Gryphon's Word of the Day, May 30, 2008

The word of the day for May 30, 2008 is "grammarian" — noun — one who studies: 1 a: the classes of words, their inflections, and their functions and relations in the sentence. b: what is to be preferred and what avoided in inflection and syntax. 2 a: the characteristic system of inflections and syntax of a language. b: a system of rules that defines the grammatical structure of a language.

My sister, the research librarian, just reported this exchange:
     A patron just called and asked, "How do you spell throwed?"
     Librarian:  "...As in, 'You tossed the ball'?"
     Patron:     "No, as in, 'Them having throwed their hats in the ring.'"
     Librarian:  "I think you might want to say 'They threw their hats in the ring,' or 'They
                        have thrown their hats in the ring.'"
     Patron:     “Oh, you mean I should say, 'Them having threw their hats in the ring.'"
     Librarian:  “Not quite.”
     The patron was happy with: “Them having thrown their hats in the ring.”

It is a good thing that my Eighth Grade English Teacher, Mrs. Deutch, was not fielding that call. She was a strict grammarian, who took no nonsense from anyone—on any front. She would haul a six-foot, Tenth Grade Remedial student out of the hallway to spit his gum into her wastebasket. She would walk between the students' desks during tests, singing very softly, "If you see me coming better step aside./ Many men didn't, and many men died./ One gun of iron, the other of steel,/ If the right don't get you, then the left one will." (For those of you not old enough to remember Tennessee Earnie Ford, this is a verse from the coal miner song, "Sixteen Tons.")

Mrs. Deutch had us all buy a book of grammar/style that I wish I had today, because it showed how to diagram sentences. This is a dying skill, as most people don't write or read sentences of more than five words anymore. Yet, if one wants to read poetry or philosophy or anything written before the end of the Victorian era, diagramming sentences can bring meaning out of seeming chaos. Let's see, start with your subject on a horizontal line with a vertical stroke dividing it from the predicate...

Our quote for the day is from Juvenal (fl. 1st to 2d cent. A.D.):
     Grammarian, orator, geometrician; painter, gymnastic teacher, physician;
     fortune-teller, rope-dancer, conjuror,—he knew everything.

Tags: grammarian

Gryphon's Word of the Day, May 11, 2008

The word of the day for May 11, 2008 is "imperfection" — noun — : the quality or state of being imperfect; also : fault, blemish.

My sister and I were decrying modern times—O tempore, O mores. People today seem to dislike themselves. They want to be someone else. They want to be thought "mad, bad and dangerous to know." At the same time, they don't want anyone to think that they are "different" or crazy. When creating cards in her friend Betty's craft class, my sister deliberately changes things to suit herself. Others in the class get upset that Sis's efforts aren't exactly like the examples. Betty tells the others that it's all right. If they want identical cards, they should buy them from Hallmark.

My friend Monae of Sometimes A Sigh Says It All..... is the real inspiration for this word. She was termed "silly" by someone whom she values—as though silly is a bad thing. I believe that a certain amount of silliness is necessary in this world. It's both the innocence that brings us to Heaven and the non-linear thinking known as genius. It's the joke that keeps us from slipping into despair and the harbinger of hope. So, Monae, keep on being silly. Gift the rest of us with the imperfection of innocent enjoyment of the world.

Dogs know how to be imperfect.

Our quote for the day is from Henry Miller (1891–1980), U.S. author. “Reflections of Writing,” The Wisdom of the Heart (1947):

     The world itself is pregnant with failure, is the perfect manifestation
of imperfection, of the consciousness of failure.

;^) Jan

Tags: imperfection

Apology

Sorry, folks. The word of the day for yesterday was supposed to be "purloin" not "sternutation."

I have fixed it, I hope.

 

Gryphon's Word of the Day, May 7, 2008

The word of the day for February 6, 2008 is "purloin" — transitive verb — : to appropriate wrongfully and often by a breach of trust.

Dan of Slapinions wrote in counter-response to a note I left in his blog: 
     In the ninth century, the Church measured the day as starting at
     sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All 
    Saints' Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween,
    the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day.

I really like the whys and wherefores of the holidays we celebrate and the dates on which they are celebrated. Most of the Christian holidays are celebrated on days reserved for other deities. For instance, the nativity of Christ is pretty much accepted nowadays to not have happened on December 25 from evidence presented in the Gospels. Dec. 25th was celebrated as the birthday of Mithras. Many of the saints who were downgraded in the Roman Catholice housecleaning a few years back were just whitewashed local deities anyway.

Then we have nations creating secular holidays like Memorial Day and Cinco de Mayo, Juneteenth and Labor Day (which is celebrated on May 1st in most places, but the first Monday of September in the US). For sheer nerve, we also have the commercial "celebrations" created by the greeting card companies: Sweetness Day and Grandparents' Day. Personally, I like to celebrate October 4th as Broderick Crawford Day since I heard it posited by Garrison Keillor several years ago. Once when I mentioned this holiday while buying a KFC dinner, the sweet-young-thing clerk said: "I'm sorry, I wouldn't know about that. I'm not from around here."

Those of you who, like the KFC clerk, are too young to remember the 1950's television show Highway Patrol—starring Mr. Crawford behind the wheel of a CHP cruiser rolling through the fruit groves of Orange County—would not know that it is proper to celebrate with doughnuts and oranges on 10-4.

Our quote for the day is from George Leybourne, lyricist, "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze":

     ..And my love he has purloined away.

;^) Jan

Tags: purloin

The word of the day for May 4, 2008 is "purchase" — transitive verb — 1 a archaic : GAIN, ACQUIRE b: to acquire (real estate) by means other than descent c: to obtain by paying money or its equivalent : BUY d: to obtain by labor, danger, or sacrifice. 2: to constitute the means for buying [our dollars purchase less each year]. — intransitive verb — : to purchase something.

Cyb came down by herself Friday evening and went home again yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, she had to fight gale force gusts and dust storms both directions. This morning there's no wind at all. Anyway, while she was down, she helped me clean out the refrigerator. We threw out the fuzzy green and pink stuff and some false-bargain meat that had proved so tough that marinating and stewing left it too hard for even the puppy to chew. All the shelves are free of milk and juice and just-plain-whatisit stains. After she went home, I even wiped out the soda pop from when the can exploded in the freezer. I just feel so virtous.

Last time Cyb was here, my son-in-law, Ryan, asserted—while walking Bubbles—that every dog should have a bandana. Cyb won't go so far as her husband, but claims that the breed specifications for border collies calls for the trendy canine neckwear. I doubt either of them means to start some group to provide dogs with cotton triangles, but Cyb mentioned the bandanas while she was doing her duty as my shopping enabler at the Petco. Bubbles needed more dog biscuits and a replacement squeeky fox. (We're averaging one every two months so far.) Anyway, the dog now has a bandana. So far he hasn't chewed on it—at least, while I was looking.

Our quote for the day is from William Shakespeare (1564–1616), British dramatist, poet. Antonio, in Twelfth Night, act 3, sc. 3, l. 44-5:

     Haply your eye shall light upon some toy
     You have desire to purchase.

;^) Jan

Tags: purchase