Quinquagenarian – Wordplay Wednesday™ 06/26/2019

Confounding Age with a Word and a Smile 

Feeling old? Shucks. You’re only as old as you feel, right? After all, our sister-site says, no matter how many times you’re 39 and Holding again … Age is a Number … LIFE is ATT-i-tude!

What can you do to feel young again? Smile! Or smirk. Or grin. Or flat-out belly laugh! You don’t even need a reason, and may find you feel younger instantly.

“Science has shown that the mere act of smiling can lift your mood, lower stress, boost your immune system and possibly even prolong your life.” (“Smiling can trick your brain into happiness — and boost your health”; 11/28/17)

So if sixty is the new forty, and fifty the new thirty, this word will take you ‘til you’re ninety (in any context) to master its tongue-twisting pronunciation …

QUINQUAGENARIAN (kwin’kwɘ jɘ nerʹē ɘn; kwiŋ’-) adj. – 50 years old, or between the ages of 50 and 60 (n. a person of this age). [WW #222]  

The fifteen-letter tongue-twister is a mouthful. I’ve practiced … and still can’t pronounce quinquagenarian correctly three times in a row.

Surely there must be somewhere, sometime, in your writings or conversation that you can pop quinquagenarian out to the amazement and amusement of your readers and friends. Go ahead. I dare ya!

Word Challenge: QUINQUAGENARIAN. Think ageless with a twinkle and a smirk, as you slip quinquagenarian into your week of age-appropriate prose.

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. 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!]

Note: Dictionary definitions are quoted from Webster’s New World College Dictionary.

Endnote: FYI – All links in the PFP site are personally visited, verified, and vetted. Most are linked to commonly accessed sites of reputable note. However, as with everything cyber-security, use at your own discretion.

E-N-Dzzzzzzzz  

Cacography – Wordplay Wednesday™ 06/19/2019

A Word about Sloppy Spelling and Bad Writing 

We could arguably blame it on underfunded public schools (for decades now). Or fad songwriting. ♪ “It Don’t Matter to Me …” ♪ Or texting. “How R U?” Or Social Media in general. Or just too busy to care.

 

Whatever the reason, our spelling skills have become deplorable. Except in spelling contests. Even Words With Friends allows “fixt” as an alternative spelling to past-tense, “fixed.” Deplorable.

And then there is our penmanship … best left these days for keyboard fonts. Even “writers” are more accurately, “creative typists.” The art of flowery prose written with flamboyant flair suffers from archaic degradation. Studies show “writing by hand improves brain function.”

Does our poor spelling go hand-in-hand with illegible writing? One who employs this word (and spells it correctly), might think so …

CACOGRAPHY (kɘ kägʹrɘ fē) n. 1) bad handwriting; 2) incorrect spelling (cacographic; cacographical).  [WW #221]  

In this age of keyboards and audible writing programs, and in my humble but oddly arrogant opinion (yes I admit it) about the sad state of our writing skills in general, bad handwriting may be forgiven. However, some teachers are adamantly striving to retain cursive in schools. 7 Reasons Why Handwriting Matters.

Poor spelling, on the other hand, is inexcusable, given all the aids our smartphones and spellcheck programs offer, in every manner and device for writing. Of course, context often plays a role in misspellings, but again, that is no excuse for not actually knowing the correct spelling and context. What is being taught in school?

If this keeps up, by the twenty-fifth century, who will transcribe our “ancient writings” discovered in notebooks from the twentieth century and earlier? If we can’t write it, we can’t read it.

Word Challenge: CACOGRAPHY. Dig out (or, gasp! buy) a notebook and write something meaningful. Yes, you’ll need to enter it in your computer later, but that also offers a second opportunity to truly read what you wrote (and revise or correct), as you slip cacography into your week of perfectly thoughtful writings.

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. 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!]

Note: Dictionary definitions are quoted from Webster’s New World College Dictionary.

E-N-Dzzzzzzzz