DEVILRY – Wordplay Wednesday™ 10/28/2020

The Devil You Say!  

Over the centuries, Halloween trick-or-treating has had more than its fair share of devils roaming the streets—both harmless and harmful. Not to ignore its obvious connotation of evil, let’s add a little levity to life and explore the devil’s role with playful tongue in cheek …

DEVILRY (‘de-v^ɘl-rē; 14c.) [or deviltry] n. – 1a) action performed with the help of the devil: witchcraft; b) wickedness; c) mischief; 2) an act of devilry. [WW #292]

Throw in a little devilment, a devil-may-care attitude, and a devilish rogue, for a hyper-mischievous Halloween! Don’t forget, you’ll have the devil to pay if you go too far, but a fun night of devilry in the lightest sense of the word can add an impish charm to your All Hallows Eve.

This Halloween falls on a Blue Moon and a Saturday so devilry is apt to describe the prevailing mystic atmosphere. The day is host to several lottery draws, will  you become a lucky devil? Or if you’re stuck at home, you might practice a new recipe of deviled eggs, and chase the dust devils around, to prep for Thanksgiving!

From ancient centuries, Halloween has meant a Celtic celebration of summer’s end, the harvest, and a lifting of the veil between the living and dead, in a festival to honor saints and martyrs. As History.com tells its modern day evolution, “All Souls’ Day was celebrated similarly to Samhain [Celtic festival], with big bonfires, parades and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels and devils. The All Saints’ Day celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints’ Day) and the night before it, the traditional night of Samhain [SOW-in] in the Celtic religion, began to be called All-Hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.”

Is there a correlation to November 3^rd’s Election Day? You be the judge … to take you into November and the next week of final elections, try not to stress as you struggle to cast your ballot between the devil and the deep blue sea (faced with two equally objectionable devilry alternatives).

Whatever your relationship with the devil and his devilry (if any or none) there is a cute little devil with a trick-or-treat bag full of references for your writings and chats. To some, he is more heinous than hilarious; so keep that in mind, or you may indeed, have the devil to pay.

Word Challenge: DEVILRY. For the Irish or Irish at heart, enjoy a little “Cleas nó cóir”! (class noh koh-ir)! (“Trick or Treat” in Gaelic), as you fit devilry into your week of delightfully wicked writings and creepy 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!

Happy Halloween!

Wicked Witch of the West
@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.

E-N-Dzzzzzzzz  

 

Sortilege – Wordplay Wednesday™ 10/16/2019

There is No Magic when you Cease to Believe 

There is more magic in the air—white and black—on Halloween than any other day of the year. And it has been that way since before we carved cute pumpkins and bobbed for apples …

SORTILEGE (sôrtʹɘ lij) n. – 1) divination or prophecy by casting lots; 2) sorcery, black magic. [WW #238]

What the dictionary doesn’t mention is how ancient sortilege is, and how once, the casting of lots* served as a way to make many political and religious decisions, from the selection of land plots, to choosing a pope.

Leaning toward the sorcery side of things, ancient Romans foretold fortunes through the *casting of lots—items which have varied over the centuries. The East Asian divination of I Ching often involves the use of carved coins or sticks of the yarrow plant. Primal traditions in many civilizations granted tribes fortunes of land, decided by sortilege.

Moving on to more modern times, in 1606 Shakespeare gave his Macbeth plot a witchy element foretelling the ambitious Macbeth’s tragic future by a trio of witches, “Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble!” Sorcery at its playhouse best.

What do we still do that is a form of sortilege? Flipping a coin at every NFL game to see who first receives control of the ball. And you thought it was an outdated form of determining “the Gods’ will”!

But for Wordplay Wednesday, we’re declaring sortilege for Halloween, with a twist. Since we prefer white magic to black, we think sortilege should forecast a wickedly fun time for all.

Add a little Irish to it and cast your Ogham staves for family and friends entertainment.

Word Challenge: SORTILEGE. Whatever you’re writing, book, blog, or autobiography, give it some magic as you slip sortilege into your week of divine 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!

Wicked Witch of the West       

@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