Here's the latest spill for you - I've recently become re-acquainted with an old love. Even now, every word uttered, every phrase turned makes me weak at the knees. I remember the passion I initially felt - the awe, the lightheadedness, the giddy afterglow. And guess what? It's no different this time around. Nothing has changed.
The beauty of which I speak? It's a book. But no, no, no, no. Not just any book. It's Ex Libris, by Anne Fadiman, and it is a thing to behold - not only for the exquisite essays of Miss F, but by the volume of notes and underlining I did throughout. I (almost) never write in books - such bourgeoisie manners. But I couldn't help myself.
Today's TT comes from its second essay, "The Joy of Sesquipedalians". I will give you a list of words that had me itching to find out their meaning. I doubt if any ordinary human bean could ever find opportunity to pepper their everyday conversations with these, but they are fascinating nevertheless, and a gateway to becoming the equivalent of a Scrabble Jedi Master* (*note here you will be despised; this is the toll to be paid for word glory. With great vocabulary comes great responsibility, it does.)
Here we go:
(For God's sake, indulge me [yet again], would you? You have to read all the way to the bottom of the list - there's a challenge!)
monophysite
mephitic
calineries
diapason
grimoire
adapertile
retromingent
perllan
cupellation
adytum
sepoy
subadar
paludal
apozemical
camorra
ithyphallic
adcalde
aspergill
agathodemon
kakodemon
goetic
opopanax
I challenge you, dear clever readers that you are, to send along a sentence with the word in the appropriate context. Or better yet, make up your own definition! It might be fun. Word.The beauty of which I speak? It's a book. But no, no, no, no. Not just any book. It's Ex Libris, by Anne Fadiman, and it is a thing to behold - not only for the exquisite essays of Miss F, but by the volume of notes and underlining I did throughout. I (almost) never write in books - such bourgeoisie manners. But I couldn't help myself.
Today's TT comes from its second essay, "The Joy of Sesquipedalians". I will give you a list of words that had me itching to find out their meaning. I doubt if any ordinary human bean could ever find opportunity to pepper their everyday conversations with these, but they are fascinating nevertheless, and a gateway to becoming the equivalent of a Scrabble Jedi Master* (*note here you will be despised; this is the toll to be paid for word glory. With great vocabulary comes great responsibility, it does.)
Here we go:
(For God's sake, indulge me [yet again], would you? You have to read all the way to the bottom of the list - there's a challenge!)
monophysite
mephitic
calineries
diapason
grimoire
adapertile
retromingent
perllan
cupellation
adytum
sepoy
subadar
paludal
apozemical
camorra
ithyphallic
adcalde
aspergill
agathodemon
kakodemon
goetic
opopanax
Triple Word, even.
!