Posts tagged as:

The Penultimate Word

SIMIAN [SIM-ee-uhn] : referring to apes or monkeys

August 26, 2012

A recent newspaper article described a person’s simian-like gesture.  Not to be left totally in the dark, I began my research and discovered that simian is a term which means “monkey or ape-like.”   I’m not sure now whether the author of the article was being complimentary or not, and I can’t exactly remember where I [...]

Read the full article →

VALUE JUDGMENT: a statement which declares something to be “right” or “wrong” ; a personal preference portrayed as a standard

August 25, 2012

As children we were constantly receiving value judgments from parents, teachers, neighbors, or anyone who thought they had the right to influence our choices. No, don’t eat that.  It’s bad. Good little boys don’t do that. We never say that in public. You must always do what your teacher says. Good writers never use that [...]

Read the full article →

GUN CONTROL: legislation which limits the access to and use of armaments in civilian life

August 24, 2012

I don’t know anyone who believes that the government should take away hunting rifles, target pistols, or other similar non-offensive guns from legitimate, licensed owners.   There is a long tradition of hunting and recreational shooting, including trap shooting, which is recognized in this country and even included in Olympic events.  So the paranoia about stripping [...]

Read the full article →

ELEGIAC [el-i-JAHY-uhk] : pertaining to an elegy; expressing sorrow or lament

August 23, 2012

Who escaped high school English classes without having to study, memorize, or recite such elegies as “O Captain, my Captain” by Walt Whitman or Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray? At the time the themes seemed morbid and funereal to a teenager, but it was an important piece of literary inquiry which [...]

Read the full article →

SKUNKED TERM: a word or term that experiences confusing change in its meaning

August 22, 2012

When a word’s meaning changes dramatically to the point of being confusing, it is referred to as a skunked term. In Bryan Garner’s, Garner’s Modern American Usage, he points out “When a word undergoes a marked change from one use to another–a phase that might take ten years or a hundred–it’s  likely to be the [...]

Read the full article →

DEATH: end of life

August 20, 2012

This may seem like a ghoulish posting, but it’s a legitimate result of thinking about significant words that are common in our language.    No, I’m not obsessing on death, and I’m not aware of being traumatized by someone’s death.  I’m just thinking out loud about something that I think is worth consideration. It bothers the [...]

Read the full article →

SHARIAH [shah-REE-ah]: a system of law deemed to be derived from the Koran

August 19, 2012

      A lot has been said and written about Islamic law over the past few years, some out of intelligence, some out of ignorance.  The fear of something “different” keeps some people from seeking the truth when it comes to things Islamic.  This is particularly true when dealing with the concept of Shariah, [...]

Read the full article →

THROES [throhz]: in great pain or discomfort over a period of time

August 18, 2012

Pain is universal, not confined to a particular gender, race, nationality, age, or political party.   It is the result of injury, stress, illness, anxiety, or any number of causes which bring about the sensation of agony.  Everyone is vulnerable to pain, and, I would suspect, every person experiences pain of one kind or another at [...]

Read the full article →

REPERTORY/REPERTOIRE: easily confused terms

August 17, 2012

A repertory company is a theater company with a standard group of actors who present a variety of productions in the course of a season.  The actors shift among roles as the production changes. A repertoire, however, is a file of  songs, poems, monologues, or other production pieces that a performer is prepared to present [...]

Read the full article →

CABINET: only in Rhode Island: a milkshake!

August 16, 2012

There’s a lot about Rhode Island that’s unique.  Like on Monday when the state observed “Victory Day.”   Rhode Island is the only state in the United States that continues to observe this day as “Victory over Japan” day.   The horrific details of that victory have caused a stir among many Rhode Islanders, but the [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries