THUMBS: THE MULTIPURPOSE DIGIT

Posted on May 31, 2022May 31, 2022 by vlaw759

One can live a full, long life without thumbs, but it is/would be mighty inconvenient! Thumbs are hard working digits. They are needed for power moves (lifting and moving weight), for fine motor control of all sorts, and for numerous activities in between. Ancient Romans thought the thumb held sway over the other fingers; in fact, the Latin word for thumb, pollex, may be a derivative of the word for power, pollet. Consider the following common activities:

*The kalimba is played almost entirely with the thumbs.*

Write with a pen or pencil
Put on jewelry
Paint
Put on socks
Open a door with a doorknob
Brush/comb hair
Button a shirt or blouse
Play basketball, baseball, most other ball games
Tie a bow/shoe lace
Tie off a balloon
Play most musical instruments
Tie a knot

*Most important of all – making thumbprint cookies!*

Drink from glass, cup, or mug
Seal a zip-lock bag
Pull up a zipper
Pick up something small from a flat surface
Snap or un-snap a closure
Manipulate chopsticks
Eat with a fork, spoon, or knife
Wield a toothbrush
Open jars/bottles
Use a needle and thread
Etc., etc., etc.

Clearly, thumbs are hard working digits. (You heard it here first!)

But wait! There’s more!

Thumbs for Identification

Everything that applies to fingerprints applies to thumbs. Your prints are set three months before birth.
They are virtually unique. No two are the identical, not for the two thumbs of the same person and not for identical twins.
They are durable over one’s lifetime, making them useful as long-term identifiers of criminals and dead bodies.
- Any injury that goes beneath the outer layers of the skin can affect the thumbprint.
- Thumbprints can be temporarily scarred by cuts, abrasion, acid, or certain skin diseases, but thumbprints lost this way will grow back within a month.
With age, the skin on your thumbs is less elastic and the ridges thicker.

Voters mark ballots with a thumbprint in many countries where large portions of the population don’t read
A thumbprint can be used as a legal signature if the print is done in the presence of a Notary Public and is witnessed by two people who are not affected by the document, who also sign the document.
The Registration Act of 1908 in the Indian state of Maharashtra specified a print of the left thumb.
By custom and convention, the left thumb mark of a man and the right thumb print of a woman are used
Sometimes thumbs alone can be used to access print-controlled locks
- i.e., sorting those who are allowed access from those who are not.

Thumbs for Communication

Professor Albert Mehrabian has estimated that, when a speaker’s verbal and nonverbal communication don’t match, listeners only get a fraction of their information from words. The rest is comprised of paralanguage (tone, speed, “delivery”) and body language: posture, facial expressions, proximity, touch, and gestures. So what are your thumbs saying? It depends on where you are, what you’re doing—and when!

Thumbs Up

Wikipedia has an extensive discussion of the possible origins of the gesture (pre-flight checks, archers testing bow strength, seal business transactions, etc.). Regardless of origin, the meanings are numerous. Here is a not-exhaustive list.

In the U.S., this is generally positive, indicating success, good wishes, agreement, etc.
In the Middle East, it means “up your butt.” Many, perhaps most, Latin Americans consider it offensive, as do people in West Africa, Greece, Russia, Sardinia, southern Italy, Australia, the Philippines, and many Islamic nations.

In Germany and parts of Japan, it simply means the number one.
The hitchhiker’s thumb: thumb out, fingers curled, arm out meaning I want a lift.
A similar gesture made toward a door means get out of here.
When scuba diving, thumbs up means ascend.
Two thumbs up means jump ball in basketball.
In baseball, an umpire’s thumb over the shoulder signals an out.

The A-OK

*Scuba diver signaling that all equipment works during pre-dive checks*

Touching the index finger to the thumb while remaining fingers remain upright.

It’s considered a positive gesture, meaning all okay here in the U.S.
The same gesture means all is well in scuba diving
In Brazil, it’s like giving someone the finger
It’s vulgar in Greece and Turkey and implies that the person receiving the sign is gay
It’s the evil eye in some Middle Eastern countries

Thumbing One’s Nose

Called “cocking a snook” in Britain, thumb your nose by touching your thumb to the tip of your nose, with fingers curled or open and wiggling. This is often accompanied by jeering, crossing eyes, or sticking out the tongue. It is a gesture of ridicule in most of the world.

