n 1: the acoustic effect produced by words so formed or combined as to please the ear 2: a harmonious succession of words having a pleasing sound
The poet chose words for the sake of euphony and rhythm as well as rhyme.
Did You Know?
"Euphony" was borrowed from French at the beginning of the 17th century; the French word (euphonie) itself derives from the Late Latin euphonia, which in turn traces back to the Greek adjective euphonos, meaning "sweet-voiced" or "musical." Euphonos was formed by combining the prefix eu- ("good") and phone ("voice"). In addition to its more commonly recognized senses, "euphony" also has a more specific meaning in the field of linguistics, where it can refer to the preference for words that are easy to pronounce; this preference may be the cause of an observed trend of people altering the pronunciation of certain words - apparently in favor of sound combinations that are simpler and faster to say out loud.
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In my world...
I'm sure that, in a past life, I was a songwriter...but I will probable never manage to write a song in this life...
Showing posts with label definitions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label definitions. Show all posts
Monday, 17 January 2011
Sunday, 16 January 2011
hare
v: to go swiftly: tear
Watching out for icy patches, Andrew hared along the country road on his motorbike.
Did You Know?
The hare in Aesop's fable may have lost the race with the tortoise due to the need for a nap, but the long-eared mammal's overall reputation for swiftness remains intact. The noun "hare" (referring to a member of the genus Lepus, whose young are usually able to hop a few minutes after birth) first appeared as hara in a Latin/Old English glossary around the year 700. The verb was in use by 1719, and people have been "haring off" and "haring about" ever since.
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In My World...
I never knew this could be a verb. I guess it's a bit like a lot of these twenty-first century websites that we have. You know, like "Google," which used to be a website and then became a verb: "I googled the company before my interview. Or "Facebook." Although, FB is more about the "fb-creeping" than "facebooking." Twitter, on the other hand, went straight to verb: I was late for work this morning because I was "tweeting" and missed my bus stop.
Watching out for icy patches, Andrew hared along the country road on his motorbike.
Did You Know?
The hare in Aesop's fable may have lost the race with the tortoise due to the need for a nap, but the long-eared mammal's overall reputation for swiftness remains intact. The noun "hare" (referring to a member of the genus Lepus, whose young are usually able to hop a few minutes after birth) first appeared as hara in a Latin/Old English glossary around the year 700. The verb was in use by 1719, and people have been "haring off" and "haring about" ever since.
Page-A-Day Calendar
http://www.pageaday.com/
Workman Publishing
In My World...
I never knew this could be a verb. I guess it's a bit like a lot of these twenty-first century websites that we have. You know, like "Google," which used to be a website and then became a verb: "I googled the company before my interview. Or "Facebook." Although, FB is more about the "fb-creeping" than "facebooking." Twitter, on the other hand, went straight to verb: I was late for work this morning because I was "tweeting" and missed my bus stop.
Thursday, 13 January 2011
pork barrel
n: government projects or appropriations yielding rich patronage benefits
As usual, the congressional candidates decried the government pork barrel while simultaneously promising to deliver all sorts of lucrative projects if elected.
Did You Know?
You probably think the original pork barrels were barrels for storing pork - and you're right. In the early 19th century, that's exactly what "pork barrel" meant. But the term was also used figuratively to mean "a supply of money" or "one's livelihood" (a farmer, after all, could readily turn pork into cash). When 20th-century legislators doled out appropriations that benefitted their home districts, someone apparently made an association between the profit a farmer got from a barrel of pork and the benefits derived from certain state and federal projects. By 1909, "prok barrel" was being used as a noun naming such government appropriations, and today the term is usually used attributively in constructions such as "pork barrel spending" or "a pork barrel project."
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In My World
What what an appropriate vegan version of this be? Bean barrel?
As usual, the congressional candidates decried the government pork barrel while simultaneously promising to deliver all sorts of lucrative projects if elected.
Did You Know?
You probably think the original pork barrels were barrels for storing pork - and you're right. In the early 19th century, that's exactly what "pork barrel" meant. But the term was also used figuratively to mean "a supply of money" or "one's livelihood" (a farmer, after all, could readily turn pork into cash). When 20th-century legislators doled out appropriations that benefitted their home districts, someone apparently made an association between the profit a farmer got from a barrel of pork and the benefits derived from certain state and federal projects. By 1909, "prok barrel" was being used as a noun naming such government appropriations, and today the term is usually used attributively in constructions such as "pork barrel spending" or "a pork barrel project."
Page-A-Day Calendar
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Workman Publishing
In My World
What what an appropriate vegan version of this be? Bean barrel?
Tuesday, 11 January 2011
tutoyer
v: to address familiarly
"Yes, now (to the outside world) we were on first-name terms, now to anyone within earshot I tutoyered him." - Marie Brenner, Tell Me Everything
Did You Know?
