Word of the Day Wednesday, March 31, 2010
bedizen
\bih-DY-zuhn\ , transitive verb;
1. To dress or adorn in gaudy manner.
It was one of the most extravagant events Evalina had ever been to. Certainly not gaudy, but clearly every single retail had been attended to with exquisite care. The large flower arrangements were breath-taking. The table settings elegant. The open bar impressive. A jazz quartet plinked away in the corner of the room at a conversationally friendly volume, and Evalina slowly made her way around the room enjoying the sweeping city skyline.
"Lina? Is that you?" a loud voice exclaimed behind her. Evalina turned at the sound of her childhood nickname, and was greeted with the dimpled cheeks of her cousin Bethany.
"Beth! I didn't know you were coming to this! How nice to see you," Evalina told her, trying to make her smile appear genuine.
Truth be told, Bethany was her least favorite cousin. Loud-mouthed and opinionated with no tact and very few personal boundaries, Bethany was, challenging.
"So, what do you think of this shindig?" she asked loudly.
"They did a beautiful job, I'm enjoying myself very much," Evalina replied helping herself to some of the hors d'oeuvres the wait staff was milling around with.
"Those look pretty, but they taste like horse crap," Bethany added loudly right as Evalina had positioned the cracker in front of her mouth. She took a bit anyway. Oh my God, she thought, this has a sliver of truffle on it. She briefly closed her eyes to savor the taste.
"I know what you mean. I had to close my eyes to choke that down too," Bethany remarked.
Evalina smiled falsely at her, "So, Bethany, where did you find that brilliantly bedizened dress?"
"What? No, this wasn't BeDazzled. I only WISH I had a BeDazzler! If I had I would have just gussied up one of my own dresses instead of spending so much money at Saks Fifth Avenue. I don't know where I'll wear this thing again, but you know, I didn't want to stand out or anything at the Big Party."
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Popinjay
Word of the Day Tuesday, March 30, 2010
popinjay
\POP-in-jay\ , noun;
1. A vain and talkative person.
"Fucking asshole, narcissist, popinjay, self-deluded, prick," she chanted under her breath. She wrung the steering whet pretending it was his neck.
"Piece of shit, rat-bastard," she continued.
The next morning, after she had had a night to cool off, she had been able to be more reasonable about the whole situation. It really wasn't his fault, she was shooting the messenger. Well, the arrogant messenger. But in her defense, she truly had been devastated to find out that Ricky Martin was gay.
popinjay
\POP-in-jay\ , noun;
1. A vain and talkative person.
"Fucking asshole, narcissist, popinjay, self-deluded, prick," she chanted under her breath. She wrung the steering whet pretending it was his neck.
"Piece of shit, rat-bastard," she continued.
The next morning, after she had had a night to cool off, she had been able to be more reasonable about the whole situation. It really wasn't his fault, she was shooting the messenger. Well, the arrogant messenger. But in her defense, she truly had been devastated to find out that Ricky Martin was gay.
Neophyte
Word of the Day Monday, March 29, 2010
neophyte
\NEE-uh-fyt\ , noun;
1. A new convert or proselyte.
2. A novice; a beginner in anything.
Elliot slid into an empty seat and fiddled with her pad of paper and pencil. She was always early to everything. A trait that drove almost everyone she knew a little bonkers.
Absentmindedly she started sketching a pile of boxes lying in the middle of the room. Slowly more students started to filter into the room. She looked up and smiled at them. They all looked so young and artsy. Fresh out of high school. Well, duh, she thought to herself. They probably are fresh out of high school.
She felt ancient at age 25. The ancient neophyte university student.
It suited her though.
Packing up her belongings from her mouther's house had been particularly satisfying. Her mother had been so excited when she had mentioned she was applying to colleges. No doubt she had been hoping Elliot would follow in her brother's footsteps and grace the family with another doctor. Her face had actually fallen in disappointment when Elliot had gleefully announced her acceptance to the Art Institute of Chicago.
