DÉGRINGOLADE – Wordplay Wednesday™ March 3, 2021

Walking the Wild Side in Your Tamest Text 

Two light and bright days in March—Daylight Saving Time March 14^th and Spring Equinox March 20^th, mark the imminent end of Winter. We can’t help but look forward with at least a small ray of hope dancing on the sunbeams. “Hope ‘Springs’ Eternal” … quite the opposite of 2020’s …

DÉGRINGOLADE (,dā-,graⁿ(ŋ)-gɘʹläd; 1873) – n. a rapid decline or deterioration (as in strength, position, or condition); downfall. [WW #303-M ~ Monthly Edition]

In layman’s pronunciation … dā grahn go lahd (I think). Point is, writers, you can use this interesting, sophisticated word in your text and let the reader figure it out! Let them walk on the wild side with you.

Last year’s up-and-down dégringolade in our physical and mental conditions, caused by Covid, was draining to say the least. Spring and hope feels good and attitude helps us cope with physical ailments. We’re not done with it, by any means, but hopefully no longer in the worst throes of it.

We can apply dégringolade to many scenarios, as referenced in its definition. Think stock market, price indexes, politicians, celeb status, or sadly, health. Even animals can be classified in its downslide.

With a nod to today’s (March 3^rd) World Wildlife Day, “The sleek Jaguar (Panthera onca) experienced a general dégringolade, giving it a place on the endangered list since at least 1996.” (A true statement according to the folks at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.)

Word Challenge: DÉGRINGOLADE. Don’t let your life or your attitude slide into dégringolade, as you fit it into your week of uplifting writings and casual conversations.

Wordplay Wednesday is now 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 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!
@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.
                *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  

 

EOLIAN – Wordplay Wednesday™ 02/03/2021

With the Wind in our Hair …   

By happenstance, I came across the perfect word for Wordplay Wednesday's first monthly edition during this windy winter. I recently wrote …

Winds whipped through the San Diego canyon with a ferocity rarely seen or heard for such a sustained amount of time. We were into our second straight day, with gusts up to 60mph, their mighty strength felt even through the double-paned windows.

So did you lose anything that flew down the street in last month’s amazing days of wind-whipped weather across the country? Climate change, ocean whitecaps, disease, balloons, and hopes, are just a fraction of what is affected by … 

EOLIAN (also aeolian; ē-ʹō-lē- ɘn; -ʹōl-yɘn; 1622) adj. – borne, deposited, produced, or eroded by the wind. [WW #302M ~ 1^st Monthly Edition]  

A little word with an expansive definition. At first glance, eolian seems rather benign, but its definition is a magnificent variable to describe so many possible effects, in numerous contexts.

As noted above, there are many effects of the eolian’s

touch, from wind-whipped ocean waves, to balloons carried to extreme heights, to our hopes floating on an eolian thought.

Obviously often used in geological text, eolian can also be applied to casual writing and conversations. The tree’s odd, twisted shape signaled decades of eolian impact.

An eerie eolian effect lifted her hair in spikes like a burst of blustery electricity. If nothing else, it’ll baffle your readers for some impish literary fun.

Word Challenge: EOLIAN. Have you felt or heard or seen eolian features? Consider how the wind is a powerful force, as you fit eolian into your week of breezy writings and casual conversations.

Wordplay Wednesday is now 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 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, and making the virtual most of your Holidays!

@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.
      *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