Today I read a book, tried to do some drawing, then fulfilled the prophecy in Oliver Burkeman's At best, we're on Earth for around 4,000 weeks - so why do we lose so much time to online distraction?
The book was Reading The Oxford English Dictionary: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages by Ammon Shea.
In it, he reveals many delicious words unearthed during his epic quest to read the OED in its entirety, provides a little lexographical background, and explains how it felt to slog your way through all twenty volumes (spoiler: headachey).
It would be rude of me, a kindred spirit, not to share my favourite words from each chapter:
APRICITY - the warmth of the sun in winter
BALTER - to dance clumsily
CONSTULT - to act stupidly together
DIEPNOPHOBIA - fear of dinner parties
EUMORPHOUS - well-formed in a pleasing way
FINIFUGAL - shunning or avoiding endings
GOVE - to stare stupidly
HAMARTIA - the flaw that precipitates the destruction of a tragic hero
IMPLUVIOUS - wet with rain
JENTACULAR - of or pertaining to breakfast
KECK - to make a sound like you are about to vomit
LETABUND - filled with joy
MUMPISH - sullenly angry
NATIFORM - buttock-shaped
OPSIMATH - one who starts learning late in life
PHILODOX - a person in love with their own opinions
QUISQUILIOUS - having the nature of trash or rubbish
RAPIN - an unruly art student
SOLIVAGANT - a person who wanders about on their own
TARDILOQUENT - talking slowly
UMBRIPHILOUS - loving shade
VELLEITY - wishing for something without taking steps to achieve it
WONDERCLOUT - something showy but worthless
XENIUM - a gift given to a guest
YEPSEN - what can be held in your cupped hands; your cupped hands
ZUGZWANG - [chess] unable to move without disadvantaging yourself
Honourable mention too for PAVONISE (to act like a peacock) and PERISTERONIC (suggestive of pigeons).
I also loved these time words:
HESTERNAL - of or relating to yesterday
NUDIUSTERTIAN - of or relating to the day before yesterday
OVERMORROW - the day after tomorrow
POSTRIDUAN - done the next day
SESQUIHORAL - lasting 90 minutes
YESTERMORN - yesterday morning
YESTERNEVE - yesterday evening
As an anonymuncule, ploitering through life, who keeps a jocoserious blog, and is sometimes forplaint, usually latibulating in her lectory, and always heterophemising, the book was very enjoyable, although I wondered if there is a word for an author of non-fiction inadvertantly revealing enough of his personality to make you feel a little bit sorry for his girlfriend.
I just had a bouffage, by the way.
The drawing was a response to a set of drawing prompts from my friend Charlie. His suggestions:
1. Hair
2. The back of your head
3. A miniature
4. A horse
5. The air in a balloon
6. A blank sheet of paper
7. The shadow of a lit-up lightbulb
8. A sneeze
Well, I had a go, but need to publicly state that nobody in the whole world can draw a horse. Furthermore, the drawing of horses should be illegal.
(I'll have another go tomorrow.)
Forgot to pick up the camera today except to take a snap of the thing I bought from a charity shop yesterday (or should I say, my hesternal purchase *twirls moustache*).
I have no idea what it is - possibly a paperweight? - but it's shiny, and very eumorphous.
Today's Photo: Shine Bright Like A Diamond
PS If further proof is needed that nobody in the whole world can draw horses, I present this panel from the replica Bayeux Tapestry in Reading Museum:
I rest my case.
(Mine wasn't even as good as that.)
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