Eric Ambler in 1938 wrote, “The Rome–Berlin axis…cocked the biggest snook yet at the League of Nations idea” in Cause for Alarm.

Experts (5 year old neighbors) agree that this gesture is most effective when accompanied by chanting, “na-na na-na na-na!”

The Cutis

Put the tip of your thumb in to your lips while the rest of the fingers are straight up (or sometimes curled). Then the the thumb is flicked out while vocalizing “Cutta!” (Screw you!). It’s an insult to the target and to the target’s entire family. The cutis is used mostly in India and Pakistan.

In American Sign Language, this gesture means “mom.”

Bite One’s Thumb

This gesture was famously used by Shakespeare as one of the insults used by Montagues and Capulets in Romeo and Juliet. Italians used the gesture as an insult for centuries before Shakespeare came around. There is some evidence that it had spread to England by the time of Romeo and Juliet’s production, but it was uncommon enough that Shakespeare included an explanation for why it was an insult.

The Fig

Hand is curled into a loose fist with the tip of the thumb sticking out between the index and middle fingers.

In the U.S., Canada, and Australia, this gesture is part of game often played with babies.
In American Sign Language, this is the gesture used for the letter T.
It is insulting in Turkey, Indonesia, Italy, India, and some other Asian countries.
In Ancient Rome, the head of the family would make this sign to fend off evil spirits during the Lemuria Festival.

In the Roman Arena

*Pollice Verso* by French painter Jean-Léon Gérôme (1872)

Myth: In Ancient Rome, a thumbs-down meant the gladiator should die. Wrong! This painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme (above) is most likely responsible for the popularity of this myth. The title means “Turned Thumbs,” a reference to the gesture being made by the crowd.

*The Médaillon de Cavillargues (c 200AD) shows a gladiator referee gesturing with a sideways thumb.*

Fact: Gladiator referees used a variety of gestures and signs to communicate with crowds, and gladiators didn’t often fight to the death. (Training a gladiator was incredibly expensive, and all the trainers, investors, sponsors, coordinators, etc. would have been quite upset if all their hard work was left to bleed out on the Coliseum sand. Death from injury, sepsis, or heatstroke was more common.)

Anthony Corbeill, a Latin professor at UVA, has written a whole book on ancient body language: Nature Embodied: Gesture in Ancient Rome. Hand gestures evolved and changed in meaning throughout the centuries and from place to place, but here are some common Coliseum gestures:

Pollices premere (thumb up) – raising weapons, attack
Pollices verso (turned thumb) – weapons down, submit, begin
- Historians aren’t sure whether this meant turned to the side or turned down
Pollice compresso (pressed thumb) – sheathe weapons, bout over, pause
- This might mean the thumb pressing the other fingers or being pressed by the other fingers
Waving handkerchiefs or shouting

Sign Language

Sign language: a system of communication using visual gestures and signs, typically used by/with deaf people. There are more than 300 different sign languages in use around the world. Almost all of them are highly dependent on thumbs!

Increasingly, educators have adapted sign languages for use by very young children and non-verbal students. Many sign languages can be modified to suit the physical needs of the user, including creating two-handed signs with one hand, adjusting the size or speed of a movement, or changing which fingers are moved. Sometimes, this even includes not using the thumbs at all!

Bottom line: thumbs are incredibly important and deserve more attention and appreciation that they usually are granted!

HOW CLEAN IS CLEAN ENOUGH?

Posted on May 24, 2022May 24, 2022 by vlaw759

Balneological custom depends on when you live, where you live, how long you live, what you do for a living, and the seasons!

When You Live(d)

*The Kumbh Mela is a Hindu festival that includes ritual river bathing.*

If you lived in ancient India, you likely engaged in elaborate practices for personal hygiene with three daily baths and washing. These are recorded in the grihya sutras, covering domestic rituals and are still in practice today in some communities.

If you lived in China during the Chou Dynasty, you likely bathed outside, weather permitting. However, if you lived in a Chinese city during the Song Dynasty, you were likely to wash your hands and face before eating and to visit a public bathhouse several times a week.

Infant Buddha bathing
From Gandhara (circa 2nd century)

If you were a Buddhist monk in ancient Vietnam or Laos, you would have bathed frequently, sometimes daily, for religious reasons. However, if you were a Benedictine monk at Westminster Abbey, you would have been required to bathe only four times a year: on Easter, at the end of June, at the end of September, and on Christmas, according to monastic rules (though the Abbey employed a bath attendant year-round).

