Caving In ... Going Back ... Way Back in Time ...
I once worked with a woman who wished she could live in a cave. Seriously. Better yet, underground. Like a mole. We didn’t get along very well ... imagine that. But I do hope she accomplished her dream home. After the past couple of years, I fancy many of us felt like we were doing just that, living like a ...
TROGLODYTE (ʹträ-glɘ-,dīt; 1555) n. ~ 1) a member of any of various peoples (as in antiquity) who lived or were reputed to live chiefly in caves; 2) a person characterized by reclusive habits or outmoded reactionary attitudes – adj./troglodytic. [WW-M #316]
This is the first Wordplay Wednesday in which the featured word is the same as the tune title for our *Monthly Song of Note ¯. Coming hot off the Top Thirty at #6 on the radio music chart for KAFY/Bakersfield, California, April 18, 1972, "Troglodyte" shares the honor with our big bro site, *BlastFromYourPast.net. It would be even more fun if the song’s premise wasn’t so, well, neanderthal!
Did I ... do I ... find the word and song offensive? Nah. Not really. Back in the day, we weren’t so consciously aware and we just considered the source (my attitude still today)—an inane novelty record.
When the word troglodyte strolled into the dictionary around 1555, it was likely never intended for crass or derogatory use. My apologies to those who find it insulting, but in addition to anthropological studies, it’s Rock & Roll history, and though we’re coming close to it, we haven’t ... yet ... begun totally erasing the past we don't agree with.
So, to set the record straight for this day and age, troglodyte is an apt word in a novel or nonfiction work depicting reclusive or intolerant people of the current century, or referencing a mode of living and peoples from archaic human life.
Word Challenge: TROGLODYTE. Apply this word with care in a multitude of scenarios, as you fit troglodyte into an expressive month of novelty writings and casual conversations.
Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle)
@PenchantForPen
@Irishwriter
Wordplay Wednesday is currently created for your literary pleasure every first Wednesday of each month. Thank you for stopping by! Learning knows no prejudices or boundaries, and it isn’t harmful to your health! 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.
[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 Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate
Dictionary – Eleventh Edition, unless otherwise noted. 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
