Thaumaturgist – Wordplay Wednesday™ 10/06/2021

 Ready for a Wild Night Month?  

Our favorite spooky night is looming on the dark horizon! Wordplay Wednesday’s Halloween words traditionally applied to the mysteries of October each week. Now that it’s a monthly blog, rather than just one word, let’s conjure up a 2-fer for the price of one!

Abracadabra!

THAUMATURGIST (ʹthȯʹmɘ-,tɘr-jist; 1829) n. – a performer of miracles; esp. magician. [WW #310/1-M ~ Monthly Edition]

THAUMATURGY (ʹthȯʹmɘ-,tɘr-jē; ca. 1727) n. – the performance of miracles; spec. magic. [WW #310/2-M ~ Monthly Edition]

Magic performances have fascinated humankind for eons. Although the secrets to many tricks of thaumaturgy have been revealed over time, there are still thaumaturgists who manage to keep their magic mystical.

As Halloween month unfolds, more magicians will emerge from the shadows (of Covid!) to amaze and bemuse. Or maybe they’ll just wear the costume. Either way, thaumaturgists’ tricks seem even more profound and bizarre around Halloween—even those exposed as less than mystical, when performed with flare, can trick the unsuspecting mind.

Did you hear that? ♪ The wild night is callin’ …♪  around Halloween fifty years ago, Van Morrison sang of wild nights and crazy times. Get wild with our Monthly Song of Note* and create your own thaumaturgy spectacle in your writing, or your living room!

Word Challenge: THAUMATURGIST. Give this word and its bag of tricks, thaumaturgy, some comprehensive thought—its definition could apply to a saint or a sinner—as you fit them into your week of spellbinding writings and casual conversations.

* PFP’s Monthly Song of Note: “Wild Night,” by Van Morrison, quickly climbed to #14 on the KFRC/San Francisco music survey, October 4, 1971 50 Years Ago this Month.

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 below.

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

Cheers to learning a new word today!

@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 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  

 

Barghest – Boo! Wordplay Wednesday™ 10/14/2020

What a Cute Black Puppy! Until He Isn’t …

Halloween’s gaggle of goblins, witches, moans and groans are more fun than frightening, and a welcome relief to real horrors of life. Especially if you’re into fiction writing that can delve into this month’s gamut of wicked words. Another ghastly ghoul for your vocabulary list awaits …

"Black Shuck" church of Bungay

BARGHEST (bärʹgestʹ) n. (Eng. Folklore) – a doglike goblin whose appearance supposedly foreshadows death or bad luck. [WW #290]

Though an entry in the 2014 Webster’s dictionary,* barghest is not in the 2020. So be it. It’s folklore … I doubt that it’s just going to go away.

The Northern English folk myths generally depict the barghest as a black dog with oversized teeth and paws with claws to match his monster-sized body; but he can in some geographical tall tales, appear ghostly or as an evil elf.

Over centuries of terrifying tellings, a barghest is generally regarded as a bad omen and may show up as a horrifying shapeshifter. In recent accounts it has come to mean any malevolent black dog. That covers a lot of territory!

Like cacodemon, last week’s wicked word, barghest is rooted in pop culture. Its canine creepiness can be found in the usual online fantasy games, and mentioned in novels like Roald Dahl’s The Witches. (See its 1990 movie remade for a 2020 HBO film. Believe it or not, it’s a comedy!) And for another TV movie think the Karpf 1978 film, Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell and a dog named “Lucky”—not so much.

Meet "Lucky"

In addition to a howl-o-ween wicked word for fun and fright, barghest is an enticing reference for your fantasy fiction and beyond. Give your writing a scream!

Word Challenge: BARGHEST. Most wicked words are centuries old (this one as early as 1577). Think about their origins, as you fit barghest into your week of howling 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!

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  

 

Cacodemon – Boo! Wordplay Wednesday™ 10/07/2020

Playing with Weird Words of Howl-o-ween Month! 

Welcome to our 1^st week of 2020’s weirdly wonderful Howl-o-ween words! In the mood to get spooky? We’re here to help …

CACODEMON [or cacodaemon] (kakʹō dēʹmɘn; 1594) n. – an evil spirit: demon. [WW #289]

Ah, this Howl-O-Ween word comes to us from the Ancient Greeks. Which makes it really old. Besides its evil spirit, a cacodemon is believed to count shapeshifting in its spooky repertoire.

As with many words of demonic implications cacodemon is often associated psychologically, with belief in spirit possession, and the host subject labeled insane. Hmmm, define insane.

Particularly appropriate for fiction, cacodemon begins the month of words that may surprise you in the many ways they’ve already been inserted into our lives. Of course, books and TV series abound with cacodemons, and we likely gloss over the word. You may recognize it, but do you truly understand its role? (Image/left: A cacodemon from 1863 Dictionnaire Infernal.)

Remember the death metal bands of the 1980s and ‘90s? “Caco-Daemon” appears in a song title … in its one-word form, it has been shapeshifted through a multitude of video games … and given evil inspiration to abstract artist, Paul Klee, whose interest in art of the mentally ill was reflected in his 1916 work, Cacodemonic. (Image right: Paul Klee's abstract art.)

Whatever your beliefs, October is a great month to explore your writing and create space for the cacodemons of this world, otherworlds and netherworlds, along with all of October’s wonderfully weird words. Horror, Sci-Fi, and fantasy buffs unite!

Word Challenge: CACODEMON. The glory of this word and its shapeshifting capabilities, is you can create its persona in any form, as you fit cacodemon into your week of horrific 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!

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