In conversational French, the pronoun vous ("you") is used for formal address of individuals (as well as plural addresses familiar or otherwise), while the singular pronoun tu (also "you," a relative of Middle English thou) is reserved for use among intimate friends. A person who uses tu to address his or her elders, for example, is committing a breach of etiquette. The French verb tutoyer - literally "to address with the pronoun tu" - was borrowed into English in the late 17th century to refer to this concept. The English "tutoyer" is still used in reference to people speaking French (as English does not discriminate between intimate and formal address in its pronouns), but it can also apply to casual address among English-speakers.
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In my world...
I think social media has reduced us all to tutoyering one another. Seriously, how can we offer anybody that much respect after we've seen a hundred pictures of them smashed at some party? Just saying...
"Yes, now (to the outside world) we were on first-name terms, now to anyone within earshot I tutoyered him." - Marie Brenner, Tell Me Everything
Did You Know?
In conversational French, the pronoun vous ("you") is used for formal address of individuals (as well as plural addresses familiar or otherwise), while the singular pronoun tu (also "you," a relative of Middle English thou) is reserved for use among intimate friends. A person who uses tu to address his or her elders, for example, is committing a breach of etiquette. The French verb tutoyer - literally "to address with the pronoun tu" - was borrowed into English in the late 17th century to refer to this concept. The English "tutoyer" is still used in reference to people speaking French (as English does not discriminate between intimate and formal address in its pronouns), but it can also apply to casual address among English-speakers.
Page-A-Day Calendar
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Workman Publishing
In my world...
I think social media has reduced us all to tutoyering one another. Seriously, how can we offer anybody that much respect after we've seen a hundred pictures of them smashed at some party? Just saying...
Monday, 10 January 2011
subvention
n: the provision of assistance or financial support (as from a government or foundation)
The earliest documented subvention for the science museum was a grant from the federal government in 1853.
Did You Know?
A subvention is a form of assistance, so it should come as no surprise that the word itself can be traced back to the Late Latin noun subventio, meaning "assistance." Subventio in turn derives from Latin subvenire, meaning "to come up" or "to come to the rescue." (Another descendant of subvenire in English is the more common word "souvenir") "Subvention" also functions as a verb meaning "to provide with a subvention." The verb "subvention" is a very uncommon word, and it has the equally uncommon synonym "subvent."
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In my world...
It has been suggested that I take a subvention, while getting my writing underway. My reluctance to do so makes me think that being from Saskatchewan was all a hoax: I'm too capitalist to do rely on socialism for my crazy ideas; however, I think nothing less of artists who take grants...
The earliest documented subvention for the science museum was a grant from the federal government in 1853.
Did You Know?
A subvention is a form of assistance, so it should come as no surprise that the word itself can be traced back to the Late Latin noun subventio, meaning "assistance." Subventio in turn derives from Latin subvenire, meaning "to come up" or "to come to the rescue." (Another descendant of subvenire in English is the more common word "souvenir") "Subvention" also functions as a verb meaning "to provide with a subvention." The verb "subvention" is a very uncommon word, and it has the equally uncommon synonym "subvent."
Page-A-Day Calendar
www.PageADay.com
Workman Publishing
In my world...
It has been suggested that I take a subvention, while getting my writing underway. My reluctance to do so makes me think that being from Saskatchewan was all a hoax: I'm too capitalist to do rely on socialism for my crazy ideas; however, I think nothing less of artists who take grants...
Sunday, 9 January 2011
oldster
n: an old or elderly person
More and more oldsters are embracing the Internet and interacting by using social networking websites.
Did You Know?
To mariners, a "youngster" is a midshipman who has served less than four years. This use is connected with the Dutch word younker, which, like "youngster," refers to a young person as well as a young seaman. Similarly, an oldster is a midshipman of four years' standing. The earliest known use of "oldster" meaning "old person" is in Charles Dickens' Dombey & Son(1848): "Her eyes would play the Devil with the youngsters before long - 'and the oldsters too, Sir, if you come to that," addded the Major."
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Workman Publishing
In my world...
I truly enjoy oldsters. In my old job, I would cherish the moments when they would come in, have a seat at my desk, and just talk because they were lonely. Perhaps, at some point, I would enjoy working for a calling centre...if only because I would relish the conversations with the lonely oldsters...
More and more oldsters are embracing the Internet and interacting by using social networking websites.
Did You Know?
To mariners, a "youngster" is a midshipman who has served less than four years. This use is connected with the Dutch word younker, which, like "youngster," refers to a young person as well as a young seaman. Similarly, an oldster is a midshipman of four years' standing. The earliest known use of "oldster" meaning "old person" is in Charles Dickens' Dombey & Son(1848): "Her eyes would play the Devil with the youngsters before long - 'and the oldsters too, Sir, if you come to that," addded the Major."
