by Heather on September 8, 2011
According to UNESCO, “793 million adults – most of them girls and women – are illiterate. A further 67 million children of primary school age are not in primary school and 72 million adolescents of lower secondary school age are also missing out their right to an education.”
So what can you do to help? Lots of things!
You can read a story to a youngster you know. You can volunteer with Frontier College, your local library or other organizations that offer literacy training. You can donate money to a literacy program: at Oxfam Unwrapped, $22 will buy 8 books that will help kids around the world learn to read and $50 will help send a girl to school. Or you can simply take the book, magazine or paper you’re reading right now out in the world and be seen having a wonderful time!
So help celebrate UNESCO’s International World Literacy Day, you verbivores! You celebrate it a little bit every day, don’t you?
by Heather on September 7, 2011
Twists & Turns of Phrase
When something’s got all the bells and whistles, it has been constructed with lots of extra features—usually ones that aren’t strictly needed. This phrase is often used to describe electronics, motor vehicles, and other complex products.
According to the OED, the bells and whistles in this turn of phrase were originally those found on fairground organs. There are other possible origins of this phrase; however, and Michael Quinion has posted some of them over at World Wide Words.
Photo credit: untitled (Anthony Dodd) / CC BY-NC 3.0
by Heather on August 8, 2011
Vest-Pocket Vocabulary
Ram’uli, n. young twigs or shoots.
Word in the Wild: Adrienne thought she’d killed the plant since only dry dirt and withered leaves had occupied the planter for months. But when she came in this morning she saw that over the weekend, quite magically, some hardy ramuli had shot up out of the dessicated soil.
The word ramuli was first documented in English use in 1678 according to the OED, but it comes from Latin and is the plural form of this noun. The singular form is ramulus and means “little branch.” (Ramus = branch and ulus = suffix indicating a diminutive form)
This word has been used almost exclusively in scientific writings referring either to plants or to the tree-like branching of blood vessels in animals. But I’m going to try to use it all the time—I think it rolls off the tongue in a delightful way!
You can find a complete listing of the Word Blog’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary entries and learn more about where they come from here.
by Heather on July 20, 2011
Lexical Vexations
flounder 1. v. to move about with difficulty, often losing one’s footing. 2. n. a fish.
founder 1. v. to sink or succumb. 2. n. one responsible for beginning a venture or organization.
Words in the Wild: The first sign the Lollipop was foundering was the flounder the founder of the International Candy Society found swimming about his ankles. He immediately floundered his way toward the life preservers only to find they’d been replaced with Life Savers®.
Still vexed? You can find a complete list of the Word Blog’s lexical vexations here.
by Heather on July 12, 2011
You’ve won a copy of The Man Who Loved Books Too Much
I’ll be emailing you shortly to find out where to send your prize.
And thanks to everyone who entered this contest for adding some terrific books to my reading list. Be sure to stay tuned for more book giveaways in the future.
Happy reading!
by Heather on July 4, 2011
Win a copy of The Man Who Loved Books Too Much
I’m always on the hunt for great books to read, so I’ve decided that for this giveaway I’m going to get you to tell me about your favourite book.
Just leave a comment on this post, including the title and author of the book you can’t live without and think everyone else ought to read, too, and you’ll be entered in a draw to win a copy of The Man Who Loved Books Too Much.
Don’t forget to leave your email address when you comment so I can contact you if you win. Contest closes July 11, 2011, at midnight EST. Good luck and good reading!
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Small Print: One entry per person. One prize per winner. Prizes have no redeemable cash value. By entering the contest, you agree to the terms above. Privacy: I will not use your personal information except to contact you if you are a winner, nor will I sell your information to third parties.
by Heather on June 26, 2011
Vest-Pocket Vocabulary
Quod’libet, n. a nice point for discussion.
Word in the Wild: Their discussion came to a standstill after Monique’s shocking confession, and the party goers looked desperately about for someone to save them from the conversational vacuum that followed. Lucky for them, Punam was in attendance and saved them all by tossing out a fascinating quodlibet.
The word quodlibet comes from Latin and means “whatever you please.” (Quod = what and libet = it pleases.)
And while The Vest-Pocket Dictionary gives us this colloquial use of the term quodlibet, the OED defines it as a specifically academic excercise wherein a student must answer any question an audience member wishes to ask about a particular field of study (which sounds a lot like a modern-day comprehensive exam).
Interestingly, the meaning of this word changes altogether should you add an s: according to The Vest-Pocket Dictionary a quodlibets is a confused or disconnected collection. And according to the OED a quodlibet (without the s) can also be a quibbling point of argument or a musical composition containing more than one melody.
You can find a complete listing of the Word Blog’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary entries and learn more about where they come from here.
by Heather on June 12, 2011
Lexical Vexations
wet 1. adj. soaked with or coverd by liquid. 2. v. to cause to be soaked with or covered by liquid.
whet v. to sharpen, both literally (as in to whet a knife) and figuratively (as in to whet one’s appetite).
Words in the Wild: Nancy’s curiosity was whetted when she saw the fluffy mogwai at the pet store. And though the clerk said she shouldn’t get it wet, she couldn’t wait to take it home and give it a good bath.
Still vexed? You can find a complete list of the Word Blog’s lexical vexations here.
by Heather on June 8, 2011
Twists & Turns of Phrase
The last straw or final straw is a problem or annoyance that on its own would be a trifling matter, but that, when added to series of previous irks and irritations, seems intolerable.
This turn of phrase originated in the longer proverb the last straw breaks the camel’s back, a metaphor suggesting that there is a threshold to the burdens we can bear and that even the smallest additional burden beyond that threshold can break us.
This proverb can be traced back to Charles Dickens, who in his 1848 novel Dombey and Son wrote:
As the last straw breaks the laden camel’s back, this piece of underground information crushed the sinking spirits of Mr. Dombey. He motioned his child’s foster-father to the door, who departed by no means unwillingly: and then turning the key, paced up and down the room in solitary wretchedness. For all his starched, impenetrable dignity and composure, he wiped blinding tears from his eyes as he did so; and often said, with an emotion of which he would not, for the world, have had a witness, `Poor little fellow!’
Still earlier forms of this idiom have been traced to the 1600s and involved feathers and horses instead of straws and camels.