*A German knight bathing*
*From the Manesse Codex, circa 1300*

If you lived in Europe during the early part of the Middle Ages, you likely would have used a public bathhouse to spend quality time with your family, have a nice meal, meet your neighbors, and possibly even petition local officials. And if you lived during the 1340s-1350s and worried that open pores could allow illness to enter your body, you would likely have believed that dirt all over your skin would block disease. You would actually think bathing bad for your health because it opened pores, which led to sickness.

The Catholic Church has gone back and forth on bathing, sometimes linking physical and spiritual cleanliness and sometimes linking nudity and hellfire.

If you lived in Europe shortly after the Crusades, you are more likely to have engaged in a variation of the Turkish hammam and used soaps and perfumes brought back from Jerusalem.

“Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water!”
Narrenbeschwörung (Appeal to Fools) by Thomas Murner, 1512

The ancient Irish bathed daily, sometimes multiple times a day. With the spread of Christianity in Ireland in the 5th and 6th centuries, societal norms shifted to match the current Church customs in Rome: bathing only a few times a year.

It wasn’t until the time of the American Civil War, and the acceptance of germ theory of disease, that bathing became associated with health in Western medicine.

In the early 1900’s, a typical Saturday night ritual involved American family members hauling loads of water into the kitchen, heating it, then filling a bath. Usually, the oldest/father of the family bathed first, followed by the mother, then the children in birth order, with the youngest last. Maybe this practice gave rise to “Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.”

Where You Live

*A sweat bath: illumination from Peter of Eboli, De Balneis Puteolanis (“The Baths of Pozzuoli“)*

“Daily showering is a more cultural phenomenon than medical necessity,” Joshua Zeichner, MD, Mount Sinai Hospital.

If you believe YaHoo! Life, “Americans have long had a reputation for a “squeaky clean” devotion to hygiene that fuels a $3.1 billion body soap industry, yet recent studies show that Americans are actually quite average when compared to how often people shower worldwide.”

Among people who shower every day, Mexicans and Australians led, followed by Americans and the French. Brits, Russians, Swedes and Germans averaged less, with Chinese the least frequent.

If you live in an area where the geography lends itself to hot springs, geothermal vents, and readily available water and fuel for heating water, you are more likely to bathe frequently. Japan’s natural hot springs (onsen, more than 27,000 by some estimates) are used for nearly daily bathing, with some research indicating a link between frequent soaking and longevity. Dense forests provide fuel to heat Finnish saunas and Iroquois sweat lodges, both used for physical and mental health as well as bathing.

*Himba woman wearing a paste of hematite, sap, and butter*

If you live in an area where water is scarce, you are likely to employ “dry” methods of bathing. Smoke baths, in which a blanket or tent is positioned above a fire of Commiphora wood to trap smoke around the bather’s skin, are effective means of killing bacteria and any bugs on the body or clothing. Oil or fat smeared on and scraped off the skin removes dirt and bacteria as well as protecting the skin from the elements. Pastes made with antibacterial herbs, clay, bark, and scented ingredients serve two purposes: they protect skin from sun, wind, or cold when applied and remove dirt when wiped off after drying.

If you live in an area crowded with other people, you are more likely to bathe frequently and often communally. Turkish hammam, Swiss health spas, Roman thermae, even medieval European bathhouses took advantage of shared resources (such as heat from baking ovens used to heat water) and were visited by groups of friends or neighbors. On the whole, bathing is less frequent in more sparsely populated areas.

Aztec temazcal
From the Codex Magliabechiano

Societies with a tradition of communal bathing tend to view a visit to the bathhouse as necessary for social and mental health in addition to physical hygiene. Russian banyas and Turkish hammam are places for meeting neighbors. Swedish and Japanese onsen are used for mental health and relaxation as much as removing dirt from the skin. Taiwanese hot springs and Mexican temazcal serve medicinal roles and are often staffed by medical professionals. The Finnish House of Parliament has a sauna where elected representatives can discuss legislation and issues of the day.

