This is the first post I started to write without a word in mind. It had to be about the coronavirus and COVID-19, of course — the situation is so overwhelmingly pervasive that this post started writing itself in my mind without even waiting for a word to come along. So I went ahead and …
Category: Words about the World
Tsundoku
"It's not hoarding if it's books," a popular Internet saying proclaims. I, for one, heartily agree — but maybe I'm biased. I was raised by book lovers; books have been part of my life (and my home) for as long as I can remember. In my childhood homes, they piled up every which where: packed …
Dreich
I will admit upfront that I'm not one for small talk. I'm not good at it and I don't particularly enjoy it. You could argue that one is a consequence of the other, but I just feel that there's seldom anything of interest to be gained from, say, exchanging pleasantries about the weather. Unless the …
Trolsk
A foggy October morning. A chill in the air as the world stirs to life in the sleepy pale of the morning light. Colors muted by a dim haze that sits silently upon the ground. As you walk along your usual path, the ground is firm and crunches softly underfoot, bitten by a light frost …
Feuillemorte
We're well and truly in the heart of fall now, and that means seasonal words abound! Autumn and winter always seem to be the seasons described with the most poignant and evocative words — their proximity to the end of the year makes them the most appropriate seasons for reflection, and in our thoughtfulness we …
Aiteall
Sometimes it seems like the weather where I live is experiencing a constant identity crisis. The storms here are the most unpredictable I've ever seen. There will be entire weeks of continuous forecasted thunderstorms, and during those weeks there might be one day — at most — when a single distant rumble of thunder rolls …
Jī Lèi
I'll admit it: I may be too sentimental for my own good. It's been a tendency of mine since childhood to attach unnecessary emotional value to things. A brief sampler: I have a hard time discarding packaging or advertisements that feature pictures of people's faces because it feels heartless. I don't like to pitch even …
Estival
There are certain words that demand to be written about at a certain time, sometimes even during a specific week. For these words, I will wait for months until the right time comes. This word is one of them. Summer! The sweatiest time of year is now upon us. Though the official start of the …
Soodraght
I've developed a very sudden fondness for Celtic languages. I've always found them interesting; any language that is able to rival English's notoriously low correlation between spelling and pronunciation earns my respect. But only as I began to research Manx, the official language of the tiny Isle of Man, was I struck by how uniquely …
Gluggaveður
Some things are best appreciated at a distance. It's best not to interfere with, say, a wild animal in its natural habitat, or a high-contact sports event, if you're into those. Certain other things are best enjoyed when distance is enforced by a barrier. Situations that we see on TV, for example, are often enjoyable …