Wednesday Word: Sibilant

sibilant |ˈsibələnt|adjective Phonetics(of a speech sound) sounded with a hissing effect, for example s, sh.• making or characterized by a hissing sound : hissibilant whisper.noun Phoneticsa sibilant speech sound.DERIVATIVESsibilance nounORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin sibilant-‘hissing,’ from the verb sibilare.

The most fitting illustration of this word I can think of is the scene from the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when he talks to the snake.

Vintage Monday: Gobble-gobble

In honor of the upcoming Turkey Day, I decided to share this vintage postcard of mine. These types of cards are among my favorites. They were printed on soft, textured cotton paper. The image is based on a black and white photograph which was then hand-colored. Not every card individually, of course, but the template. It's not my area of expertise but I suspect they used a different printing plate for every color--I count at least eight different colors. The final result is an image that's somewhere between a photograph and a watercolor painting. I like it.

Wednesday Word: Scrumpy

scrumpy |ˈskrʌmpɪ|

noun

(Miscellaneous Technologies / Brewing) a rough dry cider, brewed esp in the West Country

[from scrump, variant of scrimp (in obsolete sense: withered), referring to the apples used]

Sorry, Brits, I love you and your quaint vernacular, but this is just wrong. You're misusing and abusing an absolutely delicious sounding word. I refuse to accept. So here is MY definition of scrumpy:

scrumpy |ˈskrʌmpɪ|

adjective informal

(of food, person, body parts) so firm and delicious you want to sink your teeth in them: Oi, check out the arse of that lad. Ain't it scrumpy?

DERIVATIVES

scrumpily adverb

scrumpiness noun

ORIGIN mid 21th cent.: Lou Harper.

Vintage Monday: Because Your Walls Need Fun

Flea markets are a great source to find the weirdest ephemera. Like this postcard. I mean, is there anyone alive who remembers DecorWall? For a strange reason it didn't take off. I suspect it wasn't nearly as much fun as advertised. The guy in the photo seems more constipated than anything.

Cranky Pants Updates

I'm cranky. I'll admit, this is not an unusual state for me, but lately I've been feeling more crotchety than usual. Partly it's the season—the holidays are coming up and pretty soon I won't be able to buy a pint of milk without being assaulted by cheesy music. Yes, I'm a Grinch. Bite me.

Then there is NaNoWriMo. I know I should be cheering on the brave souls participating in this madness, but when someone posts about the gajillion words they just finished, on one single day, I start seething with petty jealousy. Because I write painfully slow. It's embarrassing. Worst is when someone posts they wrote "only" X number of words, and it's a number twice my daily goal. It's like the skinny chick in the office complaining how fat she is. I'm sure Miss Manners would not approve.

The problem is, I need something to be pumped up about or I sink into a funk—like sharks need to keep swimming to breathe. I'm an excitement shark. Unfortunately, right now I'm in a dead zone. My last release was seems like forever ago and there's still a month till the next one. Okay, a little less than a month.

I'm working on a book and that should make me happy, right? Ha! In an interview with Josh Lanyon Astrid Amara gave this reply when asked what she loved about writing:

"I love the finished product, two months later, when I have a chance to re-read my work and go, ok, that’s what I wanted to read. Before that I hate the whole thing. I hate sitting down and writing. I hate difficult plotting problems. I hate middles. Deadlines stress me and without them I do nothing. And when I’m working on a project every page I read is the worst drivel I’ve ever come across."

Well, that's pretty much how I feel. At least I'm not the only one. I'm surprised and relieved every time I manage to finish a book.

Oh yeah, and I changed my internet to Uverse and now keep loosing connection. Farking AT&T.

A'ight, I'm done kvetching. Back to editing.

Wednesday Word: Funicular

funicular |fyoŏˈnikyələr|adjective1 (of a railroad, esp. one on a mountainside) operating by cable with ascending and descending carscounterbalanced.2 of or relating to a rope or its tension.nouna railroad operating in such a way.ORIGIN mid 17th cent. (in the sense [of or like a cord or thread] ): from Latin funiculus (diminutive of funis‘rope’ ) + -ar 1.
It's probably one of those words many people know but rarely have and occasion to use. I simply love this word because of the way it sounds.

Wednesday Word: Plangent

plangent |ˈplanjənt|adjective chiefly poetic/literary(of a sound) loud, reverberating, and often melancholy.DERIVATIVESplangency nounplangently adverbORIGIN early 19th cent.: from Latin plangent-‘lamenting,’ from the verb plangere.

I wonder, is a bullfrog's mating call melancholy enough to be called plangent?

Vintage Monday: Topiary

You find the strangest postcards at flea markets. This shrub is supposed to be a teddy bear, but to me it seems more like a rabbit surrendering after holding up a liquor store.