Posts tagged as:

WRITING

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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INCIPIENT: about to happen; in the early stage of development

August 10, 2010

It seems as if the most common use of the term“early stage” is reserved for describing cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, and similar diseases.  When I hear someone use the term I anticipate that I am about to hear about a friend or relative being diagnosed with an illness.
However, when the word incipient is used, my mind [...]

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WEASEL WORD: evasive words used to mislead the reader

August 1, 2010

This is a word for your lexicon, especially if you are a writer.  A weasel word is a term such as “some people say” which leads the casual reader to believe that what follows is widely-accepted.  In reality, it may be that only one person (the person writing the comment) says such a thing.  Technically, [...]

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CENTURY MARK: celebrating a 100th birthday

July 24, 2010

Yesterday was the 100th birthday of my wife’s cousin.  We were privileged to be among the crowd of friends and relatives who gathered for a celebration of the century mark for this unbelievably chipper and bright woman who has been a major part of my wife’s life for nearly seven decades.  They are kindred spirits [...]

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OLD SPICE: who would have guessed?

July 21, 2010

For several years I have been using men’s grooming items from an upscale company.  They were costly, but I really enjoyed the scent, and I received comments frequently about it.  I watched the prices go up, the products change, the packaging change, and the prices go up again.
One day I was shopping in the supermarket [...]

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EDIT OUT: erase

July 16, 2010

Editing an article is usually a refreshing endeavor.  There’s something positive about discovering a typo, a bad construction, or a mis-spelled word and being able to correct it before clicking on  that “publish” key.  Knowing that I have avoided the embarrassment of a glaring error is not only a relief; it carries with it a [...]

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PITON: a piece of metal hammered into a stone face to allow a climber to be secured

July 3, 2010

When driving through the Adirondack Mountains we frequently spot brave souls climbing rocky faces of the mountains which seem impenetrable.  A sheer face of rock thirty feet high and (from the road below) looking to be flat and without spots to place a foot.  Yet there they are, ropes encircling their shoulders, arms extended to [...]

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PILGRIMAGE: a journey, esp. a long one, made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion

June 21, 2010

The church we visited yesterday is sending a group of young people and their advisers on a pilgrimage this coming Saturday.  They will be gone for a couple of weeks, visiting the Sioux/Lakota people in South Dakota.  Yesterday the priest, on behalf of the people of the congregation, commissioned the pilgrims and presented them with [...]

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OMERTÀ: code of silence

May 25, 2010

This one is for writers!  Mario Puzo has used the term omertà already as a title for a novel, but that’s no reason not to know about the word and to use it in other pieces.  It’s too good a word to get sidebarred because of his third book in his Mafia trilogy.
Omertà is a [...]

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SHOCK VALUE: the potential of an image, text or other form of communication to provoke a reaction of disgust, shock, anger, fear, or similar negative emotion

May 7, 2010

In a dream I saw myself as the recipient of criticism from a number of people who were offended by something I had written in my blog.  I’m not good at remembering details of dreams, so I can’t…for the life of me…remember what the topic of my posting was.  But it was dramatic enough that [...]

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