Zeitgeist – Wordplay Wednesday™ 07/01/2020

End of Alphabet Marks End of Eras

The beginning of this new decade surely gives cause to worry about its place in history and its …

ZEITGEIST (ʹtsīt-_,gīst) n. – the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era. [WW #275]

A zeitgeist isn't just any old group of years. It needs a certain spirit or character that makes it historically notable.

The zeitgeist of which the dictionary speaks, does not register the physical or monetary state of an era. Yet, so much of our current zeitgeist (as it surely shall be known) is a bi-product of the pandemic and its deleterious personal health and financial effects on our “intellectual, moral, and cultural climate.”

Taken as a whole, today’s zeitgeist may be an anomaly for this century; however, the 1970s of the 20^th century set the precedence in recent history. Perhaps minus the global pandemic … but there were plenty of ills to be avoided 50 years ago, as well.

Though fortunately not on the level of the 2020 pandemic, in 1970s America, everyone still learned of and worried about the swine flu and Legionnaire’s Disease. No other decade before us, however, has experienced a zeitgeist quite like ours. Why?

We’re the first to worry out loud … over and over … with anger and rancor … and blame everyone …with fake stats or real … vehemently and with quiet, insidious malice … in social media and podcasts.

Those who play the blame game will eventually fade into the fog of this zeitgeist era, while those who look toward the future to resolve problems without blame, will live on long after death.

What will the rest of this exceptional decade’s zeitgeist hold? Depends if the blamers or the futurists dominate. We can’t change history, but we have the power to shape a future that will become our history. What do we want it to be? Me … I’m looking ahead, how about you?

So authors, are you writing a book or short story of an era that zeitgeist could define? Or perhaps ready to wow your friends with an updated vocabulary in your first social distancing party. Write on …

Word Challenge: ZEITGEIST. Consider with broad strokes, the encompassing background of your story, as you fit zeitgeist into your week of panoramic writings and clever conversations.

Learning knows no prejudices or boundaries, and it isn’t fattening! Expanding your mind is a no-cost, simple joy. Do you feel that way too? What’s your inspiration? Share your creative genius and Wordplay Wednesday comments below.

Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle) 

Cheers to learning a new word today!

@PenchantForPen
@Irishwriter

[LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and an author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published two books in her Blast from Your Past series (of three) about pioneering R&R Radio DJs. True behind-the-mic tales make GREAT Holiday and anytime Gifts available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon … The Psychedelic Seventies!]

*Note: 1) Dictionary definitions are quoted from Webster’s New World College Dictionary. Yes, we sometimes present them out of “official” context—but that’s half the fun! Think of it as “creative context.” 2) Neither I (LinDee Rochelle) nor Penchant for Penning are responsible for how you use information found here, that may result in legal action.

E-N-Dzzzzzzzz  

 

Quire – Wordplay Wednesday™ 06/24/2020

Useless Is as Useless Does …  

Thumbing through the dictionary, I often wonder if all those words are truly necessary. Just think of how much paper we’d save (or digital space and hassle) if duplicate meanings and superfluous syntax were deleted …

QUIRE (kwīr) n. – a set of 24 or 25 sheets of paper of the same size and stock, the twentieth part of a ream. [WW #274]

Now, this likely is a word you will never use in prose or casual conversation. In fact, maybe I’m shortsighted, but I don’t see why anyone would care about a quire portion of a ream of paper. Except, perhaps, someone in the publishing or paper manufacturing industries. So if that’s where your novel is set, have at it!  

Beyond that, besides being the archaic spelling of choir, quire is particularly popular in Scrabble and Words With Friends—great points! Just thought you might be curious as to how it might fit into your life in a more … ahem … cerebral manner.

I finally broke down and bought the current—Eleventh Edition—of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, just so I can be on top of things for you! The paper is thinner (more quires to count), which rather makes it difficult to read, as you can almost see through to words on the other side of the page. (Thank goodness it came with a one-year subscription to their online unabridged tome.) Nevertheless, it holds my world of words.

Word Challenge: QUIRE. A great word to know if you’re planning to print company stationery or your character is a publisher! Get creative with quire as you consider its usefulness in your week of definitive writings.

Learning knows no prejudices or boundaries, and it isn’t fattening! Expanding your mind is a no-cost, simple joy. Do you feel that way too? What’s your inspiration? Share your creative genius and Wordplay Wednesday comments below.

Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle) 

Cheers to learning a new word today!

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

[LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and an author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published two books in her Blast from Your Past series (of three) about pioneering R&R Radio DJs. True behind-the-mic tales make GREAT Holiday and anytime Gifts available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon … The Psychedelic Seventies!]

*Note: 1) Dictionary definitions are quoted from Webster’s New World College Dictionary. Yes, we sometimes present them out of “official” context—but that’s half the fun! Think of it as “creative context.” 2) Neither I (LinDee Rochelle) nor Penchant for Penning are responsible for how you use information found here, that may result in legal action.

E-N-Dzzzzzzzz