Page-A-Day Calendar
www.PageADay.com
Workman Publishing
In my world...
I truly enjoy oldsters. In my old job, I would cherish the moments when they would come in, have a seat at my desk, and just talk because they were lonely. Perhaps, at some point, I would enjoy working for a calling centre...if only because I would relish the conversations with the lonely oldsters...
Saturday, 8 January 2011
kickshaw
n1: a fancy dish 2: a showy trifle
The shop was filled with refrigerator magnets, back-scratchers, snow globes, and other kickshaws, all adorned with images of smiling pigs.
Did You Know?
This noun began its career in the late 16th century as a borrowing from the French quelque chose - literally, "something." In line with the French pronunciation of the day, the "l" was dropped and the word was anglicized as "kickshaws" or "kickshoes." English-speakers soon lost all consciousness of the word's French origin and, by taking "kickshaws" as plural, created the new singular noun "kickshaw."
Page-A-Day Calendar
www.PageADay.com
Workman Publishing
In my world....
As I packed up my Christmas decorations, I realized that I should get rid of some of my kickshaws...otherwise known as JUNK!
The shop was filled with refrigerator magnets, back-scratchers, snow globes, and other kickshaws, all adorned with images of smiling pigs.
Did You Know?
This noun began its career in the late 16th century as a borrowing from the French quelque chose - literally, "something." In line with the French pronunciation of the day, the "l" was dropped and the word was anglicized as "kickshaws" or "kickshoes." English-speakers soon lost all consciousness of the word's French origin and, by taking "kickshaws" as plural, created the new singular noun "kickshaw."
Page-A-Day Calendar
www.PageADay.com
Workman Publishing
In my world....
As I packed up my Christmas decorations, I realized that I should get rid of some of my kickshaws...otherwise known as JUNK!
Thursday, 6 January 2011
jimjams
n pl: jitters
"Just thinking about my class presentation today gives me the jimjams," confided Joseph to his roommate.
Did You Know?
When "jimjams" entered English in the mid-19th century, it probably referred to delirium tremens, a violent delirium caused by excessive drinking. When used in current American Enlgish, it means simply "jitters." Etymologist aren't sure about the origin of the term. Some speculate that it came about as an alteration of "delirium tremens." Others, though uncertain of the origin of "jim" and "jam," notice that the word follows a pattern of similar words in which one sound is repeated or altered slightly. Interestingly, other words for "jitters" were formed in the same repetitive way - "whim-whams" and "heebie-jeebies" are examples.
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Workman Publishing
This word is ridiculous!!! I have never heard it used before. Wouldn't you just call that colloquial slang?
"Just thinking about my class presentation today gives me the jimjams," confided Joseph to his roommate.
Did You Know?
When "jimjams" entered English in the mid-19th century, it probably referred to delirium tremens, a violent delirium caused by excessive drinking. When used in current American Enlgish, it means simply "jitters." Etymologist aren't sure about the origin of the term. Some speculate that it came about as an alteration of "delirium tremens." Others, though uncertain of the origin of "jim" and "jam," notice that the word follows a pattern of similar words in which one sound is repeated or altered slightly. Interestingly, other words for "jitters" were formed in the same repetitive way - "whim-whams" and "heebie-jeebies" are examples.
Page-A-Day Calendar
www.PageADay.com
Workman Publishing
This word is ridiculous!!! I have never heard it used before. Wouldn't you just call that colloquial slang?
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
flack
v.: to provide publicity: engage in press agentry
The billionaire's ex-wife has been flacking for her juicy tell-all on all the popular talk shows.
Did You Know?
The word "flack" was first used as a noun meaning "publicity agent" in the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to Gene Flack, a well-known movie publicist of the time. Another rumor holds that "flack" derives from a similar-sounding Yiddish word for someone who talks about someone else's affairs. The editors of MErriam-Webster dictionaries remain skeptical about these claims and have listed the etymology of "flack" as "unknown." We can say with confidence, however, that the verb form of the word had begun appearing in print by 1963. You may also be familiar with another "flack" - a noun meaning "criticism" or "opposition." This unrelated homograph stems from a misspelling of "flak," a German acronym and English word for antiaircraft guns.
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Workman Publishing
This word, as well, is useful to bloggers...and Facebook or Twitter users. I was listening to the radio the other day (on my actual radio, not the internet), and they were discussing how facebook has replaced google as the most used internet site. An explanation for this was that we are lazy and don't want to look things up for ourselves, instead we would like our trusted friends and colleagues to find the interesting "news" articles for us and share them on facebook. I think that's a fairly accurate description of what is happening to our society...somehow, though, it doesn't explain all those requests to play farmville on facebook...unless you call that a "news" item as well, which might, these days, qualify as one...
The billionaire's ex-wife has been flacking for her juicy tell-all on all the popular talk shows.
Did You Know?
The word "flack" was first used as a noun meaning "publicity agent" in the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to Gene Flack, a well-known movie publicist of the time. Another rumor holds that "flack" derives from a similar-sounding Yiddish word for someone who talks about someone else's affairs. The editors of MErriam-Webster dictionaries remain skeptical about these claims and have listed the etymology of "flack" as "unknown." We can say with confidence, however, that the verb form of the word had begun appearing in print by 1963. You may also be familiar with another "flack" - a noun meaning "criticism" or "opposition." This unrelated homograph stems from a misspelling of "flak," a German acronym and English word for antiaircraft guns.
Page-A-Day Calendar
www.PageADay.com
Workman Publishing
This word, as well, is useful to bloggers...and Facebook or Twitter users. I was listening to the radio the other day (on my actual radio, not the internet), and they were discussing how facebook has replaced google as the most used internet site. An explanation for this was that we are lazy and don't want to look things up for ourselves, instead we would like our trusted friends and colleagues to find the interesting "news" articles for us and share them on facebook. I think that's a fairly accurate description of what is happening to our society...somehow, though, it doesn't explain all those requests to play farmville on facebook...unless you call that a "news" item as well, which might, these days, qualify as one...
Sunday, 2 January 2011
exoteric
1:suitable to be imparted to the public. 2: belonging to the outer or less initiate circle. 3:external
Trying to reach a broader audience, the geneticist faced the challenge of producing an exoteric synthesis of complex information.
Did You Know?
This useful word derives from the Latin exotericus, itself from the Greek exoterikos ("external") and ultimately from exo, meaning "outside." Exo has a number of offspring in English, including "exotic," "exonerate," "exorbitant," and the combing form "exo-" or "ex-" (as in "exoskeleton"). The antonym of "exoteric" is "esoteric," meaning "designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone"; it descends from eso, the Greek word for "within."
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Workman Publishing
I think this word relates to blogging so much. While journals are esoteric, a blog is most definitely exoteric; however, sometimes what we share is esoteric in its ability to be fully understood...but art isn't supposed to be fully understood...
Trying to reach a broader audience, the geneticist faced the challenge of producing an exoteric synthesis of complex information.
Did You Know?
This useful word derives from the Latin exotericus, itself from the Greek exoterikos ("external") and ultimately from exo, meaning "outside." Exo has a number of offspring in English, including "exotic," "exonerate," "exorbitant," and the combing form "exo-" or "ex-" (as in "exoskeleton"). The antonym of "exoteric" is "esoteric," meaning "designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone"; it descends from eso, the Greek word for "within."
Page-A-Day Calendar
www.PageADay.com
Workman Publishing
I think this word relates to blogging so much. While journals are esoteric, a blog is most definitely exoteric; however, sometimes what we share is esoteric in its ability to be fully understood...but art isn't supposed to be fully understood...
Thursday, 30 December 2010
amphigory
a nonsense verse or composition
The children delighted in the book's amphigory and in the bright, colorful illustrations that accompanied the foolish rhymes.
Did You Know?
The author of the 18th-century French play l'Amphigouri may have coined this term from the Greek words amphi, meaning "around," and agoria, which means "speech," perhaps modeling his coinage on the word "allegory." One common form of amphigory uses letter combinations and sentence structures that don't normally occur in the language; that's the type Lewis Carroll used in "Jabberwocky," a poem whose title has since become another general term for meaningless speech or writing.
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Workman Publishing
The children delighted in the book's amphigory and in the bright, colorful illustrations that accompanied the foolish rhymes.
Did You Know?
The author of the 18th-century French play l'Amphigouri may have coined this term from the Greek words amphi, meaning "around," and agoria, which means "speech," perhaps modeling his coinage on the word "allegory." One common form of amphigory uses letter combinations and sentence structures that don't normally occur in the language; that's the type Lewis Carroll used in "Jabberwocky," a poem whose title has since become another general term for meaningless speech or writing.
Page-A-Day Calendar
www.pageaday.com
Workman Publishing
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
beatific
having a blissful appearance
A beatific smile spread across Grandmother's face as she reminisced about her wedding day.
Did You Know?
"Beatific," from Latin beatificus ("making happy"), first occurred in English in the phrase "beatific vision," a theological allusion to the direct sight of God enjoyed by the blessed in heaven. Although "beatific" originally meant "conferring happiness," the word now more frequently means "expressing happiness" and a blissfully joyful look or appearance may be called "beatific."
Page-A-Day Calendar
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Workman Publishing
A beatific smile spread across Grandmother's face as she reminisced about her wedding day.
Did You Know?
