Clubbable – Wordplay Wednesday™ 02/27/2019

A Night of Revelry … A Mugger’s Prey … Neither 

Oh sure, you’re acceptable enough to have friends and maybe even one with benefits. And you’re sociable enough to mingle at parties and dabble on @Netflix. But are you truly …

CLUBBABLE (klubʹɘ bɘl) adj. – suited to membership in a club; sociable. [WW #205]

Per the dictionary, clubbable was “coined (early 1780s) by Samuel Johnson,” who arguably wrote the first modern “word-book” published in 1755, Dictionary of the English Language. “Dictionaries are like watches, the worst is better than none and the

best cannot be expected to go quite true.”

Do you look at a word that you’re unfamiliar with and kind of make up your own first impression of what it might mean?

Spotting clubbable, your first thought may have conjured an innocent person vulnerable to a mugging. Not unusual in our current society. (Or on a lighter note … you’re ready for a night of clubbing!)

Because I matured in an era before crime was so pervasive, my first thought was of a scene from caveman days—something along the lines of The Flintstones. I try to think in terms of humor rather than brutality.

It was a relief to find that clubbable defines a personality or lifestyle, rather than an act of violence. Although it can smack of discrimination, “suited to membership” also denotes possessing certain skillsets, traits or artistic abilities that resonate with others of the same ilk, and makes you clubbable for their organization.

The best way to ensure you are clubbable … start your own club.

Word Challenge: CLUBBABLE. We do tend to gather with others complementary to our general nature.  Consider what makes your group clubbable as you fit it into your week of sociable writing.

Learning knows no prejudices or boundaries, and it isn’t fattening! Expanding your mind is a no-cost, simple joy. Do you feel that way too? What’s your inspiration? Share your creative genius and Wordplay Wednesday comments below.

Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle) 

Cheers to learning a new word on Wordplay Wednesday!

           

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and an author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published two books (of three) in her Blast from Your Past series about pioneering R&R Radio DJs. The true behind-the-mic tales make GREAT Holiday Gifts available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon … The Psychedelic Seventies!

E-N-Dzzzzzzzz

Fuliginous – Wordplay Wednesday™ 02/20/2019

Dark Fiction Shines with Bright Writing 

When writing dark, intense fiction—or even likewise nonfiction—help your reader pull out of the darkness once in a while with a word designed to break the tension. Make them stop reading and peer intently at …

FULIGINOUS (fyōō lijʹɘ nɘs)) adj. – 1) full of smoke or soot; 2 dark, dusky. [WW #204]

And perhaps another literary term for a smokescreen! Fuliginous is a fun word for fiction writers. If you have a crime-solving character, for instance, who is rather pompous and/or exceptionally learned and wordy, fuliginous plays right into his or her affected vocabulary.

Example: Thurman peered up into the old fireplace chimney. “The house may be old and dilapidated, but this fuliginous fireplace has seen recent use. It’s unlikely the murderer entered this way.”

Word Challenge: FULIGINOUS. Give it some thought, as your characters develop their personalized vocabulary, and fit fuliginous into your week of creative writing.

Learning knows no prejudices or boundaries, and it isn’t fattening! Expanding your mind is a no-cost, simple joy. Do you feel that way too? What’s your inspiration? Share your creative genius and Wordplay Wednesday comments below.

Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle) 

Cheers to learning a new word on Wordplay Wednesday!

           

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

 

LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and an author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published two books (of three) in her Blast from Your Past series about pioneering R&R Radio DJs. The true behind-the-mic tales make GREAT Holiday Gifts available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon … The Psychedelic Seventies!

E-N-Dzzzzzzzz