Wordplay Wednesday™ March 30, 2016 – THENAR

Short ‘n’ Sweet – except for feet

We’re not going to tiptoe around today. It’s all about the hands. Although feet are by many, considered the most important foundation of our bodies, when defined, they get the shaft. 

thenar (thēʹnär) n. – the palm of the hand or, sometimes, the sole of the foot; 2) the bulge at base of the thumb.* [WW #53]

“Sometimes” – in reference to the good folks at *Webster – you have to wonder at their choice of wording. After all, how can thenar only sometimes be the sole of the foot – it is, or it isn’t! Which is it? Jus’ askin’.

Perhaps since the 5^th edition of their New World College Dictionary they discovered the ambiguous definition of thenar, as applied to feet, could be (gasp!) wrong. Neither their digital definition, nor Wikipedia’s explanation (albeit disputed) mention the foot pad. Huh.

Conclusion: Like apparently everything else in our lives once thought “set in stone,” our facts are mutable and ever-changing, and our “experts” can be mistaken …

Word of the Week: THENAR. Can you fit it into your next writing?   

'Til next time ... have a wonderful "wordful" week …

                       

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

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Wordplay Wednesday™ October 7, 2015 – Ghostly fears

Six Weeks of Weird Halloween Words ~ Week #3

Boo! Did I scare you?

So, do you avoid the den at Uncle Henry’s because you feel the specter of Aunt Phoebe in the room? Do you quake at the thought of apparitions, and literally run through a “cold spot” in your home? You might have … 

Ghostbusters 1984

PHASMOPHOBIA (fas′mō-fō′bē-ă): n. exaggerated fear of ghosts. [Not in Webster’s dictionary, but that just means they can be a bit behind the times. It appears all over the ‘Net! And we know … if it’s on the ‘Net it must be real! LOL]

Spirits and ghosts have existed in another realm (or in your mind – whichever you believe) since the first human died and returned to finish harassing his or her nemesis. Do you believe …?

Wordplay Wednesday™ July 8, 2015 – CARK: Worry not

Worry not lexicographers … it’s all in how you say it!

Do you wonder why certain words lose popular favor and fall into the “Archaic” category?

Language is mutable and transient by decades, fads, cultures, and eras. Sigh. Nothing ever stays the same. So, what’s changed in your vocabulary?

You're not thinking fourth dimensionally!

Is today’s language making you long for a back to the future trip? There’s a word for that …

Ah, don’t CARK your pretty little head about it … yep, this week’s word is rarely used. Even dear ol’ Webster calls it archaic.

CARK (kärk) – (archaic; vt., vi.) to worry or be worried; n. distress; anxiety. [Worry not!]

Why do archaic words continue to hang out in current dictionaries, taking up space? Good question – Mr. Webster, are you reading this?

For obvious reasons, Noah Webster is one of my heroes. Not only was he the epitome of lexicographers, but he was considered a fringe Founding Father of the United States. (Appropriate for one of this month’s Wordplay Wednesday entries, right?)

A teacher following the American Revolution, Webster abhorred how outdated the school system had become. Children still read primers from England, with books’ text “… often pledging their allegiance to King George. Webster believed that Americans should learn from American books, so in 1783, he wrote his own textbook: A Grammatical Institute of the English Language.” Do you know it by its nickname? ...

Swamped? Breathe … on Wordplay Wednesday™ May 27, 2015

Ahhhhh, breathe in the pure oxygen released by your ELODEA.

Oh, don’t have an aquarium with its green leaves swirling in the water for your fish – which are frantically trying to hide behind it from the pesky kid who keeps tapping the glass?

No matter – just head out to your nearest swamp to get the same effect on steroids (so to speak). Wellllll not exactly …

ELODEA – n. a swamp; any of a genus of submerged water plants of the frog’s-bit family w/whorls of short grass-like leaves – often used in aquariums as it releases large amounts of oxygen.

Have any grade-schoolers at home? Elodea is great for science experiments, too! Create a laboratory demonstration and document its cellular activities. A+!

However, there’s a dark side to the innocently swaying greenery …

Shrewing around on Wordplay Wednesday™ May 20, 2015

Shrewing around on Wordplay Wednesday™ May 20, 2015

Flushed with anger, eyes blazing like a crazed banshee, I lashed out with all the venom my virulent mind could concoct.

Yes. I admit. I have been called a shrew …but I know a more sedate and softer word for my inner Katherina …

VIRAGO – n. 1) quarrelsome, shrewish woman; 2) (archaic) strong, manlike woman; amazon

Vi-rah-go … doesn’t that sound better than the short and obdurate shrew? However, I discovered while researching that Webster’s Dictionary (College/print, 5^th Edition) and Wikipedia have decidedly disparate first definitions of the word. See what I mean ...

Make Magic on Wordplay Wednesday™ May 13, 2015

LATE Wordplay Wednesday – sorry ya-all. It’s one of those days when the Universe had its own schedule for me. But I have an earthy word for you that those in geology will likely know …

Many things – and people – are plain or even rough, on the outside; but if you’re patient, and lucky, you just might find one that holds a real, dazzling treasure on the inside.

Such is the life of a VUG (or vugh, vugg): n. cavity or hollow in a rock or lode, often lined with crystals.

A stunted, homely word with a dazzling, magical meaning, wouldn’t you agree? Some of you may be thinking, wait a sec, this sounds like a geode. Ah, the subtleties of nuance.

 

My understanding is the beauty of geodes is found in a more globular shape than the overall vugs. Both however, can hold the sparkling splendor of crystals. Enjoy.

'Til next time ... have a "wordful" week!

 

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

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