Vizard – Wordplay Wednesday™ 05/05/2021

Timing is Everything … Trust the Timing of #5 

In the past year-plus, we have seen so much unfortunate timing, “wrong place, wrong time.” Still, we are also heartened by many fortuitous experiences of “right place, right time.”

Do you believe in coincidences? I do not. Of course, we weren’t issued a set of instructions at birth, and everyone comes with or develops their own beliefs. Over my lifetime, I have come to consider coincidence a term masquerading for “timing is everything” …

VIZARD (ʹvi-zɘrd; ca. 1555) n. – 1) a mask for disguise or protection; 2) disguise, guise. [WW #305-M ~ Monthly Edition]

Is the vizard you wear in society, both a literal and material sign of the real you?

This very post is a vizard in time. It demonstrates the out-of-the-ordinary way you can disguise one word for another. In this case, vizard is a unique text veneer for coincidence, or “perfect timing.”

Is it coincidence that you’re reading Wordplay Wednesday #305 which just “happens” to fall on 05-05 2021 (and “2+0+2+1=5”)? And I just happen to spot this word in time to use it here, on this day? 

And, what are the odds that vizard is only one letter different from “wizard”? Knowing those superstitious folks back in 1555 (more fives!) who popularized the word … I think not.

If you’re a numerology fan, you’ll know that fives are adventurous and seek to invoke change. Just as we change our personal vizards to match our moods, days with an abundance of fives can initiate societal changes … the camouflage doesn’t go away, it simply evolves.

Have some fun with your writing this month and see how many ways vizard can replace more common references for your masked meanings.

Word Challenge: VIZARD. Can you make a coincidence happen? Some think so, which makes this month’s word a perfect fit for fiction and nonfiction writing, as you fit vizard into your week of coincidental writings and casual conversations. (And save it to use its mask again, for Halloween!)

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 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  

 

 

Versicolor – Wordplay Wednesday™ 04/07/2021

Spring into a Colorful Spring! 

Finally! Spring has sprung and we know that because the blossoming colors of the earth are all the proof we need.

Certain material items soothe the senses, like teddy bears and chocolate. Spring brings us colorful flowers that flow softly through our psyche like a sensual ray of long-awaited sunshine. Which brings us to …

VERSICOLOR (vurʹsi kul’ɘr) adj. – 1) having many colors, variegated; 2) changing in color, iridescent. [WW #304-M ~ Monthly Edition] *

Though versicolor is not exactly an obscure word, variegated is often the go-to word in our description of flowers and plants.

Yet many beautiful flowers like the Iris versicolor, Epimedium × versicolor ‘Sulphureum’, and Cylindropuntia Versicolor, certainly earn their names, and with any luck, may bloom by Earth Day, April 22^nd, in all their versicolor splendor.

For the Iris versicolor, known in some regions as “blue flag” or “snake lily,” majestic stalks can rise to 30” tall in late spring. Bluish-purple flowers adorn the stalks, accented with regal purple veining, to give it the versicolor moniker.

With a barren natural habitat, the Sonoran desert’s “staghorn cholla” (Cylindropuntia Versicolor) is surprisingly colorful. In spring and early summer, the prickly plant greets desert visitors with red, yellow, purple, or combination, of lingering flowers.

But I think my favorite of the three is the “barrenwort” or Epimedium × versicolor ‘Sulphureum’. Its delicately pointed, soft yellow blooms, hang sweetly above chameleon leaves that start in a burnished red, grow strongly into lush green, and change once more, come fall.

Word Challenge: VERSICOLOR. Although focused on flora of the earth, consider the fauna of earth, too, like the iridescent peacock, as you fit versicolor into your week of colorful writings and casual conversations. 

*Disclosure: This word is from the 2014 Webster’s New World College Dictionary – Fifth Edition. It has been dropped from the most current edition in “LR Notes” below, but its use for Wordplay Wednesday is relevant, because it is still in use in plant names, etc. So use it to your heart's content! Maybe they'll re-insert it for the next edition.

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