AWADmail Issue 303
Apr 20, 2008
A Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day
and Other Interesting Tidbits about Words and Languages
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From: Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org)
Subject: Interesting stories from the net
Obituary: Eugene Ehrlich, 85, Word Connoisseur
http://nytimes.com/2008/04/15/books/15ehrlich.html?ex=1365912000&en=16109e4a8ad80703
He Wrote 200,000 Books (but Computers Did Some of the Work)
http://nytimes.com/2008/04/14/business/media/14link.html?ex=1365825600&en=756bfe909ce8c62f
The End of the Line?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/04/france.britishidentity
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From: Max Montel (maxmontel yahoo.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--cenotaph
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/cenotaph.html
I first came across this word when reading a book of tricks by the
magician/comedians Penn and Teller. One card trick they teach is a way to
make sure that someone picks a particular card, in this case the three of
clubs. You're supposed to have the person pick the card, guess the wrong
card, then go on a sightseeing tour of Los Angeles. Include the Forest Lawn
Cemetery in the tour and find Penn and Teller's cenotaph, which looks like
this:
http://www.ldphotography.net/Graves/Famous/P/slides/Penn%20and%20Teller.html
A pretty neat trick. Never done that version of it though.
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From: Venkat K. (vk redisolve.com)
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cenotaph
My office for the last few years is on Cenotaph Road. Never bothered to find
out the meaning of the word and here it is. I must now find out the tomb that
we have around here.
Living in Madras, India the colonial hangover can be felt in street names.
We have Mowbray's, Pycroft, Pantheon, Peter's, Greams, Cathedral, Mint,
Greenways, Haddows, Sterling, Haddington, Chamiers, Santhome, Mount, and of
course Cenotaph.
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From: Donald Johnson (johnsondo cintas.com)
Subject: Re: Cenotaph
I first ran across this word in the lyrics from Pink Floyd's strongly
anti-war album from 1983 called "The Final Cut". The song was called
"Southampton Dock", describing soldiers returning from World War II and
went in part: "Gathered at the cenotaph/all agreed with hand on heart/to
sheath the sacrificial knives." The song went on to describe yet another
generation of soldiers leaving for war, in this case the Falkland Islands.
Seems there is always a reason to fight, no matter what promises have been
made or how many have already been sacrificed.
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From: James Friend (frienddjp comcast.net)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--noctilucent
Refer: http://wordsmith.org/words/noctilucent.html
Atmospheric scientists have long known about the somewhat mysterious
night-glowing clouds, commonly called noctilucent clouds. These beautiful
clouds prevail mainly in high latitudes in summer in both northern and
southern hemispheres and are visible in the nearly dark sky after sunset
since they are at very high altitudes of around 50 miles where temperatures
are very low. Some good pictures are shown in
http://nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/04/23/science/20070424_CLOUDS_SLIDESHOW_1.html
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From: Anna Ingebretson (mail4me56547 yahoo.com)
Subject: Noctilucent
Perhaps "noctilucent" could also refer to the state of being suddenly awake
and cognitive at night. (The lux derivative referring to clearness of
thought; or more precisely, lucidus, an adjective derived from lux.) This
hits me most often when I am doing intense studying and/or writing. After
a period of relatively fruitless work, often my best thoughts and ideas
come to me after I've retired for the night. Invariably I end up awake
far past midnight, brainstorming and writing. Though it is a welcome relief
from writer's block, it does seem a bit ill-timed! I'm sure I'm not the only
one who experiences this.
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From: Charles Wilson (user8612 qwest.net)
Subject: Example word: cenocephalic
This instantly brought to mind the birth defect known as anencephaly. The
infant is born with no brain or only a small portion of the brain at the top
of the spine. Typically death occurs within a few days. I have heard of one
instance in which the child survived for two years.
Anencephaly is akin to spina bifida which I have. My life expectancy at birth
was six months. I will be 68 in August. Some survivors are reaching their
twenties now. I have been told I am probably the oldest survivor. I know of
another in his forties.
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From: Marsha Meckler (michaelw hawaii.edu)
Subject: Combining forms
Now I know what to call the kind of word I recently coined (or believe I did):
antepunctual.
Definition: one who is so early to an event as to be rude.
Example: He rang the bell as I was getting out of the shower, 45 minutes ahead
of the time stated on the invitation. How ante-punctual!"
............................................................................
In words are seen the state of mind and character and disposition of the
speaker. -Plutarch, biographer and philosopher (circa 46-120)
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