Wordplay Wednesday™ September 16, 2015 – Manitou Halloween

From ancient Indians, Celts, and Christians – Boo! 

Six Weeks of Weird Halloween Words ~ Introduction

Painting by Richard Hook

Halloween’s witching season is just around the next dark corner, as we peruse the discounted, mondo bags of candy in the stores, trying to ignore their enchanting aroma.

Much of Halloween’s mystique is fueled by folklore – which brings me to one of my Words With Friends entries to lead off the ghostly season.

MANITOU (manʹɘ tōōʹ; also manitu or manito): n. Folklore among the Algonquin Indians, any of various spirits or supernatural forces variously conceived of as nature spirits of both good and evil influence.

Spirits have influenced our cultures since the beginning of societies. The advent of storytelling fueled mesmerizing tales of life after death and exploration of the supernatural – and we still don’t know what, if any, is “real.” What should we believe?

Wordplay Wednesday™ September 9, 2015 – Stupid is

Stupid is as stupid does …

Forrest Gump (movie); image credit

For the next time you want to call someone stupid without them catching on (right away):

INJUDICIOUS (inʹjöö dishʹɘs) – adj. showing poor judgement; not discreet or wise. [You’re welcome.]

Not an oft-heard word in casual conversation, injudicious is elite enough to pass over many heads – like our government’s collective policy makers.

After dealing with the SSA this week, I graciously call them injudicious. Do you know that your SSA benefits account is inaccessible at the “2^nd-level” verification stage, if EXPERIAN has incorrect information about you?! INJUDICIOUS. There must be a better way.

The whole world knows, credit reporting companies are notoriously erroneous and nearly impossible to correct. THIS is what our retirement benefits agency relies on for verification?!

“Among all of the companies generating CFPB complaints in North Carolina so far this year, credit bureaus are at the top of the list. Equifax is No. 1, followed by Experian.”* Charlotte Observer, 08/31/15.

Methinks the SSA misinterpreted this policy …

No wonder we have so much identity theft – it’s eating us up like we're a box of chocolates. And our government not only allows it, they feed it!

Any suggestions as to how this policy can be changed? 

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

                                                                  

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

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*In the Charlotte Observer quote, the bold on Experian and the link on CFPB are my additions.

 

Wordplay Wednesday™ September 2, 2015 – Noetic thinking

Is being noetic, poetic?

NOETIC (nō etʹik) – adj. of or having to do with the mind or intellect; sometimes specifically able to be understood only by the intellect.

Think “poetic” with your noodle – not the pool noodle, silly – your noggin / noodle / little pea brain. Noetic belly-flops into your intellectual pool of thought.

We “wax poetic” from tidbits of prose floating through our minds. And we grab those tantalizing tastes of wisdom with our intellect – noetic.

But according to famous and infamous Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, “… intellect is, at best, only the half of truth …”*

So many philosophers, so little time … but let me feed your curiosity …

Wordplay Wednesday™ August 26, 2015 – Hiemal cool

Right about now, I’ll bet you could go for a cool winter day with a hint of rain or light, snowy dustup.

Stunning snowflake

Winter will certainly be here before you know it, along with all the holidays. Ugh and yea at the same time, and if the El Niño predictions are right, more “weather” than we might desire.

But today, as you brush the stream of sweat from your brow, you’ll just have daydream of a frosty, hiemal day …

HIEMAL (hīʹi mɘl): – adj. of winter; wintry. [Is your honey in a hiemal mood? Give her / him a warm hug.]

So, Wordsmiths … a question … hiemal is not listed as an archaic word, yet it is rarely seen in common language. Considering this, why in heaven’s name do we have so many words that mean the same thing? Why didn’t we stop at “winter” and “wintry” and leave it at that? (Or whichever came first.) If you’re waiting for an answer …

Wordplay Wednesday™ August 19, 2015 – BROSE oatmeal kicker

Are you a breakfast person? Bacon and eggs, or the comforting aroma of hot, steamy oatmeal?

BROSE(s) [brōz; Scot.] – n. a dish made by stirring boiling water or milk into oatmeal. [Not to be confused with your bro’s breakfast.]

Chefs and those who actually cook their meals, may know that this word is not a synonym for buddy. “They’s all my broses!” John said, pointing to the group of guys playing a scrappy game of pickup basketball. Uh-uh. More like …

As a food connoisseur with a delicate palate, you watch the dawn brighten your day while pouring hot water into your cereal bowl, and taking in a slow deep breath, exclaim heartily, “Ummm, the brose smells good …”

Hahahaha … okay, now that we have the chuckle of the day out of the way, the real scene goes … if we absolutely must be up when the night’s shadows are still skulking in the corners, we’re staring into our cereal bowl with sleep-glazed eyes, heave a heavy sigh as we splatter milk into it, and mutter grumpily, “The oatmeal needs cinnamon.”

At first glance, brose is a rather highbrow term for a banal breakfast staple. Clearing the morning fog from my eyes, I spotted an eye-opening “cocktail” variation …