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Good Morning
Dec. 17th, 2021 09:10 am
Dec. 17th, 2021
Paul Anthony Jones "The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities: A Yearbook of Forgotten Words (Elliot and Thompson
The English language has a huge number of words; there are over 170,00 words in current use and over 45,000 words that are now considered obsolete. As the average person in the street has a vocabulary of around 20,000–35,000 words meaning for almost everyone there is a whole world of undiscovered words and their meanings for us to discover. One man who is aiming to unlock this Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities for us all is Paul Anthony Jones. He is the man behind Haggard Hawks, another wonderful place for everything wordy and some fiendishly difficult anagrams, and boy has he found some corkers in this book.
Some words here will make you smile, some will make you wince, but this is a cabinet full of precious treasure, an etymological gold mine. It is a labyrinth as one word leads to another and yet another word loops back past. We will learn the origins and root of words like viaticated, something that you will need to be for this journey, when you’ll need a paragrandine, just what the noise is that the word mrkgnao describes. Whilst all of this may seem mysterifical, you will start to become someone who could be called a sebastianist as you uncover this etmological Wunderkammer. You will learn how long a smoot is, when you need
to scurryfunge a house, and just what a yule-hole is and at the end of all that you’ll either be a word-grubber or be in need of a potmeal
Not only is this a book for those that love all things about the English language, Paul Anthony Jones has written a book for the general reader too. Each day of the year has been given a unique word, that is either relevant for that day, or is picking up on the threads earlier in the year. There is a little history behind the word and often more in the text as I can imagine that this could have been twice the size. The first word I looked up was my birthday, as I guess that most people will do, followed by family members and other significant dates. Thankfully it is very readable and can be dipped into as and when you want to. It is great follow up to the Accidental Dictionary and I will be reading his other books, Word Drops, when I can squeeze it in.
Paul Anthony Jones "The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities: A Yearbook of Forgotten Words (Elliot and Thompson
The English language has a huge number of words; there are over 170,00 words in current use and over 45,000 words that are now considered obsolete. As the average person in the street has a vocabulary of around 20,000–35,000 words meaning for almost everyone there is a whole world of undiscovered words and their meanings for us to discover. One man who is aiming to unlock this Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities for us all is Paul Anthony Jones. He is the man behind Haggard Hawks, another wonderful place for everything wordy and some fiendishly difficult anagrams, and boy has he found some corkers in this book.
Some words here will make you smile, some will make you wince, but this is a cabinet full of precious treasure, an etymological gold mine. It is a labyrinth as one word leads to another and yet another word loops back past. We will learn the origins and root of words like viaticated, something that you will need to be for this journey, when you’ll need a paragrandine, just what the noise is that the word mrkgnao describes. Whilst all of this may seem mysterifical, you will start to become someone who could be called a sebastianist as you uncover this etmological Wunderkammer. You will learn how long a smoot is, when you need
to scurryfunge a house, and just what a yule-hole is and at the end of all that you’ll either be a word-grubber or be in need of a potmeal.
Not only is this a book for those that love all things about the English language, Paul Anthony Jones has written a book for the general reader too. Each day of the year has been given a unique word, that is either relevant for that day, or is picking up on the threads earlier in the year. There is a little history behind the word and often more in the text as I can imagine that this could have been twice the size. The first word I looked up was my birthday, as I guess that most people will do, followed by family members and other significant dates. Thankfully it is very readable and can be dipped into as and when you want to. It is great follow up to the Accidental Dictionary and I will be reading his other books, Word Drops, when I can squeeze it in.
The English language has a huge number of words; there are over 170,00 words in current use and over 45,000 words that are now considered obsolete. As the average person in the street has a vocabulary of around 20,000–35,000 words meaning for almost everyone there is a whole world of undiscovered words and their meanings for us to discover. One man who is aiming to unlock this Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities for us all is Paul Anthony Jones. He is the man behind Haggard Hawks, another wonderful place for everything wordy and some fiendishly difficult anagrams, and boy has he found some corkers in this book.
Some words here will make you smile, some will make you wince, but this is a cabinet full of precious treasure, an etymological gold mine. It is a labyrinth as one word leads to another and yet another word loops back past. We will learn the origins and root of words like viaticated, something that you will need to be for this journey, when you’ll need a paragrandine, just what the noise is that the word mrkgnao describes. Whilst all of this may seem mysterifical, you will start to become someone who could be called a sebastianist as you uncover this etmological Wunderkammer. You will learn how long a smoot is, when you need
to scurryfunge a house, and just what a yule-hole is and at the end of all that you’ll either be a word-grubber or be in need of a potmeal.