"Mom, do you even realize how prestigious that school is?" she had asked incredulously. "Well, it isn't Juilliard now, is it? had been her mother's nasty reply.
Elliot continued doodling the boxes. The boy sitting next to her leaned over, "Are you working on the assignment?" he asked earnestly, a slight look of apprehension coloring his face.
"No, I was just the first person in here and didn't know what else to do with myself," she replied with a smile. He smiled back briefly.
Yes, Elliot thought, this was the right place for her. Africa would have been an excuse, following someone else's dream. She had floundered for years in the mucky expectations of other people's dreams. She was finally following the path she knew in her heart, just like the geese heading back north, was the one she should be following.
neophyte
\NEE-uh-fyt\ , noun;
1. A new convert or proselyte.
2. A novice; a beginner in anything.
Elliot slid into an empty seat and fiddled with her pad of paper and pencil. She was always early to everything. A trait that drove almost everyone she knew a little bonkers.
Absentmindedly she started sketching a pile of boxes lying in the middle of the room. Slowly more students started to filter into the room. She looked up and smiled at them. They all looked so young and artsy. Fresh out of high school. Well, duh, she thought to herself. They probably are fresh out of high school.
She felt ancient at age 25. The ancient neophyte university student.
It suited her though.
Packing up her belongings from her mouther's house had been particularly satisfying. Her mother had been so excited when she had mentioned she was applying to colleges. No doubt she had been hoping Elliot would follow in her brother's footsteps and grace the family with another doctor. Her face had actually fallen in disappointment when Elliot had gleefully announced her acceptance to the Art Institute of Chicago.
"Mom, do you even realize how prestigious that school is?" she had asked incredulously. "Well, it isn't Juilliard now, is it? had been her mother's nasty reply.
Elliot continued doodling the boxes. The boy sitting next to her leaned over, "Are you working on the assignment?" he asked earnestly, a slight look of apprehension coloring his face.
"No, I was just the first person in here and didn't know what else to do with myself," she replied with a smile. He smiled back briefly.
Yes, Elliot thought, this was the right place for her. Africa would have been an excuse, following someone else's dream. She had floundered for years in the mucky expectations of other people's dreams. She was finally following the path she knew in her heart, just like the geese heading back north, was the one she should be following.
Portentous
Word of the Day Sunday, March 28, 2010
portentous
\por-TEN-tus\ , adjective;
1. Foreboding; foreshadowing, especially foreshadowing ill; ominous.
2. Marvelous; prodigious; wonderful; as, a beast of portentous size.
3. Pompous.
She leaned on her shovel for a moment, in between moving piles of ravel, and looked up at the sky. Dark purple, portentous clouds were moving towards them from the southwest.
She wiped her brow and scooped up a shovel full of gravel as her dad came around the corner with the wheel barrow. They would just keep working until that rain cloud broke. Luckily it appeared it would happen any moment now.
portentous
\por-TEN-tus\ , adjective;
1. Foreboding; foreshadowing, especially foreshadowing ill; ominous.
2. Marvelous; prodigious; wonderful; as, a beast of portentous size.
3. Pompous.
She leaned on her shovel for a moment, in between moving piles of ravel, and looked up at the sky. Dark purple, portentous clouds were moving towards them from the southwest.
She wiped her brow and scooped up a shovel full of gravel as her dad came around the corner with the wheel barrow. They would just keep working until that rain cloud broke. Luckily it appeared it would happen any moment now.
Sylvan
Word of the Day Saturday, March 27, 2010
sylvan
\SIL-vuhn\ , adjective;
1. Of or pertaining to woods or forest regions.
2. Living or located in a wood or forest.
3. Abounding in forests or trees; wooded.
noun:
1. A fabled deity or spirit of the woods.
2. One that lives in or frequents the woods or forest; a rustic.
"You are aware of the abundance of female attention that is directed towards you, right?" she asked.
An easy smile broke out on his face, "Well, yeah," he replied.
