Wordplay Wednesday™ April 27, 2016 – Garth

Music on my Mind!

It’s no secret, I’m a Rock & Roll fan. Not so much current Rock, more the “
Today's music ain't got the same soul ... I like that old time rock 'n' roll ...” type.

What is not so well known are my Country* roots. Yessir, I am born ‘n’ bred California Country. Ohhhh, now you get it – Cali folks aren’t real Country – our Rebel side is tempered with a li’l’ bit Rock ‘n’ Roll, right?

Though segregated music genres have all but disappeared, sometimes you just have to get back to the roots of the beat that most stirs your heart.

Whether listening to yesterday or today, our music is everywhere – office (with earphones), truck (well, I am still Country), boat (for coastal Cali folks), or relaxing in a secluded garth.

 
GARTH (gärth) n. (Archaic) – an enclosed yard or garden. [WW #57]

And coupled with “Brooks,” makes a great name for a Country singer who warbles mighty fine, with a twinge of Rock ‘n’ Roll!

Garth Brooks is an intriguing name for a captivating musical artist – now that you know the meaning of his first name,** can’t you just see him strumming guitar in your garden, aside a bonny brook? Let’s dream on …

Wordplay Wednesday™ April 20, 2016 – LAITY not dumb

You are a layperson in something …

Try as we might, we humans are not perfect nor expert in every subject or profession. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were?

 

We wouldn’t need to call the plumber, pay big bucks to the auto mechanic, or whine to our tech guy when the &*%$#! computer graces us with a blank screen.

Nope, we could do it all by ourselves if we were just that smart. However, we are not. Some geniuses get closer to perfection than most of us, but know-it-alls often can’t master a can opener.

That’s also how I feel when it comes to politics. Unless you’re firmly entrenched in its wretched depths, you are a used, abused, confused member of the laity … join the crowd.

LAITY (lāʹi tē) n.– 1) all the people not included among the clergy; laymen collectively; 2) all the people not belonging to a given profession. [WW #56]

Laity, once considered the “silent majority,” were dealt with by those “in the know” as they would an ignorant child. Generally ignored and summarily dismissed with a wave of an arrogant hand.

This year, however, it is quite apparent that the silent majority is tired of standing in a corner, waiting for a few scraps of dignity to be thrown their way. The laity of American politics is silent no more. (But there is more ...)

Wordplay Wednesday™ April 13, 2016 – CAVIL protestor

The lady doth protest too much, methinks …

Well now, the ol’ quote from Hamlet (Shakespeare play) could be attributed to a good many people in the news these days.

"I did not email any classified materials." Apparently we’re just overly caviling when it comes to national security.

CAVIL (kavʹɘl) – vi., to object when there is little reason to do so; resort to trivial faultfinding; carp; quibble; n. a trivial objection; quibble. [WW #55]

We can also attribute this seldom used word to the many protestors at ALL of the political events. Get a life and go home to ponder your role in the overall scheme of things. Petty name-calling and caviling, often leading to unnecessary violence, serves no purpose.

Politics aside, it’s easy to spot a lame excuse or unnecessarily petty person … in the workplace, in a relationship, in social media. The difficulty is spotting the caviler in yourself.

Cheers to your day!

Word of the Week: CAVIL. Can you fit it into your next writing?  

'Til next time ... have a wonderful "wordful" week …

                       

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

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Wordplay Wednesday™ April 6, 2016 – CRAW-stuck

Let’s play Throwback Thursday Words!

Since I missed Wordplay WEDNESDAY – I’m going today, for a Throwback Thursday word.

Who remembers when something you saw or heard became stuck in your … nope, not mind … 

CRAW (krô) n. – 1) the crop of a bird or insect; 2) the stomach of any animal – to stick in the (or someone’s) craw, to be unacceptable or displeasing to someone. [WW #54]

Growing up in the country lends itself to a different type of colorful vocabulary than one learns in school, or the cities – especially when that growing up took place in mid-twentieth century America.

Rurally speaking, most everything once (now, not so much) revolved around animals – their importance to country life went far beyond providing meat for dinner – their survival and “happiness” were paramount to ours.

So we took notice when something was stuck in their craw. It could have been life threatening – before they were fat enough to make the centerpiece of Sunday’s dinner – or often as not, become your lifelong friend.

While the phrase in relation to people isn’t so dire, it is definitely irritating and undesirable to have something stuck in your craw.

My grandfather used the word fairly often while my father’s generation applied the analogy to someone who has a stick up their …. well, you know that phrase.

However you say it, adapting comparisons of animals to humans often makes for graphic and amusing colloquialisms, don’t you think?

Word of the Week: CRAW. Can you fit it into your next writing?  

'Til next time ... have a wonderful "wordful" week …

                       

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

Facebook

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