to the real thing.  After the September sorting out of legitimate candidates for the parties, otherwise known as the primaries, it becomes open season for behavior that can only be [...]

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ETIOLATE: to cause vegetables to whiten by restricting light

August 18, 2010

Evidently presentation is everything when it comes to gourmet meals.  I discovered this when I chased down the meaning of the word etiolate which I had come across in an article in the NY Times. The article was about a “ghost stroller” which has appeared on a street in New York, chained to a pole.  [...]

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GROUND ZERO: the point on the earth’s surface where an explosion occurs

August 17, 2010

Prior to 9/11/01 the term ground zero was a generic term, primarily military, which referred to any point on the earth’s surface beneath which a designated explosion took place.  It was first used, according to Wikipedia, to refer to the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Since 2001, however, the term has become synonymous with that area [...]

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APPARATCHICK: a bureaucrat appointed for ideological reasons rather than skills

August 16, 2010

I know.  I’ve been there also.  The DMV for instance.   There I stand, facing a man or woman who is paid to be nasty…or that’s what it seems like.  I come to the conclusion that if I was to read their job description it would say:
It is your function to make the applicant feel ignorant [...]

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