words

Wordy Wednesday

~ my word (s) ~ 7 Comments

Whether you love or hate sport, you’d be hard pressed not to have noticed that both Wimbledon and the football World Cup are currently playing. With that in mind, I have two words this week.

In tennis, the word love relates not to romantic love but a score of zero – she was 15-love down. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the origin comes from play for love, that is for the love of the game. Folk etymology also links the word with the French, l’oeuf, referring to a similarity in shape to an egg and a zero.

Moving on to football, I do enjoy seeing all the strips from different countries playing in The World Cup. This made me wonder why it’s called a strip, meaning the identifying kit worn by members of a sports team. The Oxford English Dictionary says this possibly comes from the idea of the clothes that players strip down to.

Ready to watch the football

Did you know that, in my children’s book, The Clocker, the main character makes up his own words? My Books

Sum up Sunday

~ my word (s) ~ 11 Comments

How has your week been? I’d be pleased to hear your sum-up – in 25 words or less. Here’s mine:

A gentle breeze

A kiss of rain

Harsh heat dispersed

Cuddle cute cats

Sing along with

The Jersey Boys

A night at the theatre: Jersey Boys

Wordy Wednesday

~ my word (s) ~ 7 Comments

I was on the bus recently (great place to pick up story ideas) and the two people behind me were chatting about a man they both knew. They were speculating as to whether he was ever going to find a partner.

“I wouldn’t ask, if I were you,” one said. “He takes umbrage at personal questions, that one.”

I smiled as they got off the bus, thinking there’s my next Wordy Wednesday.

To take umbrage means to be upset or offended by something someone says or does. I hadn’t thought about the meaning as it relates to providing shade, coming from the Old French umbrage. This in turn is from the Latin umbrâticus, which relates to shade – umbra shade. (Collins Dictionary)

Amazing what comes from a trip on the bus.

Sum up Sunday

~ my word (s) ~ 11 Comments

How’s your week been? I’d love to hear your ‘sum ups’ in 25 or less words.

My week:

Volunteer – busy morning

Hospital – pre-cataract

Hairdresser – hair cut

Friends – stroll and lunch

Lawn – mown

Hot, hot, hot

And breathe (try to!)

A trip to the hairdresser

Sum up Sunday

~ my word (s) ~ 8 Comments

Sunday is here and it’s time to sum up my week in 25 words or less. I look forward to reading your ‘sum-ups’ too.

Here goes:

Hospital, meds delivery

Going here and there

All disjointed

See old friends, eat and laugh

Back to writing

My (mostly) happy place

Laughing with friends

Flaunt it Friday

~ my word (s) ~ 5 Comments

I’ve felt a bit discombobulated this week, maybe returning home after a relaxing holiday or, perhaps, just one of those odd weeks.

I’ve been trying to sort out, since Wordy Wednesday, why my image playground has disappeared. Had lots of helpful suggestions but nothing has worked.

As for Flaunt it Friday, I’ve made it through. Sometimes that’s it and, after all, a nice pot of tea always helps!

Wordy Wednesday

~ my word (s) ~ 17 Comments

For today’s word, I decided to open a page of The New Oxford Dictionary of English and look for a word I’d never heard of before. On my quick scan of the pages from Madeira to magic lantern, I found the word ‘madrilene’. Spell check attempted to push me toward mandrill and mad riding; I held my ground.

Madrilene is, I discovered, a clear soup that is usually served cold. It comes from the French ‘consommé à la madrilene’ – the literal translation being ‘soup in the Madrid style’.

As the saying goes, you learn something new every day.

Have you any words to share? I’d love to hear from you.

I’ve (hopefully temporarily) lost image playground for my usual images – apologies and grr!

Clear soup

Flaunt it Friday

~ my word (s) ~ 10 Comments

I was chuffed, on Wednesday evening at my writing group, to be asked to read the piece I’d written. It was also wonderful to have encouragement to submit the piece to Best of British magazine, which I’m going to do.

The prompt for this month’s session was music and it was great to see the many ways group members had interpreted it. We had poems, short stories and memoir pieces. An uplifting evening.

A writing prompt about music

Wordy Wednesday

~ my word (s) ~ 7 Comments

It’s been a very hot few days here so, for today’s word, I’m turning to The Doric. This is the dialect spoken in the North East of Scotland. My dad was originally from Aberdeen so many Doric words are familiar to me.

I’ve heard the phrases, ‘ower hot’ meaning too hot and ‘bilein hot, meaning boiling hot. Glancing through Doric for Beginners by Karen Barrett-Ayres, I found a word I’d never heard of to describe the heat. ‘Plottin’ means unusually hot, which it’s certainly been this week. On the news last night, one of the presenters reminded us it’s still spring, not summer.

What words do you use to describe hot weather? I look forward to hearing from you.