"Beatific," from Latin beatificus ("making happy"), first occurred in English in the phrase "beatific vision," a theological allusion to the direct sight of God enjoyed by the blessed in heaven. Although "beatific" originally meant "conferring happiness," the word now more frequently means "expressing happiness" and a blissfully joyful look or appearance may be called "beatific."
Page-A-Day Calendar
www.pageaday.com
Workman Publishing
Defining The Quarter Life Crisis
I've been working on this one for a little bit, so I apologize in the delay...
I was at a party the other night, and I was asked what I do now that I've left the bank. After answering that question a few times prior to the party, I jumped right in with the fact that I am blogging. The music blog is the easiest one to understand, but I couldn't leave out this one. This is more of your traditional blog - sub-regular rants on life, getting older, and the difficulties of merely being alive and having emotions - yet it is the one that I talk the least about. So, standing in front of a dozen or so people, I began my explanation...
This blog was actually the beginning of it all. Well, no, that's not entirely correct. The first one was supposed to be about my travels in England, but that didn't pan out. So, then, when I got back I started this one. Remember, two years ago when I faced the possibility of being 100% unemployed for like six weeks? That I would like to mark as the beginning of the crisis. (...although truthfully, I wasn't all too rational in my decision to move to England, either,... I guess I'll just leave it up to future analysts of my autobiography...)
After running through a quick list of what I am doing as a writer (and the side jobs, as well), the party broke down into smaller groups. This is always ideal. I hate parties where everybody tries to talk to one another and you just sit around in a big circle pretending to all care about the same subject matter. I never connect well with a large group of strangers, but I hit it off BIG TIME one-on-one with new friends. (My friend would later thank me for bridging the gap between her different groups of friends, which I took as a huge compliment. I love meeting new people, so I love going to parties where I have the opportunity to do exactly as I did there. It was nice that my skill was appreciated. AND, if you're ever throwing a mixer with a wide array of people, you know who to call!)
As several conversations erupted, I found myself at the corner of the buffet table, talking to a scientist. He seemed interested in my blogs, and we began talking about this one. I went through a brief history of it, and he seemed confused. "What do you mean by 'Quarter Life Crisis'?"
"Well," I began. "You know how people, when they're in their late forties, early fifties and they suddenly change careers or start dating somebody half their age?"
His confusion did not seem to be lessening, so I continued.
"Well, I'm too young to be doing that!" (I paused for a laugh, but there was none...) "...but, well, I think there is this common feeling among people of our generation, you know, that are in their twenties and faced with similar concerns about their life. They start asking themselves, 'is this REALLY what I want to do for the next forty or fifty years?'; 'will I be happy with this decision five years from now?'; or sometimes even, 'why haven't I accomplished that yet?!?' These are all valid concerns, and, I've found that writing about it makes me feel better. And my readers, when they comment, are going through the same things."
He still looked confused, so I paused to let it sink in.
"What does 'Quarter' mean?"
My new friend's first language was not English, and, like always, I had answered the question of my own agenda rather than the real question. (Does anybody see Being a Better Listener on my New Year's Resolution list?)
My explanation got me thinking, and, as it turns out, when I dwell on a question, it turns up in a lot of my conversations. Later that week, I was talking to a customer at work and discovered that he had been going through a similar situation for the last few years. Unlike myself (who ran kicking and screaming from the institution of higher learning after they handed me a piece of paper covered in calligraphy), this new friend had hid from his fears through school and travel. I was a bit jealous... The real world is actually a terrible place to hide from one's uncertainty about the future. I felt better knowing that he was going to graduate this spring without any better understanding of what he should be doing with his life than what I have. And he's in the Scared Stage. I'd never want to go back to the Scared Stage!
The problem, I think, is that we have so many decisions in front of us. Normally, I discuss this with my fellow females since we have the feminism of the 80s to thank for our decision-making problems. Sure, women could do whatever they wanted to before the 80s, but now there's even more pressure for us to choose not only whatever it is that men did before us, but to be HAPPY with our choice. And it's not even about choosing not to have babies or to have babies (trust me, with this war on right now, I'm definitely feeling the embracing of the latter over the former!). We can even choose to have babies and have partners who stay home to raise them. In fact, it's almost like our choices SHOULD be more original. The last few generations have sent so many shockwaves through the history books that there is this tiny little bit of pressure resting on the shoulders of all womankind to do something even greater with our lives. We all should aspire to be the next Oprah...
I apologise for the helter skelter of that rant. I've been holding in it for a few days, now. You see, over the holidays, I brought up Rosie the Rivetter, and how she has an action figure created after her. I love it. I love Rosie the Rivetter! When I brought her up, though, there was a conversation about how much the campaign she represented helped get women into the work force. I won't deny that the campaigns to get women to work during the war were impressive, and widespread enough to convince even the most conservative individuals in the far corners of this country to consider allowing women to do the hard labour of the men they had sent off to fight without being too concerned about that woman's children, or her 'delicate nature.'
