– Definition: v. 1. hit or beat (someone) repeatedly 2. defeat thoroughly in a match or contest
– Used in a sentence: Isn’t it nice when the Bad Guys finally get a well-deserved drubbing?
– Why: Because “B.T.S.O.O. him” is too vulgar.
Tag: Tirebiter for Political Solutions Committee
Tim Leary says the only intelligent way to discuss politics is on all fours. Works for me.
VOTE.
I MAY LOSE SOME FRIENDS by saying this, but: It’s no longer Republican v. Democrat — it’s fascist v. patriot. Choose accordingly. (And if you’re in the mood for an escapist polemic, have at.)
11/8 UPDATE: !!!!!
Words To Bring Back: “Fervent”
– Definition: adj. Having or displaying a passionate intensity.
– Used in a sentence: “Our” cat was a fervent consumer of rats and squirrels.
– Why: There are good and bad manifestations of this quality. On the one hand is our hyperpolarized political landscape; on the other hand are fen of all stripes. One is harmful, the other harmless. You decide.
Words To Bring Back:: “Unctuous”
– Definition: adj. (of a person) excessively or ingratiatingly flattering; oily.
– Used in a sentence: The current president* (at this writing, anyway: 3/26/20) enjoys and prefers the company of unctuous sycophants.
– Why: It’s nice to have words to match your observations, isn’t it?
Prosatio Silban and the Ignoble Noble
THE THREE CITIES AND THOUSAND Villages of the Uulian Commonwell are home to a more disparate population than you are ever likely to meet. But sometimes, the more disparate are also the more desperate – and likewise, the more pitiable.
Prosatio Silban tugged his buopoth’s plaited yak-hair reins, halting his galleywagon in front of a village inn. Other than its being within the jurisdiction-lands of the city of epicurean Pormaris he recognized neither village nor inn, but after a long pull from his previous location he was eager to taste someone else’s cooking – anyone else’s – for a day or so. He jumped down from the dusty driver’s bench and up the inn’s few steps to arrange provender for his hungry dray-beast and growling stomach. Before he reached the door, however, a tiny blue bird landed in front of him.
“You are a stranger here,” it said in a high piping voice. “We don’t like strangers in our village. Strangers are trouble. We don’t like trouble either.” With that, it flew away down the street. Continue reading “Prosatio Silban and the Ignoble Noble”
Words To Bring Back: “Cryptic”
– Definition: adj. Having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure
– Used in a sentence: The president’s* speeches are somewhat cryptic to those who don’t share his gestalt, and altogether not for those who do.
– Why: What with the instant-knowledge advent of Google and Wikipedia, the cryptic quality is in danger of disappearing. Don’t let that sense of enigmatic mystery die.
Basic Training
Hatch ’em, match ’em, dispatch ’em.”
— My friend, the Rev. JT, deconstructing pastors’ duty toward their flock
365 Names: God*
GOD* came about after I saw someone refer in like manner to the current president (at this writing, in early December 2019) and some sports figures. Although it’s meant to indicate someone whose office or standing is shot through with controversy (hence requiring a footnote for fuller understanding), its Divine usage is meant to express that the simple monosyllable “God” likewise requires a footnote — the word doesn’t adequately convey the depth and breadth of What one is attempting to express. (It just doesn’t, that’s all.) Continue reading “365 Names: God*”
Words to Bring Back: “Pernicious”
– Definition: adj. Having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.
– Used in a sentence: Pernicious “tweets” should not become a presidential* standard.
– Why: It’s enough out of current usage to possibly sound like a compliment. Imagine the look on their faces when they discover it isn’t.
Words to Bring Back: “Parvenu”
– Definition: n. a person of obscure origin who has gained wealth, influence, or celebrity.
– Used in a sentence: I like to think the electorate smiles unkindly on parvenus, but evidence indicates otherwise.
– Why: Because, in the early 21st Century, there’s so damned many of them.
Words to Bring Back: “Fabulous”
– Definition: adj. Of, like, or recorded in fable; fictitious; mythical
– Used in a sentence: The current Administration* is doing a fabulous job.
– Why: In its current usage, “fabulous” is synonymous with “great” or “excellent.” But I think it’s important to return some words to their root meanings. Not only does that enrich our vocabulary; it also expands our thinking. Use it or lose it, folks.
On the “OK Boomer!” Contretemps
SERIOUSLY ASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION: “Who (and what) profits from pitting one generation of progressives so viciously and stereotypingly against another?”