Wordplay Wednesday™ June 17, 2015 – AZO-what?

Ever have a day when you feel like a barren wasteland, devoid of internal resources – lifeless? You have just entered an AZOIC zone. (California drought, anyone?)

AZOIC – adj. 1) without any life (an azoic ecological zone); 2) designating or of the earliest part of the Archean Eon, when there was no life on earth [the ultimate Peace on Earth, right?]

Though still used minimally as a geologic description for the age of rocks formed before life popped up, it lost favor before the 1950s to “Archean,” or “Archaeozic,” proving its azoic worth, I guess.

Now you can say you learned something new today and you have a great “Z” word to amaze your opponents in word games.

Read on for a few lively quotes about how education, books, and spelling affects lives:

Wordplay Wednesday™ June 10, 2015 – Fetch, MARLY!

Some words just make you want to slam the laptop shut, grab a beer and go play with the dog … or whatever outdoor activity you prefer … that goes with beer.

So let’s seize the day with a brew and watch MARLY fetch! Um, well, not exactly. 

 

Actually, MARLY is just a lazy clump of clay. It won’t charge after the ball no matter how many times you yell, “Get the ball, MARLY, get the ball!”

MARL(Y): n. (adj.) soft, crumbly mixture of clay, sand, and limestone in varying proportions, typically containing shell fragments [and you thought it was just a cute dog name].

It’s often useful, I learned, to fertilize soils low in lime. OK … that sounds like MARLY-the-dog behavior.

If you don’t want to be confused as to which one to throw the ball for, the lump of clay or lump of fur, try one of these other popular dog names on for size … Giggles (teehee) … Bozo (had a dog once that should have had that name) … how about Porkchop? Now I’m just hungry. See all 20 funniest dog names for 2015.

'Til next time ... have a "wordful" week!

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

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Wordplay Wednesday™ June 3, 2015 – Irish 2-fer for Belfast Book Fest

It’s a 2-fer Wordplay Wednesday!

Since my primary online screen name, from the beginning of computer time, has been Irishwriter, I couldn’t help but celebrate next week’s Belfast Book Festival.

No, I have not had the good fortune to travel to the land of my ancestors … someday will come … if only in my dreams. But that has not stopped me from a healthy interest in Ireland and its many attributes, including its wonderful, lilting language and some of the best writers in the world.

This week’s Wordplay Wednesday celebrates Ireland’s contributions to our language with a 2-fer! A trip to Ireland for a 1) writing event, would of course, include 2) a wee bit o’ the Irish Whiskey …

1) poteen (Ireland; from póitín) – n. illicitly distilled whiskey [let’s call it what it is … hooch, bootleg] AND, where would you drink poteen? Why, here of course …

Swamped? Breathe … on Wordplay Wednesday™ May 27, 2015

Ahhhhh, breathe in the pure oxygen released by your ELODEA.

Oh, don’t have an aquarium with its green leaves swirling in the water for your fish – which are frantically trying to hide behind it from the pesky kid who keeps tapping the glass?

No matter – just head out to your nearest swamp to get the same effect on steroids (so to speak). Wellllll not exactly …

ELODEA – n. a swamp; any of a genus of submerged water plants of the frog’s-bit family w/whorls of short grass-like leaves – often used in aquariums as it releases large amounts of oxygen.

Have any grade-schoolers at home? Elodea is great for science experiments, too! Create a laboratory demonstration and document its cellular activities. A+!

However, there’s a dark side to the innocently swaying greenery …

Shrewing around on Wordplay Wednesday™ May 20, 2015

Shrewing around on Wordplay Wednesday™ May 20, 2015

Flushed with anger, eyes blazing like a crazed banshee, I lashed out with all the venom my virulent mind could concoct.

Yes. I admit. I have been called a shrew …but I know a more sedate and softer word for my inner Katherina …

VIRAGO – n. 1) quarrelsome, shrewish woman; 2) (archaic) strong, manlike woman; amazon

Vi-rah-go … doesn’t that sound better than the short and obdurate shrew? However, I discovered while researching that Webster’s Dictionary (College/print, 5^th Edition) and Wikipedia have decidedly disparate first definitions of the word. See what I mean ...