It wasn't the beginning of feminism, though, nor was it the end. The post-war emphasis on family and motherhood certainly sent a vast majority of those women packing from the factories back to their pantries. The celebration of suburbia only continued that trend, making motherhood once again an issue of class moreso than a natural power to be proud of. (If you could afford to have children and not have the wife work as well, you were of the middle class or above.) Then came the pill, and more and more women could postpone their baby-having days to build a career. Some "spinsters" (women who never marry) were even truly successful in the careers that came their way due to the civil rights movements of the 60s.
Then, well, we can't forget the Sexual Revolution; if only because that makes us believe that Britney Spears is being really powerful when she pouts just a little bit and 'allows' her lover to physically abuse her. (If you don't understand, just ask, and I'll break it down for you.) After the sexually-charged 70's, though, we are faced with the 80's, where Dolly Pardon bemoans working a full-time job, Cyndi Lauper claims "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," and, okay, maybe we should blame Madonna - just a little bit - for what we've allowed Britney Spears to get away with...
Except that, Madonna had class. Dolly Pardon had pride. And Cyndi Lauper was filthy rich! They may not have been pressuring women to get into the workforce, but they didn't have to. Women coming of age at this time had known their entire lives that they could do ANYTHING they wanted to when they grew up. And they did! Yeah, yeah, I know there's still a glass ceiling, and there's still social taboos that need to be kicked out of the office buildings women are now dominating,... but that leaves us with a lot to live up to!
Now do you understand why I had to give up the feminist cause for something that needed more work? I'm a bit terrified of what my foremothers expect from me...
Don't worry, I know it's difficult for men, too. All those girls who were told they could do anything grew up alongside those boys that weren't told anything about the future. Hmmmm....yeah, I guess it could be worse. I could have had that plan that had been given to my gender for the last few generations ripped from my hands by some scary spinsters, had it split in half and only be given back the top part of it. If I thought reaching that glass ceiling was going to be tough, imagine what life would be like if that's where I was meant to start!
Don't worry, I explained what a 'quarter' was to my new friend...
I was at a party the other night, and I was asked what I do now that I've left the bank. After answering that question a few times prior to the party, I jumped right in with the fact that I am blogging. The music blog is the easiest one to understand, but I couldn't leave out this one. This is more of your traditional blog - sub-regular rants on life, getting older, and the difficulties of merely being alive and having emotions - yet it is the one that I talk the least about. So, standing in front of a dozen or so people, I began my explanation...
This blog was actually the beginning of it all. Well, no, that's not entirely correct. The first one was supposed to be about my travels in England, but that didn't pan out. So, then, when I got back I started this one. Remember, two years ago when I faced the possibility of being 100% unemployed for like six weeks? That I would like to mark as the beginning of the crisis. (...although truthfully, I wasn't all too rational in my decision to move to England, either,... I guess I'll just leave it up to future analysts of my autobiography...)
After running through a quick list of what I am doing as a writer (and the side jobs, as well), the party broke down into smaller groups. This is always ideal. I hate parties where everybody tries to talk to one another and you just sit around in a big circle pretending to all care about the same subject matter. I never connect well with a large group of strangers, but I hit it off BIG TIME one-on-one with new friends. (My friend would later thank me for bridging the gap between her different groups of friends, which I took as a huge compliment. I love meeting new people, so I love going to parties where I have the opportunity to do exactly as I did there. It was nice that my skill was appreciated. AND, if you're ever throwing a mixer with a wide array of people, you know who to call!)
As several conversations erupted, I found myself at the corner of the buffet table, talking to a scientist. He seemed interested in my blogs, and we began talking about this one. I went through a brief history of it, and he seemed confused. "What do you mean by 'Quarter Life Crisis'?"
"Well," I began. "You know how people, when they're in their late forties, early fifties and they suddenly change careers or start dating somebody half their age?"
His confusion did not seem to be lessening, so I continued.
"Well, I'm too young to be doing that!" (I paused for a laugh, but there was none...) "...but, well, I think there is this common feeling among people of our generation, you know, that are in their twenties and faced with similar concerns about their life. They start asking themselves, 'is this REALLY what I want to do for the next forty or fifty years?'; 'will I be happy with this decision five years from now?'; or sometimes even, 'why haven't I accomplished that yet?!?' These are all valid concerns, and, I've found that writing about it makes me feel better. And my readers, when they comment, are going through the same things."
He still looked confused, so I paused to let it sink in.
"What does 'Quarter' mean?"
My new friend's first language was not English, and, like always, I had answered the question of my own agenda rather than the real question. (Does anybody see Being a Better Listener on my New Year's Resolution list?)
