1. indurate — to harden; to make callous; to inure Yet this same experience which had left me an unrepentant criminal had not indurated Wilfred’s heart and soul. 2. parterre — ornamental flower beds; rear section of main floor in an auditorium All these delectable vegetables were surrounded by rows of shrubbery, beyond which …
Author Archives: mysterious6030
Friday Vocabulary
1. doolally — [informal British] out of one’s head, temporarily non compos mentis “You see, George went a bit doolally after losing last night, and he’s burnt the whole game, box and all.” 2. thurifer — acolyte carrying the thurible We first began to suspect that something was wrong with the thurifer when the …
Friday Vocabulary
1. screw — small amount (of a product) wrapped in a twist of paper; such a twist of paper In the ragamuffin’s pocket (the one without the hole in it) were only two tarnished farthings, a screw of tobacco, and a piece of rough twine. 2. univocal — having only a single meaning, unambiguous …
Friday Vocabulary
1. heliograph — signaling device using mirrors to reflect flashes of sunlight; instrument for taking pictures of the sun The gang hid out in this canyon fastness after each robbery, secure from the sheriff’s searchers, until Old Kentuck would signal them by heliograph that the coast was clear. 2. rootle — to dig with …
700 Books
Late yesterday morning I finished reading the 700th book since beginning to track such things way back in the middle of 2015, back in the Before Time before the latest Before Time. The book in question was the delighting collection of surrealist poetry and prose, The Milk Bowl of Feathers: Essential Surrealist Writings. Edited by …
Briefly Noted
Yesterday At 11:50 AM While doing taxes I finished reading my 700th book And the closing Tzara poem Could not make me forget Soupault’s Georgia (written today)
Friday Vocabulary
1. murrey — purple-red Somehow the murrey lining made the black hood even darker. 2. dobbin — ordinary farm horse The county fair has everything you might want, from fancy pickles to thrilling fancies, and if you want to take a flier on the dobbins, well, we’ve got that too. 3. matriculate — …
Friday Vocabulary
1. artemon — square sail on a sharply steeved spar at the bow of ancient Roman or Greek merchant vessels and ships Runners were sent forward to furl the artemon so that the master would have clear sight lines as the enemy ships rushed towards our prow. 2. vaward — [archaic] forefront; vanguard The …
Friday Vocabulary
1. maunder — to mumble, to talk idly, foolishly, or to no real purpose; to move about aimlessly The poorly shaven hobo took another pull from the bottle and maundered more words about the family he once had, the son who had once been so proud of his father. 2. termagant — violent ill-tempered …
Friday Vocabulary
1. longanimity — patient suffering, forbearance Still, his mother showed such great longanimity during his endless travails that all the neighbors wondered that such a saint had borne such a son. 2. recondite — abstruse, uncommonly profound; little known, obscure Though I spent several years waiting upon the professor, hearkening to his every word, …