Éclaircissement – Wordplay Wednesday™ 12/30/2020

01/13/2021 LR Note: If I haven't said it lately, "Welcome"! If you're a regular to Penchant for Penning and especially Wordplay Wednesday, I hope you "got the memo" recently about our switch from a weekly blog to monthly. This is just a gently reminder to come back on February 3rd for a fresh issue of Wordplay Wednesday. In the meantime, whether it's your first or hundredth visit, please stay awhile, peruse, reflect and enjoy! Ciao for now ... ~ LinDee

 Reflect some more, Rejoice in life & REJUVENATE for 2021! 

Timing is everything. As the New Year arrives and bursts into our lives, we reflect on 2020’s skewed timing on everything we thought we knew. Like many, are you confused as to where and how to start 2021? We have a word to help with that …

ÉCLAIRCISSEMENT (ā-kler-sēs-[ɘ-]mäⁿ, 1667) n. – a clearing up of something obscure : enlightenment. [WW #301]

Leave it to the French … a fifteen-letter word with a big job to match! Even for the most organized person, bringing this year to a close is a messy job. Éclaircissement is the perfect word to aid you in your 2020 cleanup and clear the fog for a bright future.

To finish weathering the current global storm, we need to root out the year’s obscurities and put our lives back in focus for 2021. While yes, we’re all “going through it together,” how we deal with it is individually important—éclaircissement is a great place to start.

You would think, with éclaircissement’s zeitgeist message of insight and clarification, that it hit dictionaries in the New Age of 1970s. But it’s been around since the mid-1600s … throughout history, we’ve noted that nearly every era of society has had its need for emerging from a confusing haze.   

This week use the essence of éclaircissement to rebuild on what you’ve learned (or been reminded of)
about life, people, and yourself, over the past twelve months. Where were you in January compared to December? What will you take with to greet the dawn of 2021, and what is best left in the past?

Reflection. Joy in the revelations. And with éclaircissement, rejuvenation for your future.

Word Challenge: ÉCLAIRCISSEMENT. Look forward with refreshed eyes and renewed clarity, as you fit éclaircissement into your week of New Year writings and casual conversations.

LR Note:

Well I’m amazed! Wordplay Wednesday number three hundred and one! Last week we hit milestone #300 with atavism … can’t believe we’ve come so far since 2015. However, I do on occasion, practice what I preach. Yes, I too, am in a state of éclaircissement reflecting on 2020 and what I want my life to be in 2021. Part of that decluttering is to free time for writing and restructuring my personal life.

So as a reminder: The weekly edition of Wordplay Wednesday ends with this post (#301, December 30^th). In the New Year, PFP becomes a site devoted to the publications and promotion of 39 and Holding Club, and Blast from Your Past monthly sites and writings. However, Wordplay continues with short articles appearing on the first Wednesday of every month, beginning February 3, 2021 with Wordplay #302. C’mon by the first week of the month to enjoy new posts on all of my fun sites.

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

Cheers to learning a new word today, and Happy New Year 2021!

Yours in words and whimsy

@PenchantForPen
@Irishwriter

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.

[LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and an author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published two books in her Blast from Your Past series (of three) about pioneering R&R Radio DJs. True behind-the-mic tales make GREAT Holiday and anytime 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!]

LR Notes: 1) Dictionary definitions are quoted from Webster’s New World College Dictionary. Yes, we sometimes present them out of “official” context—but that’s half the fun! Think of it as “creative context.” 2) a] Recent dictionary additions to definitions include a date of first use, if known; b] words in small caps indicate “see also.” 3) Neither I (LinDee Rochelle) nor Penchant for Penning are responsible for how you use information found here, that may result in legal action.
                *And please note, I do not receive compensation from any company or person for commercial or commodity links I may include in my posts.

E-N-Dzzzzzzzz  

 

Atavism – Wordplay Wednesday™ 12/23/2020

 REFLECT, REJOICE & Next Week REJUVENATE! 

Last week I suggested December 2020 may not hold the nostalgic reflection of past years. In reflection (😊), perhaps it is filled with even more nostalgia than recent Holiday Seasons, as we review the year’s devastating losses and debilitating illness that paradoxically, tore us apart, yet brought us together.

The old saying, “Hindsight is 2020,” couldn’t be more appropriate. Ruminating over the year, as every year, we see in hindsight what we may have done differently, more/less of, or simply better. Reflection is good for the soul and never more so than when we contemplate family … losses, gains, good or bad. Especially this year.

For many, family values are significantly more meaningful even as we are mostly apart. Whether by Zoom or in person this Holiday, look around you with joy and try to recognize how you might be reflected in your family by …

ATAVISM (atʹɘ vizʹɘm) n. – 1) appearance in an individual of some characteristic found in a remote ancestor but not in nearer ancestors; 2) a] such a characteristic, b] an individual with such a characteristic (also aʹa vist; adj. at’avis’tic, atavic (ɘ tavʹik); adv. atʹavisʹti cal ly). [WW #300]

 If you’re fortunate enough to have access to photographs of past family generations, this is a great time to take another look and see if you can spot the atavism most surely apparent. Ever wonder why you look like your Grandpa John on your mother’s side but not like her or your father?

As a youngster decades ago, when society was less tolerant of physical features, I often felt relieved that my hair flowed straighter, like my grandmother’s and less unruly than my mother’s frizzy Irish roots. Of course, my father’s Germanic straight hair likely helped, but other facial features are evident in past family photos, too. What do you see in your current family that echoes atavism of your ancestors?