How Long You Live

Children

Bathing recommendations from the Cleveland Clinic depend on your child’s age. Dr. Tamburro suggests these general guidelines:

Babies, toddlers and little kids should spend some quality time in the tub two to three times per week. Their delicate skin doesn’t need daily cleansing, but it’s OK to get out the bath toys more often if your child gets dirty or has a messy diaper situation.
- Speaking of tub toys, make sure they’re non-toxic and don’t have the potential to harbor, mold, fungus, and bacteria.
Older kids ages 6-11 should hit the bath two or three times per week, at a minimum. More showers are in order when they get muddy, sweaty or stinky.
Tweens and teens should shower daily. (Their newly stinky pits will probably clue you in when it’s time to step up their hygiene game.) They should also wash their face twice a day. In addition, many teenagers are physically active, and showers are a good idea after strenuous sports events or practices, including swimming, working out, and other physical activities.

Older People/Seniors

To avoid any skin conditions or infections, a senior should bathe at least once or twice a week.
Some elderly people may suffer from dementia, and they may have more toilet mishaps. Obviously, this means more frequent baths and showers to avoid infections.

Adults in General

It may sound counterproductive, but a shower every day could be bad for your skin. Some dermatologists only recommend a shower every other day, or two to three times a week. If you shower too much it can lead to discomfort, and you may experience:

Itching
Dry, flaky skin
Flare-ups of skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis
Dry, brittle hair

Although fewer showers may improve skin health, you should still keep your personal hygiene in mind. If you go too long between showers you may experience

Increased body odor
Acne
Flare-ups of skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis
Skin infections
Areas of dark or discolored skin
in extreme cases, dermatitis neglecta, thick patches of scaly skin

What You Do for a Living

*Hydropathic applications according to Claridge’s Hydropathy book*

People who work at desk jobs and spend most of their time indoors have the same bathing needs as adults in general. However, those who work with dangerous substances, animals, or in any jobs that people consider to be unhygienic may feel the need to bathe more often.

Janitor
Exterminator
Miner
Garbage collector
Butcher
People who work with corrosive materials, dangerous chemicals, disease agents, and radioactive materials need to shower at the end of each of their shifts.
Horticulturalists, arborists, amateur gardeners, and anyone who spends a significant amount of time outdoors around a variety of plants can reduce their risk of rashes and other skin injuries by showering as soon as they come indoors. on.
Athletes—anyone—whose job requires intense physical exertion.

Seasons and Weather

Guidance for better bathing during seasonal differences and changing weather are included in other categories and won’t be repeated here.

Health Line offers tips to bathe correctly and protect your skin.

Only take one shower a day (every other day, if possible). On days that you don’t shower, give yourself a sponge bath. Wash your face, armpits, and groin with a washcloth.
Don’t shower in hot water. Use warm water, instead.
Limit showers to 5 to 10 minutes.
Use a gentle soap or cleanser, and thoroughly rinse off soap before exiting the shower.
Don’t rub your skin with a towel. Blot skin dry to retain moisture.
Avoid cleansers and soaps with fragrances or deodorants. These products can irritate your skin.
Apply moisturizer to your skin after each shower or bath

Related Matters

Sweat doesn’t have an odor. It’s the interaction of sweat with bacteria on the skin that creates the stink.
Even with “good” smells, too much is never a good thing, particularly in close quarters. For example, the Richmond Symphony and Chorus ban perfume, aftershave, deodorant, etc.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, you probably don’t need to wash your hair every time you shower. Typically, shampooing two or three times a week will help keep your scalp healthy and hair happy.
A Dutch study found that individuals who ended their showers with at least a 30-second blast of cold water were absent from work 29 percent less of the time than people who did not do so.

Washing before prayer (wudu) at Badshahi Mosque
Lahore, Pakistan

Bottom Line: According to medicalnewstoday.com, “Although showering offers physical, mental, and emotional benefits, the daily shower that many people in the U.S. are in the habit of taking is probably more than most people need. Showering dries out the skin and hair, uses natural resources, and creates an additional source of water pollution.”

For a more detailed exploration of how social norms around bathing vary throughout history and around the world, check out Clean: A History of Personal Hygiene and Purity by Virginia Smith.

FRIENDSHIPS: HIS AND HERS

Posted on May 17, 2022May 17, 2022 by vlaw759

Group data reveal that, in general, women’s and men’s friendships are measurably different on all sorts of dimensions. “Like what?” you might ask. Read on.

