Word of the Day...

**blunthead** · March 26th, 2012

verdant (ˈvər-dənt) adjective, green in tint or color; green with growing plants.

Cypress tress and Monterey pines stood like sentinels all along the roadway at Lands End. The hills of Lincoln Park were verdant.

**Haunted** · April 13th, 2012

macaronic \mak-uh-RON-ik\, adjective:

1. Composed of a mixture of languages.
2. Composed of or characterized by Latin words mixed with vernacular words or non-Latin words given Latin endings.
3. Mixed; jumbled.

noun:
1. Macaronics, macaronic language.
2. A macaronic verse or other piece of writing.

The tradition is even more significant in Folengo's Italian works and especially in his macaronic writings.
-- Mikhail Bakhtin, Rabelais and His World

The macaronic mode swivels between different languages. I believe Beckett chose French against English for similar reasons to those of Jean Arp in selecting French against German.
-- W. D. Redfern, French Laughter: Literary Humour from Diderot to Tournier

The journalistic multiplicity of voices found in the Magazine corresponded with the poetic multi-vocality of Fergusson's macaronic compositions, texts that combined elements of neo-classical English and vernacular Scots diction.
-- Ian Brown, The Edinburgh History of Scottish Literature

Macaronic is related to the word macaroni. Specifically, the pasta is named after the Southern Italian dialect maccarone, which was also associated with a mixture of Latin and vernacular languages.

**blunthead** · April 17th, 2012

fecundity (ˈfe-kənd-it-ē, ˈf-) noun, fruitfulness in offspring or vegetation.

groundling (ˈgrau̇n(d)-liŋ) noun, a person of unsophisticated taste.

Even Charles Dickens, the Shakespeare of the novel, has faced a constant critical attack as a result of his often sensational subject matter, his cheerful fecundity (when he wasn't creating novels, he and his wife were creating children), and, of course, his success with the book-reading groundlings of his time and ours.

**Patricia A** · April 17th, 2012

Hobnob - To hang out with the swells.

Busted - To get caught doing something that you were trying with no aplomb to conceal.

**J.T. Adams** · April 17th, 2012

Hobnob - To hang out with the swells.

Hoooly crap that was genius

**blunthead** · April 17th, 2012

aplomb (ə-ˈpläm, -ˈpləm) noun, 1. complete and confident composure or self-assurance; poise; 2. alternate for hobnob in the ill-fated Play with Mod game.

hobnob (hob -ˌnäb) verb, to associate familiarly

Hey, let's play a game! On Tuesday when Marsha returns, let's post the word aplomb or, like, hobnob a lot! She won't know what's goin' on!

**Patricia A** · April 17th, 2012

Originally Posted by blunthead

aplomb (ə-ˈpläm, -ˈpləm) noun, 1. complete and confident composure or self-assurance; poise; 2. alternate for hobnob in the ill-fated Play with Mod game.

hobnob (hob -ˌnäb) verb, to associate familiarly

Hey, let's play a game! On Tuesday when Marsha returns, let's post the word aplomb or, like, hobnob a lot! She won't know what's goin' on!

HAHAHAHA! - To laugh unabashedly.

Dooooh! - To be busted.

**blunthead** · April 27th, 2012

Byzantine (ˈbi-zən-ˌtēn, ˈbī-, -ˌtīn; bə-ˈzan-ˌ, bī-ˈ) adjective, intricately involved; labyrinthine.

When I read Lovecraft, my prose became luxurious and Byzantine.

**blunthead** · May 3rd, 2012

ephemeral (i-ˈfem-rəl, -ˈfēm-; -ˈfe-mə-, -ˈfē-) adjective, lasting a very short time.

Once weaned from the ephemeral craving for TV, most people will find they enjoy the time they spend reading.

**blunthead** · May 10th, 2012

vignette (vin-ˈyet, vēn-) noun, a short descriptive literary sketch; a brief incident or scene (as in a play or movie).

Whether it's a vignette of a single page or an epic trilogy like The Lord of the Rings, the work is always accomplished one word at a time.