Good or bad—keeping in mind that beauty is highly subjective—we are a reflection of our ancestors. Let your atavism be a source of pride while you Reflect on 2020 with acceptance, and Rejoice in its small victories that will carry you forward. Next week we’ll Rejuvenate for 2021!

Warm wishes for a joyful Christmas … Yours in Peace and Patience ~ LinDee 

Word Challenge: ATAVISM. It’s great when you love your family features, but if not, change what you can and accept what you cannot change, as you fit atavism into your week of familial writings and casual conversations.

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

Cheers to learning a new word today, and Merry Christmas!

@PenchantForPen
@Irishwriter

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.

[LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and an author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published two books in her Blast from Your Past series (of three) about pioneering R&R Radio DJs. True behind-the-mic tales make GREAT Holiday and anytime 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!]

LR Notes: 1) Dictionary definitions are quoted from Webster’s New World College Dictionary. Yes, we sometimes present them out of “official” context—but that’s half the fun! Think of it as “creative context.” 2) a] Recent dictionary additions to definitions include a date of first use, if known; b] words in small caps indicate “see also.” 3) Neither I (LinDee Rochelle) nor Penchant for Penning are responsible for how you use information found here, that may result in legal action.
          *And please note, I do not receive compensation from any company or person for commercial or commodity links I may include in my posts.

E-N-Dzzzzzzzz  

 

Jink & a Wink! – Wordplay Wednesday™ 12/16/2020

LR Note: Hello Readers, Writers & the Curious! Thank you for coming to this humble blog. As many of us have experienced, a multitude of life’s comfort zones have come crashing to an end in this enigmatic year. After much consideration, I have made a difficult decision which will put Wordplay Wednesday in that category.
       As writers, we take great pleasure sharing what we learn with others, such is what this fun, but time-consuming weekly article has allowed me to do. But it’s time for Penchant for Penning to step back and take a more parental, supportive role in my more widely read blogs and writings.
      The weekly edition of Wordplay Wednesday will end with #301 on December 30^th. In the New Year, PFP will become a site devoted to the publications and promotion of 39 and Holding Club, and Blast from Your Past monthly sites and writings. However, please join me in a nod to continue Wordplay with short articles appearing on the first Wednesday of each month. C’mon by the first week of each month to enjoy new posts on all of my fun sites.
      Why now, when new words are entering our dictionaries at a furious pace? You may know that I have been writing a book series of pioneering Rock & Roll Radio DJs (BFYP). The final decade (Book 3-1970s) has been languishing without my firm hand on its forward motion. Time is my enemy. Thus, the anguishing need to scale back on enjoyable, but time-usurping projects.
      I hope you are well and happily looking forward, while infusing insight from what has gone before. Cheers to your health and warm wishes for a much less demanding and healthier New Year for all of us! Next Wordplay Wednesday on February 3, 2021..LinDee Rochelle

And now, with a merry wink and a Holiday twinkle … this week’s Wordplay Wednesday awaits …

 Sipping Cider with Santa … 

Mmmmmm, that sounds good! Or, you could be sipping cider AS Santa, if you’re the one doing the delivering this year (virtually, of course). Either way, it’s definitely cider time!

For many of us, closing out this year lacks the tone of nostalgia, prevalent in years past …we just want it done and over with. Not that we won’t have issues to confront come 2021, but perhaps not a year that delivers more than one strength-sapping negative …

JINK (ʹjiŋk; 1785) vi. – to move quickly or unexpectedly with sudden turns and shifts (as in dodging).
Or (1786) n. – 1) a quick evasive turn, slip; 2) pl., franks, frolics, esp. high jinks. [WW #299]

With all of its many possible roles, I choose to believe that this word just begs to be applied to Santa, dontcha think? What if our beloved Christmas poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” first published in 1823 had read …

A jovial look and a twist of his head
soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but with a smile and a wink,
filled all the stockings, then turned with a jink.

Well he could have, as jink had already entered mainstream vocabulary in 1785! I just tweaked it with a little creative magic …

Real excerpt from common title “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” (Clement Clarke Moore):

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
and filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.

Sadly, ‘long about six or seven years old, we begin to question the fantastic magic of Santa Claus. Though we may never lose our faith in the magic of Christmas (Hallmark movies* are a testament to that belief), eventually the idea of jolly ol’ St. Nick arriving by chimney or other tight-squeezed method, to visit children around the world in a single night, becomes a tad far-fetched. Jink or no jink.

But Santa’s mystique has endured to still tweak the fantasy of many a young child, at least for a few blissful years, and spark adult memories from days of yore. What kinds of unexpected twists, turns, and jinks can you add to your fiction and nonfiction works? Have fun with this one … Ho! Ho! Ho!

Word Challenge: JINK. A versatile, intriguing surprise for your creative juices, as you fit jink into your week of clever writings and casual conversations.

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 today, and making the virtual most of your Holidays!

@PenchantForPen
@Irishwriter

[LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and an author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published two books in her Blast from Your Past series (of three) about pioneering R&R Radio DJs. True behind-the-mic tales make GREAT Holiday and anytime 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!]

LR Notes: 1) Dictionary definitions are quoted from Webster’s New World College Dictionary. Yes, we sometimes present them out of “official” context—but that’s half the fun! Think of it as “creative context.” 2) a] Recent dictionary additions to definitions include a date of first use, if known; b] words in small caps indicate “see also.” 3) Neither I (LinDee Rochelle) nor Penchant for Penning are responsible for how you use information found here, that may result in legal action.
      *And please note, I do not receive compensation from any company or person for commercial or commodity links I may include in my posts.

E-N-Dzzzzzzzz