February
4 years ago
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“I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words bother me.” - Winnie the Pooh
"That's a great deal to make one word mean," Alice said in a thoughtful tone. "When I make a word do a lot of work like that," said Humpty Dumpty, "I always pay it extra."
My Main Blog
Introduction
My daughter Helen commented in November 2008 in her Blog that she was now keeping a notebook of new words that she came across during her reading. "This week I bought a lovely little leather bound book to write new words in as I read them . I've added a few from "1984", but my favourite has to be persiflage (from the French persifler) which means banter." I later discovered that my older daughter, Bryony, also kept a similar notebook.
This inspired me to create a Word blog. This will include both new words, favourite words and the origins of phrases that we commonly use. A definition and some comment, perhaps even a relevant quotation, will acompany the word or phrase.
This inspired me to create a Word blog. This will include both new words, favourite words and the origins of phrases that we commonly use. A definition and some comment, perhaps even a relevant quotation, will acompany the word or phrase.
“I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words bother me.” - Winnie the Pooh
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September
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September
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Hmmm I am trying to bring "jentacular" into context. Can you give an example phrase?
ReplyDeleteNowadays things that pop and puff have replaced the proper jentacular offerings of kippers and cold ham.
ReplyDeleteHow about that!
Right, I misunderstood, then. To me it seemed more a case of "The chambermaid always made sure Her Ladyship would receive her usual jentacular cup of tea and biscuit in bed, before even the curtains were opened." Kippers and cold ham sounds much more like something people would have a little while after getting up, when they are properly washed and dressed and ready to go downstairs to sit at the dining table.
ReplyDeleteI suppose it depends at what time one arose! Your sentence sounds equally appropriate to me.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone use the word ghoti in a sentence?
ReplyDeleteWorkmeat is a ghoti (pronounced fish) because if you pronounce the 'ea' in meat as you would in 'great' it is a ghoti for workmate. Hope that helps.
DeleteThe article at http://www.quickiwiki.com/en/Ghoti may help.
"I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Others may stumble, but not you,
On hiccough, thorough, lough and through?
Well done! And now you wish, perhaps,
To learn of less familiar traps?
Beware of heard, a dreadful word
That looks like beard and sounds like bird,
And dead: it's said like bed, not bead -
For goodness sake don't call it deed!
Watch out for meat and great and threat
(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt).
A moth is not a moth in mother,
Nor both in bother, broth in brother,
And here is not a match for there
Nor dear and fear for bear and pear,
And then there's dose and rose and lose -
Just look them up - and goose and choose,
And cork and work and card and ward,
And font and front and word and sword,
And do and go and thwart and cart -
Come, come, I've hardly made a start!
A dreadful language? Man alive!
I'd mastered it when I was five!"
Quoted in Spelling Progress Bulletin March 1961, 'Brush up on your English'.