Not only is this a book for those that love all things about the English language, Paul Anthony Jones has written a book for the general reader too. Each day of the year has been given a unique word, that is either relevant for that day, or is picking up on the threads earlier in the year. There is a little history behind the word and often more in the text as I can imagine that this could have been twice the size. The first word I looked up was my birthday, as I guess that most people will do, followed by family members and other significant dates. Thankfully it is very readable and can be dipped into as and when you want to. It is great follow up to the Accidental Dictionary and I will be reading his other books, Word Drops, when I can squeeze it in.
The Xmas Card Wall
Dec. 17th, 2021 07:09 pmWell, my card wall is up again. So far I have receievd 18 Xmas cards.
Friday Frolics
Dec. 17th, 2021 07:27 pmA dull dank and misty day. Some rain but it's that fine sticky rain. Ugh!
I had to pop into town to get food provisions anyway. I also checked out the market and picked up some fine coffee to drink later on as well as some hot chocolate drink I then have a nose around the charity shop next to Spoons before popping into the pub.
I found this rather excellent condition LP set of Puccini's Tosca for a quid in there. It has the complete libretto, plus I also ordered via Amazon marketplace the 1990 reissue of the set on CD in the original fat CD cases before the slim Duo ones came out. This will have the libretto as well unlike those slim-cased Duo reissues. I do have Duo releases but they are all orchestral ones.
The chazzer also has a copy of Madam Butterfly so if it is still around next Monday I will pick it up as well - and assuming it's a quid!
I also have Turandot on CD so I might as well the other major operas of his.
I had to pop into town to get food provisions anyway. I also checked out the market and picked up some fine coffee to drink later on as well as some hot chocolate drink I then have a nose around the charity shop next to Spoons before popping into the pub.
I found this rather excellent condition LP set of Puccini's Tosca for a quid in there. It has the complete libretto, plus I also ordered via Amazon marketplace the 1990 reissue of the set on CD in the original fat CD cases before the slim Duo ones came out. This will have the libretto as well unlike those slim-cased Duo reissues. I do have Duo releases but they are all orchestral ones.
The chazzer also has a copy of Madam Butterfly so if it is still around next Monday I will pick it up as well - and assuming it's a quid!
I also have Turandot on CD so I might as well the other major operas of his.
The Friday Five
Dec. 17th, 2021 10:05 pmWhat makes you say “What was I thinking?” when you look back on your life?
What is something that can’t be taught and can only be learned with age
What’s the most surprising self-realization you’ve had?
What thing do you really wish you could buy right now?
What is something that you are passionate about?
What is something that can’t be taught and can only be learned with age
What’s the most surprising self-realization you’ve had?
What thing do you really wish you could buy right now?
What is something that you are passionate about?
Tracey Thorn "Another Planet: A Teenager in Suburbia" (Canongate)
Short but sweet, Everything But The Girl singer Tracey Thorn manages to pack a lot into her memoirs! Based on the uneventful entries in her teenage diaries, Tracey considers growing up in 70s suburbia, with an interesting history of the commuter village where her parents settled, and her bid to escape woodland and semi-detached houses for the freedom of London. She talks about her relationship with her parents, including her father's death and an attempt to understand her mother's life after having children of her own, but also muses on broader subjects like class and feminism. Funny but also touching in places, I read the whole book in one setting - only 200 pages, granted.
Short but sweet, Everything But The Girl singer Tracey Thorn manages to pack a lot into her memoirs! Based on the uneventful entries in her teenage diaries, Tracey considers growing up in 70s suburbia, with an interesting history of the commuter village where her parents settled, and her bid to escape woodland and semi-detached houses for the freedom of London. She talks about her relationship with her parents, including her father's death and an attempt to understand her mother's life after having children of her own, but also muses on broader subjects like class and feminism. Funny but also touching in places, I read the whole book in one setting - only 200 pages, granted.
Tracey Thorn "Another Planet: A Teenager in Suburbia" (Canongate)
Short but sweet, Everything But The Girl singer Tracey Thorn manages to pack a lot into her memoirs! Based on the uneventful entries in her teenage diaries, Tracey considers growing up in 70s suburbia, with an interesting history of the commuter village where her parents settled, and her bid to escape woodland and semi-detached houses for the freedom of London. She talks about her relationship with her parents, including her father's death and an attempt to understand her mother's life after having children of her own, but also muses on broader subjects like class and feminism. Funny but also touching in places, I read the whole book in one setting - only 200 pages, granted.
Short but sweet, Everything But The Girl singer Tracey Thorn manages to pack a lot into her memoirs! Based on the uneventful entries in her teenage diaries, Tracey considers growing up in 70s suburbia, with an interesting history of the commuter village where her parents settled, and her bid to escape woodland and semi-detached houses for the freedom of London. She talks about her relationship with her parents, including her father's death and an attempt to understand her mother's life after having children of her own, but also muses on broader subjects like class and feminism. Funny but also touching in places, I read the whole book in one setting - only 200 pages, granted.
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