So, it's Wednesday.....and that means I need to spotlight a word from our vocabulary, but today.....<heavy sigh>.....it's a toss-up, so......without further ado, I give you Wednesday's Words. Yep....plural...two of 'em. exasperate [ig-zas-puh-reyt] verb, To irritate or provoke to a high degree; annoy extremely. hypocrite [hip-uh-krit] noun, a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs. So, there you have it. My two words for this Wednesday. Oh, and also, I found a good quote as well, so I'll leave you with it.... "Kids have what I call a built-in hypocrisy antenna that comes up and blocks out what you're saying when you're being a hypocrite." ~Benjamin Carson I daresay some adults have this super-cool "built-in antenna" as well. Sorry to be so blunt today, but enough is enough. Praying for a better tomorrow! Until next time,
~Dot
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stimuli [stim' -yuh -lahy] noun. (plural for stimulus) Things that incite to action or exertion or quicken action, feeling, thought, etc. After a very long, hard dismal winter, I'm thinking I might finally see the beginnings of a new season on the horizon....and just in the nick of time, too! I don't do so well in Winter. Oh sure, I love putting on big, cozy sweaters and stuffin' my pantslegs down in some snazzy riding boots (ha! I think that totally makes me a poser 'cause I certainly don't "ride"!), but as far as having any pep in my step or a burning desire to get moving and accomplish much.......nah....it's just not in me. The word "hibernation" actually comes to mind as a wonderful synonym for "winter" as far as I'm concerned. However, it's almost time to hang up the overcoats and prepare to expose the toes! Yep. It's true! Stimuli are all around us! I think different things work for different folks. For you, maybe it's this... ......or maybe it's this..... .....or possibly it's even this..... For me, it's a happy mixture of all of it! I'm just glad the "Spring Stimuli" are finally among us! It reminds me of fresh starts.....new beginnings.....a promise of hope. So......"stimuli".....that's this Wednesday's Word. I'm all about it! Look around you! Soak it up! What's putting pep in your step right now? Whatever it is, enjoy it to the fullest and remember to thank God for those blessings! Until next time, ~Dot euphemism [yoo-fuh-miz-uhm] noun. The substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt in speech or writing. Euphemisms. We've all used them at one time or another. You know what I mean, right? It's saying things like "downsizing" instead of "firing employees"........."pre-owned" instead of "used".........."faux" instead of "fake"....... I could go on and on (you could, too, I'm sure!) How in the world did this practice get its start? According to the OES, it dates back to the 1600s in ancient Greece when folks would avoid words of "ill-omen" during religious ceremonies with more pleasant substitutions. "euphemism." Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. 05 Mar. 2014. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/euphemism>. "Euphemism is a human device to conceal the horrors of reality." So, why do we use them today? Surely, we're not still concerned about those "ill-omens", are we? Well, I think somewhere along the way, it was decided that the truth might be a little too difficult to accept as is, so expressions were softened in order not to offend anyone. So, as Dr. Phil would say, "How's that working for ya'?" Personally, I think it's making more and more things socially acceptable in our society, and I'm not convinced that it's helping matters. Examples of 'softening an expression':
I also think we just don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, which, by the way, is a very honorable thing to do as long as we aren't putting our heads in the sand about the reality of the situation. Examples of 'politeness':
Then, there are some that I just don't understand. I mean, perhaps I have my own head in the sand here, but what's wrong with the original term? Why did we even need a euphemism here? I'm thinking this is where "Political Correctness" came into play. For example..........
“Euphemisms are unpleasant truths wearing diplomatic cologne.” ~Quentin Crisp So, there you have it. My Wednesday's Word for this week: Euphemism. What are your thoughts about this frequently used literary device? Are we softening the blow or shoving our heads in the sand?
Until next time, ~Dot tranquil [trang-kwil] adj. free from commotion or tumult; peaceful; quiet; calm: a tranquil place So, I think it's pretty safe to say that our entire nation knows all about "Snowstorm Leon" due to the chaos that has taken place over the last 24 hours in the Atlanta area. My heart goes out to all those that were displaced due to the fallout from that mess! That being said, I have thoroughly enjoyed the results of Leon's efforts here in our little neck of the woods. I couldn't wait to bundle up and take a photo walk this morning. I can't really explain it, but snow fascinates me. It's so beautiful! I walked into the wooded area next to our house and honestly felt like I must have walked through the wardrobe straight into Narnia! (Spoken like a true Children's Lit. degree-holder!) Aside from the audible crunch of snow under my boots, it was so quiet....so peaceful....so.....well.... simply tranquil! I loved every single moment as I attempted to capture the tranquility! I'd like to share those images with you! Take a look... See what I mean? Tranquil. Snow just seems to do that. It spreads a blanket of calm on everything. I know it is anything BUT calm over in the ATL, but here in our little North Georgia town, it's been delightful! God never ceases to amaze me with His Creation! Whether it's snowing in your neck of the woods or not, I hope you experience your own tranquility today! Until next time,
~Dot collocate (KAHL-uh-KAYT): verb from Latin collocare, (together, with) and locate (to place): 1. to set or place together in proper order, 2. to arrange side by side. Anyone that knows me, knows I LOVE "proper order" and "arrangement" of things. You should see my closet! To the average person, it almost looks like overkill or perhaps at the very least a obsessive/compulsive kind of thing. Well, there may be some truth to that, but all I know is that ordering and arranging things brings me lots of peace...and dare I say it....even joy! This is great when I'm dealing with "stuff"...you know, like shoes...skirts...belts...scarves, but this same mindset can become quite problematic when it comes to me trying to COLLOCATE the people in my life. I've pretty much given up on my trying to collocate the things (and people!) associated with my job. I've finally figured out that that's just not going to happen. I simply take it day by day and deal with it as it comes. Then there's my personal life. With our children out of our nest for most of the time these days, I'm really working hard on trying to lighten up on the collocating that I tend to do with them. The key word there is "trying". Some days/weeks are much easier than others!
So.......COLLOCATE. Do you exercise this verb on a regular basis? If so, how's that working for you? Until next time, ~D y'all [yawl] pronoun. Abbreviation of "you all." A US, especially Southern, word for you, used especially when addressing more than one person. Most all Southerners use this word frequently. It's just a "Southern staple" in our vernacular, and I'm super-cool with that! HOWEVER, lots of Southerners don't know how to spell it properly, and THAT is why I felt it needed to be my focus for today's word post. See, here's the deal.... as the definition clearly says, y'all is an abbreviation of "you all". In fact, I might go so far as to say it's a contraction. Sooooo....since the two words are YOU and ALL...and we've omitted the "ou" from YOU, the apostrophe takes the place of those two letters!! Please, please, please don't spell it with the apostrophe after the a! There aren't any letters between the a and the double l that are being omitted!! So, again...this very Southern word needs to be spelled as follows: y'all. That is, y-apostrophe-a-l-l. So, there you have it. My very first Wednesday's Word. I'm all about Southern Lingo! I just want to be sure the rest of the world knows that we're still plenty smart down here in the South! Thanks for listening! Until next time.....y'all.... ~Dot ;) |
AuthorHi! I'm Dot. I refuse to succumb to the "empty nest syndrome"! So, this is my journal.....my photo album.....my attempt to enjoy the next chapter of my life as it unfolds. Welcome to The Roomy Nest! Archives
January 2020
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