Did anyone else learn how to spell in three-letter increments?
As a child, whenever I’d ask my parents or teachers how to spell a word, they’d say, “X-X-X… Now look it up.” And I would grab one of the mammoth dictionaries I kept on a bookshelf to do just that.
I wonder if kids today are still given such instructions. Or is there a modern alternative?
Perhaps it’s: “X-X-X… Now Google it.”
As I’ve mentioned in past blog posts (seen here, here and here), I’m drawn to certain words. The attraction is often a word’s meaning or spelling, but sometimes I just like the way a word rolls off my tongue.
These are more of my favorites:
Smitten
Brontide
Escabeche
Whippoorwills
Whirligigs
Hyppolyta
Stroopwafel
Frass
Bombogenesis
Prognostication
Schenectady
Damask
Fabulist
Moribund
Kismet
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m drawn to certain words. The attraction is often a word’s meaning or spelling, but sometimes I just like the way a word rolls off my tongue. Here are more of my favorites:
Codswallop
Doozy
Philatelist
Rigamarole
Selkie
Egads
Sassafras
Gallipoli
Shenanigans
Ephemeral
Sesquipedalian
Triskelion
Pamplemousse
Ganache
Spellbound
Gadzooks
Finagle
Adagio
Tchotchke
Debauchery
Haboob
Skedaddle
Thunderstruck
Lycanthrope
Archipelago
Hullabaloo
Virtuoso
Cattywampus
Discombobulate
Hoodwink
Malarky
Balderdash
What are some of yours?
–Photo by dubassy
It turns out the words “venomous” and “poisonous” do not mean the same thing. In fact, these terms actually describe the delivery method and not the substance itself.
According to Popular Science: “A venomous creature actively delivers toxins, typically with a sting, scratch or bite. Poisonous organisms have poisonous tissue or secretions that are harmful to but not actively injected into others.”
Why did I not learn this in the Girl Scouts? This seems like important information to have.
I feel the need to call out the “Holiday Gift Guide” published on BOOKish.
For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the site, BOOKish launched earlier this year to promote books published by Hachette Book Group, Penguin Group and Simon & Schuster*. I subscribe because I like receiving reviews and excerpts from new releases.
The recently published guide, which features recommendations from the site’s editors, claims to help you “find the right book gift for everyone on your list.” This is a worthy goal. However, if some of the gift categories are any indication, the site’s editors need a serious lesson in sexism.
Under the “For Him” category, there are book suggestions for political junkies, history buffs, sports fans, comic book collectors, music mavens and film buffs.
Under the “For Her” category: Books about parenting, sex, romance, cooking, being a good hostess and bibles.
Did I miss something or have we time-warped back to the 1950s?
BOOKish, please fix this guide. You’re doing a great disservice to your readers by assuming women care nothing about politics, history, comics, sports, music, film or, you know, the world outside of the home. Oh, and if the massive restaurant industry is any indication, your male readers probably want to become “kitchen maestros,” too.
* Transparency note: My husband once worked for Simon & Schuster and had nothing but good things to say about the place.
