Wordplay Wednesday™ October 12, 2016 – Quale

Do You Sense It? Spooky … 

If you play Words With Friends, it’s very likely you (like me) frantically poke at letters to create words you’ve never heard of, hoping to hear the WWF trill of a “good” word. You play it, rarely caring what the hell it means.

In full disclosure (in case you’re about to splash my indiscretion across social media with Donald and Hillary), I clap in glee with these words; but I began this weekly word odyssey for innocent reasons: 1) I wanted to learn the meaning of an unfamiliar word; 2) I wanted to call WWF’s bluff.

Early on in my WWF game days, I quickly discovered their oft-used “fallback” definition blurb “… is a valid Words With Friends word. Sorry, no definition is available at this time!” Uh-huh.

In other words, you’re bluffing dude! Of course, if I played the word … well, ok. Especially if it resulted in twenty points or more! ;-)  Obscure but high-scoring works … but when it isn’t in a common dictionary, I feel just a little guilty … only a little.  

QUALE (kwāʹlē, kwäʹ-; pl. qualia) n. – (Philosophy) a quality, as whiteness, loudness, etc., abstracted as an independent, universal essence from a thing. [WW #81]

Although quale is in the dictionary and often a high-scoring WWF word, after playing it more times than I can count, its unique philosophical qualia finally caught my attention.

 

Consider it the sense datum of your perceptions … or, as we head into Halloween, quale might be a good word to spook the spirit of your psyche. Behold … your eeriness element. Boo!

Word Challenge: QUALE. We talk about our senses often … but do we really think about them? Can you fit quale into your week of ethereal writings?

 

'Til next time ... cheers to a wonderful "wordful" week …

                       

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

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Wordplay Wednesday™ July 20, 2016 – Sedulous

Mud-slinging in the Speech Pond  

Isn’t it amazing how our democratic process is such a testament to the diligence and attention, perseverance and assiduous planning, of its political machine?

And hasn’t the Internet community contributed in more wonderful ways than we can count, to its ability to research, study, and repeat the best of its finest speeches?

Hmmm. Wellllllll … if I take my tongue out of my cheek, I just might unleash a diatribe of vehement frustration on this Wordplay Wednesday. Who’s with me? Who prefers to dissect political speeches for their content as it pertains to the speaker, rather than their creative origin? I feel sorry for the hard-working writers …

SEDULOUS (sejʹoo lɘs) adj. – 1) working hard and steadily, diligent; 2) constant, persistent (sedulous attention to the task). [WW #69]

Uh-oh. Tongue dislodged from cheek … here come da judge …

Speaking from a writer’s POV, no matter how conscientious and diligent we are, and as unique or powerful we hope our words are, someone somewhere has already articulated those same words, created that idea, or told the story exactly that way.

 

GET OVER IT SOCIAL MEDIA – and by that I mean the MEAN PEOPLE – who have nothing better to do with their time, energy, and half-wit intelligence, than to bully others. Yes, bully. The Internet is FULL of bullies – the ridiculous harassment over Mrs.Trump’s perceived plagiarism is a perfect example – are you a bully? That is not an idle question.

There is often a fine line between spewing venom and spite, or offering practical analyses …

Wordplay Wednesday™ June 1, 2016 – Liminal

Between a Rock and a Hard Spot

This Wordplay Wednesday entry is long overdue. Yesterday I stumbled on a years-old notation of it while vegetating on the threshold of my day …

LIMINAL (limʹi nɘl, līʹmi-) adj. – of or at the limen, or threshold; at a boundary or transitional point between two conditions, stages in a process, ways of life, etc [n. liminality; WW #62]

 Had I actually paid attention to, and/or continued my studies of psychology in college, I likely would have known instantly, what Chuck Lorre referred to in his Vanity Card rant #410. “… we have no choice but to pull together as a nation and make do with the liminal.” Admittedly, I had to look it up. Thanks Chuck!

If you watch the Big Bang Theory, surely you pause the ending credits (a liminal moment before your mind returns to its usual evening numbness) to read Chuck’s rambling rants and raves. If you don’t, or worse, are unaware they’re there because you have an itchy finger on the remote control, you’re missing a grand opportunity to expand – or alternately, explode – your mind. Chuck isn’t just another pretty face writing in TVLand.

A longtime fan of his work, I first encountered Chuck’s quirky vanity cards following the insanely inane but fun antics of Dharma& Greg (1997). I derive as much pleasure from his ramblings as I do his creative characters. Obviously, there is a little of his zaniness in each of them.  

A vanity note to Mr. Lorre:

Has anyone told you recently, you’re not allowed to retire? Ever? And that Stephen Hawking should gather his neuroscientist friends to devise a way to preserve and access your brain (his too, of course) when your body finally dissolves? (I was going to say “decays” but that was too gross.) Your special brand of humor | angst | frustration | vision is greatly appreciated. Of course, many of us not only agree with you but could write vanity cards as well – we just can’t get away with it in Social Media like you can. The average person is vilified as “politically incorrect” for reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. You, however, like Donald Trump, can say anything and you just become more popular. Don’t stop. In fact … run for President … PLEASE??!!

Word of the Week: LIMINAL. Can you fit it into your own vanity card writings?

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

 

                       

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

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