My explanation got me thinking, and, as it turns out, when I dwell on a question, it turns up in a lot of my conversations. Later that week, I was talking to a customer at work and discovered that he had been going through a similar situation for the last few years. Unlike myself (who ran kicking and screaming from the institution of higher learning after they handed me a piece of paper covered in calligraphy), this new friend had hid from his fears through school and travel. I was a bit jealous... The real world is actually a terrible place to hide from one's uncertainty about the future. I felt better knowing that he was going to graduate this spring without any better understanding of what he should be doing with his life than what I have. And he's in the Scared Stage. I'd never want to go back to the Scared Stage!
The problem, I think, is that we have so many decisions in front of us. Normally, I discuss this with my fellow females since we have the feminism of the 80s to thank for our decision-making problems. Sure, women could do whatever they wanted to before the 80s, but now there's even more pressure for us to choose not only whatever it is that men did before us, but to be HAPPY with our choice. And it's not even about choosing not to have babies or to have babies (trust me, with this war on right now, I'm definitely feeling the embracing of the latter over the former!). We can even choose to have babies and have partners who stay home to raise them. In fact, it's almost like our choices SHOULD be more original. The last few generations have sent so many shockwaves through the history books that there is this tiny little bit of pressure resting on the shoulders of all womankind to do something even greater with our lives. We all should aspire to be the next Oprah...
I apologise for the helter skelter of that rant. I've been holding in it for a few days, now. You see, over the holidays, I brought up Rosie the Rivetter, and how she has an action figure created after her. I love it. I love Rosie the Rivetter! When I brought her up, though, there was a conversation about how much the campaign she represented helped get women into the work force. I won't deny that the campaigns to get women to work during the war were impressive, and widespread enough to convince even the most conservative individuals in the far corners of this country to consider allowing women to do the hard labour of the men they had sent off to fight without being too concerned about that woman's children, or her 'delicate nature.'
It wasn't the beginning of feminism, though, nor was it the end. The post-war emphasis on family and motherhood certainly sent a vast majority of those women packing from the factories back to their pantries. The celebration of suburbia only continued that trend, making motherhood once again an issue of class moreso than a natural power to be proud of. (If you could afford to have children and not have the wife work as well, you were of the middle class or above.) Then came the pill, and more and more women could postpone their baby-having days to build a career. Some "spinsters" (women who never marry) were even truly successful in the careers that came their way due to the civil rights movements of the 60s.
Then, well, we can't forget the Sexual Revolution; if only because that makes us believe that Britney Spears is being really powerful when she pouts just a little bit and 'allows' her lover to physically abuse her. (If you don't understand, just ask, and I'll break it down for you.) After the sexually-charged 70's, though, we are faced with the 80's, where Dolly Pardon bemoans working a full-time job, Cyndi Lauper claims "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," and, okay, maybe we should blame Madonna - just a little bit - for what we've allowed Britney Spears to get away with...
Except that, Madonna had class. Dolly Pardon had pride. And Cyndi Lauper was filthy rich! They may not have been pressuring women to get into the workforce, but they didn't have to. Women coming of age at this time had known their entire lives that they could do ANYTHING they wanted to when they grew up. And they did! Yeah, yeah, I know there's still a glass ceiling, and there's still social taboos that need to be kicked out of the office buildings women are now dominating,... but that leaves us with a lot to live up to!
Now do you understand why I had to give up the feminist cause for something that needed more work? I'm a bit terrified of what my foremothers expect from me...
Don't worry, I know it's difficult for men, too. All those girls who were told they could do anything grew up alongside those boys that weren't told anything about the future. Hmmmm....yeah, I guess it could be worse. I could have had that plan that had been given to my gender for the last few generations ripped from my hands by some scary spinsters, had it split in half and only be given back the top part of it. If I thought reaching that glass ceiling was going to be tough, imagine what life would be like if that's where I was meant to start!
Don't worry, I explained what a 'quarter' was to my new friend...
Tuesday, 28 December 2010
ramshackle
1:appearing ready to collapse: rickety 2:carelessly or loosely constructed
The properties were separated by a ramshackle wooden fence that was just barely held together with chicken wire.
Did You Know?
Despite its appearance, "ramshackle" has nothing to do with rams or shackles. It's an alteration of "ramshackled," an early form of "ransack," which derived from Old Norse words meaning "house" and "seek" and meant "to search through or plunder." A home that has been ransacked has had its contents thrown into disarray, and that image may be what caused us to start using "ramshackle" in the first half of the 19th century to describe something poorly constructed or in a state of near collapse. These days, "ramshackle" can also be used figuratively, as in "He could only devise a ramshackle excuse for his absence."
Page-A-Day Calendar
www.pageaday.com
Workman Publishing
The properties were separated by a ramshackle wooden fence that was just barely held together with chicken wire.
Did You Know?