"Good. I'd hate to see all that effort wasted on an oblivious male," she teased.
He looked at her for a long moment, "Does it bother you?" he asked.
"Yes and no," she answered glancing around the secluded, sylvan cottage they had rented for a weekend get-away. Their first weekend out of town together. "I mean, it represents all the other choices you have. And lord knows you have choices. I have found a piece of happiness with you and all that choice means that someday you might change your mind about spending time with me. But really that doesn't matter so much," she continued.
"Really? How can that not matter? The idea of losing a piece of happiness?" he asked, a frown mark deepening between his brows.
"Because, it exists, and it can't be changed. We already experienced that happiness and we can't undo it. So we can't loose it either. We can choose to make more happiness together, or we can choose to make happiness without one another," she said simply.
"I like that. That you can't loose any of your happiness. Although it seems rather Pollyanna-ish. Are you really able to choose happiness in all the moments of your life?" he asked seriously.
"If you are asking if I'm always happy, the answer is no. At one point in my life I had literally lost everything I cared about. That meant anything to me. That is a dark place to be. It took me a long time to decide to build my life back up around the beliefs that truly mattered to me."
"So, you try to enjoy every moment," he replied, his beautiful chin nestled into his palm.
"It is more than that. It is more like I try to have the moment I'm experiencing now be the most important thing. Not to let my uncertainly of the future, or the darkness of my past affect my enjoyment of today," she said.
"That sounds almost spiritual," he murmured.
She shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not. All I know is that sultry brunette that was at dinner the other night? The one with the double D's bursting out of her dress? She may entice you later, or she may not. I'm just not going to make myself unhappy worrying about it. Especially now worry about it enough to ruin the enjoyment of that roast duck and amazing bottle of wine that we had."
"Wow, double D's?" he asked grabbing her foot and pulling her across the sheets, "And you didn't even point them out to me? I would have gotten enjoyment out of that," he murmured.
"Eh, they were fake, totally not your style," she murmured back against his lips.
sylvan
\SIL-vuhn\ , adjective;
1. Of or pertaining to woods or forest regions.
2. Living or located in a wood or forest.
3. Abounding in forests or trees; wooded.
noun:
1. A fabled deity or spirit of the woods.
2. One that lives in or frequents the woods or forest; a rustic.
"You are aware of the abundance of female attention that is directed towards you, right?" she asked.
An easy smile broke out on his face, "Well, yeah," he replied.
"Good. I'd hate to see all that effort wasted on an oblivious male," she teased.
He looked at her for a long moment, "Does it bother you?" he asked.
"Yes and no," she answered glancing around the secluded, sylvan cottage they had rented for a weekend get-away. Their first weekend out of town together. "I mean, it represents all the other choices you have. And lord knows you have choices. I have found a piece of happiness with you and all that choice means that someday you might change your mind about spending time with me. But really that doesn't matter so much," she continued.
"Really? How can that not matter? The idea of losing a piece of happiness?" he asked, a frown mark deepening between his brows.
"Because, it exists, and it can't be changed. We already experienced that happiness and we can't undo it. So we can't loose it either. We can choose to make more happiness together, or we can choose to make happiness without one another," she said simply.
"I like that. That you can't loose any of your happiness. Although it seems rather Pollyanna-ish. Are you really able to choose happiness in all the moments of your life?" he asked seriously.
"If you are asking if I'm always happy, the answer is no. At one point in my life I had literally lost everything I cared about. That meant anything to me. That is a dark place to be. It took me a long time to decide to build my life back up around the beliefs that truly mattered to me."
"So, you try to enjoy every moment," he replied, his beautiful chin nestled into his palm.
"It is more than that. It is more like I try to have the moment I'm experiencing now be the most important thing. Not to let my uncertainly of the future, or the darkness of my past affect my enjoyment of today," she said.
"That sounds almost spiritual," he murmured.
She shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not. All I know is that sultry brunette that was at dinner the other night? The one with the double D's bursting out of her dress? She may entice you later, or she may not. I'm just not going to make myself unhappy worrying about it. Especially now worry about it enough to ruin the enjoyment of that roast duck and amazing bottle of wine that we had."
"Wow, double D's?" he asked grabbing her foot and pulling her across the sheets, "And you didn't even point them out to me? I would have gotten enjoyment out of that," he murmured.
"Eh, they were fake, totally not your style," she murmured back against his lips.
Impecunious
Word of the Day Friday, March 26, 2010
impecunious
\im-pih-KYOO-nee-uhs\ , adjective;
1. Not having money; habitually without money; poor.
Joshua sighed and pulled his electric razor out. It was ridiculous, shaving twice a day, but it was necessary.
The women he wanted to date were already out of his league. The last thing he needed was to hand them an easy excuse to turn him down. Swarthy is a good look on a pirate. Not on a dentist.
Luckily, he would be the good looking one tonight. Ever since Jack had started dating Bridgette, Joshua had been left without a wing-man. Of course, with Jack around all he got was the left overs. Women flocked to Jack like ants to sugar. You could almost see their antenna quivering when he entered a room.
But never mind that, he thought, Jack was off the market, and he was going out with Emmett. The perpetually impecunious bachelor. Famously attractive and equally stingy. He was the perfect wing-man. All the best looking women were glancing their way, but inevitably Emmett would start diving up the bill, a major social faux pas with high maintenance women.
It was at that point that Joshua would swoop in, pick up the tab and his clean shaven, if a little weak, jawline would look a lot more attractive.
impecunious
\im-pih-KYOO-nee-uhs\ , adjective;
1. Not having money; habitually without money; poor.
Joshua sighed and pulled his electric razor out. It was ridiculous, shaving twice a day, but it was necessary.
The women he wanted to date were already out of his league. The last thing he needed was to hand them an easy excuse to turn him down. Swarthy is a good look on a pirate. Not on a dentist.
Luckily, he would be the good looking one tonight. Ever since Jack had started dating Bridgette, Joshua had been left without a wing-man. Of course, with Jack around all he got was the left overs. Women flocked to Jack like ants to sugar. You could almost see their antenna quivering when he entered a room.
But never mind that, he thought, Jack was off the market, and he was going out with Emmett. The perpetually impecunious bachelor. Famously attractive and equally stingy. He was the perfect wing-man. All the best looking women were glancing their way, but inevitably Emmett would start diving up the bill, a major social faux pas with high maintenance women.
It was at that point that Joshua would swoop in, pick up the tab and his clean shaven, if a little weak, jawline would look a lot more attractive.
Lucre
Sheesh...was I kidnapped by pirates asking for ransom? Did I fall into my outhouse only to be saved by the Do-gooder neighbor dog 8 days later? Was I in a Vicodin haze?
One will forever wonder.....
Word of the Day Thursday, March 25, 2010
lucre
\LOO-kuhr\ , noun;
1. Monetary gain; profit; riches; money; -- often in a bad sense.
He sat with his chin prompted up in his hand idly staring out the window. He appeared to be nothing more than a bored high school senior willing the remaining minutes of Biology class to melt away. He was actually spending down his new found lucre. The revenge plans were, of course, out. High school security was tighter than a nun's ass these days. Which left women or booze. Or perhaps, women and booze.
No one notice as he raised his eyebrows with self congratulatory smugness at his own brilliance.
One will forever wonder.....
Word of the Day Thursday, March 25, 2010
lucre
\LOO-kuhr\ , noun;
1. Monetary gain; profit; riches; money; -- often in a bad sense.
He sat with his chin prompted up in his hand idly staring out the window. He appeared to be nothing more than a bored high school senior willing the remaining minutes of Biology class to melt away. He was actually spending down his new found lucre. The revenge plans were, of course, out. High school security was tighter than a nun's ass these days. Which left women or booze. Or perhaps, women and booze.
No one notice as he raised his eyebrows with self congratulatory smugness at his own brilliance.
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