Despite its appearance, "ramshackle" has nothing to do with rams or shackles. It's an alteration of "ramshackled," an early form of "ransack," which derived from Old Norse words meaning "house" and "seek" and meant "to search through or plunder." A home that has been ransacked has had its contents thrown into disarray, and that image may be what caused us to start using "ramshackle" in the first half of the 19th century to describe something poorly constructed or in a state of near collapse. These days, "ramshackle" can also be used figuratively, as in "He could only devise a ramshackle excuse for his absence."
Page-A-Day Calendar
www.pageaday.com
Workman Publishing
Monday, 27 December 2010
handsel
1:a gift made as a token of good wishes or luck 2:a first installment: earnest money
At the beginning of the year, some employees will receive handsome monetary handsels.
Did You Know?
According to an old custom in the British Isles, the first Monday of the new year is Handsel Monday, a day to give a small gift or good-luck charm to children or to those who have served you well. As long ago as the year 1200, English-speakers were using the ancestor of "handsel" for any good-luck charm, especially one given at the start of some new situation or condition. By the 1500s, traders were using "handsel" for the first cash they earned in the morning - to them, an omen of good things to follow. Nowadays, it can also be applied to the first use or experience of something, especially when such a use gives a taste of things to come.
Page-A-Day Calendar
www.pageaday.com
Workman Publishing
At the beginning of the year, some employees will receive handsome monetary handsels.
Did You Know?
According to an old custom in the British Isles, the first Monday of the new year is Handsel Monday, a day to give a small gift or good-luck charm to children or to those who have served you well. As long ago as the year 1200, English-speakers were using the ancestor of "handsel" for any good-luck charm, especially one given at the start of some new situation or condition. By the 1500s, traders were using "handsel" for the first cash they earned in the morning - to them, an omen of good things to follow. Nowadays, it can also be applied to the first use or experience of something, especially when such a use gives a taste of things to come.
Page-A-Day Calendar
www.pageaday.com
Workman Publishing
Monday, 20 December 2010
lollygag
to spend time idly, aimlessly, or foolishly: dawdle
"Please stop lollygagging around and get ready for school," pleaded Mom.
Did You Know?
Nowadays, "lollygag" doesn't usually carry any naughty connotations, but it used to be slang for "fooling around" (sexually, that is). That sense of "lollygag," in use as long ago as 1868, probably originated as an alteration of the older (and more dawdlingly innocent) "lallygag." In 1946, a navy captain considered lollygaggin enough of a problem to issue this warning: "Lovemaking and lollygagging are hereby strictly forbidden... The holding of hands, osculation and constant embracing of WAVES, corpsmen or civilians and sailors or any combination of male and female personnel is a violation of naval discipline..."
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Workman Publishing
"Please stop lollygagging around and get ready for school," pleaded Mom.
Did You Know?
Nowadays, "lollygag" doesn't usually carry any naughty connotations, but it used to be slang for "fooling around" (sexually, that is). That sense of "lollygag," in use as long ago as 1868, probably originated as an alteration of the older (and more dawdlingly innocent) "lallygag." In 1946, a navy captain considered lollygaggin enough of a problem to issue this warning: "Lovemaking and lollygagging are hereby strictly forbidden... The holding of hands, osculation and constant embracing of WAVES, corpsmen or civilians and sailors or any combination of male and female personnel is a violation of naval discipline..."
Page-A-Day Calendar
www.pageaday.com
Workman Publishing
Thursday, 16 December 2010
Mendacious
\men-'da-shes\ adj.: given to or characterized by deception or falsehood or divergence from absolute truth
Liza wasn't about to fall for the unrealistic claims being touted by the mendacious car salesman.
Did You Know?
"Mendacious" and "lying" have very similar meanings, but the two are not interchangeable. "Mendacious" is more formal and literary, suggesting a deception harmless enough to be considered bland. "Lying" is more blunt, accusatory, and often confrontational. You might yell, "You lying rat!" in an argument, but you would likely stick to the more diplomatic "Aren't you being somewhat mendacious?" in a business meeting. "Mendacious can also imply habitual untruthfulness, whereas "lying" is more likely to be used to identify specific instances of dishonesty.
Page-A-Day Calendar
www.pageaday.com
Workman Publishing
Liza wasn't about to fall for the unrealistic claims being touted by the mendacious car salesman.
Did You Know?
"Mendacious" and "lying" have very similar meanings, but the two are not interchangeable. "Mendacious" is more formal and literary, suggesting a deception harmless enough to be considered bland. "Lying" is more blunt, accusatory, and often confrontational. You might yell, "You lying rat!" in an argument, but you would likely stick to the more diplomatic "Aren't you being somewhat mendacious?" in a business meeting. "Mendacious can also imply habitual untruthfulness, whereas "lying" is more likely to be used to identify specific instances of dishonesty.
Page-A-Day Calendar
www.pageaday.com
Workman Publishing
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