Notable Differences in Male-Male Friendships and Female-Female Friendships

As listed on PsychCentral:

Male-male friendships are side-to-side, fostered and maintained through shared activity
Female-female friendships are face-to-face, fostered and maintained through intimacy, communication, and support
Male-male friendships are less intimate than female-female friendships
Male-male friendships are less fragile than female-female friendships
- E.g., men will consider someone a friend even if they do not maintain or stay in constant contact

Emotional attachment: females have and desire a strong emotional attachment with persons they perceive to be a friend
Men are more likely to remain friends after an argument or a fight whereas women are not
Women require more frequent contact with someone they consider to be a friend
Men are more likely to use humor to taunt a friend while viewing this as innocent fun
Women are more likely to refrain from taunting and humor out of fear it may hurt their friends’ feelings
Men tend to hang out more in a group, the more the merrier, while women typically prefer to go out with one good friend

For a slightly different but compatible take, consider the findings from “Sex differences in friendship preferences,” by Keelah E.G. Williams, Jaimie Arona Krems, Jessica D. Ayers, and Ashley M. Rankin.

“Across three studies (N = 745) with U.S. participants—assessing ideal hypothetical friends, actual friends, and using a paradigm adapted from behavioral economics—we find that men, compared to women, more highly value same-sex friends who are physically formidable, possess high status, possess wealth, and afford access to potential mates. In contrast, women, compared to men, more highly value friends who provide emotional support, intimacy, and useful social information. Findings suggest that the specific friendship qualities men and women preferred differed by sex in ways consistent with a functional account of friendship.”
Abstract of “Sex differences in friendship preferences“

And a few miscellaneous bits of info:

For both women and men, when disclosing intimate, private, or secret information, they are more likely to tell a woman
Men’s best friendships are considerably less close than women’s
Women are more likely than men to say they have a best friend (98% vs. 85%)
The trait of “outgoingness” was a leading factor that men, but not women, mentioned in choosing a friend
Men tend to prefer social interaction in groups, whereas women have a stronger preference for one-to-one interactions

Humor was an important characteristic for women’s best-friendships, but not for men’s
Neither attractiveness nor athleticism played much of a role in the best-friend choices of either men or women
A husband will often say his best friend is his wife; wives usually name another woman
Platonic friendships between women and men come with a lot of baggage: suspicion of sexual involvement, jealousy, skepticism, etc.
Women say they both like and love their husbands/heterosexual partners; men are more likely to report loving but not liking
- N.B.: liking and loving are different dimensions, not simply different intensities. There’s a whole body of psychological research on liking and loving, if you want to pursue that topic.

BOTTOM LINE: In general, men’s and women’s friendships are significantly different. Whether men’s or women’s friendships are “better” depends on what you (or your character) wants friendship to provide. And, remember, these assertions are based on group data, meaning only group outcomes can be predicted confidently, because individuals differ from the norm.

THE BIRDS

Posted on May 10, 2022May 11, 2022 by vlaw759

I’m fascinated by birds both as fauna outside my window and as elements of tattoos. They are just interesting! And because birds are ubiquitous, and noticeable, it’s no wonder people attach meaning to birds, in general and specifically.

Composite photo of great horned owl flight phases
Art Siegel

Birds in General

*Raven Totem at Totem Bight State Historic Site*

Birds are widely regarded as symbols of freedom and eternity due to their ability to soar into the skies. Bird symbolism exists all over the world as part of different cultures, religions, and traditions. Birds symbolize aspects of our lives, nature, and the unknown world. According to The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols, the flight of birds leads them naturally to be seen as links—intermediaries—between heaven and earth.

*Gouro (Nuna) Hornbill Mask from Burkina Faso*
*photo by Roman Bonnefoy*

In a generalized sense, birds symbolize spiritual states, angels and higher forms of being.
Sometimes the lightness of birds—their volatility, flitting hither and thither without aim or purpose—cause them to be seen as distractions and diversions.
The earliest Vedic texts show that birds, in general, were considered symbols of the friendship of the gods for mankind.
In the Celtic world, birds were considered to be assistants or the messengers of the gods or of the underworld.
Nocturnal birds are often thought to be the souls of the dead, come to wail in the dark around their old homes.
Ancient Egyptian tomb art depicted the soul of the dead as a bird with the head of either a man or a woman.
Blue and green birds served as messengers of the gods in several east Asian folk tales.

*Early fifth-century BC statue of Aphrodite from Cyprus, showing her wearing a cylinder crown and holding a dove*

In the Koran, the word “bird” is often synonymous with “fate.”
- In Muslim tradition “green bird” is an epithet applied to a number of saints.
- Islamic poets often use birds as symbols of the immortality of the soul.
It is commonly believed—and science has confirmed—birds have a language, complete with vocabulary and syntax.
In sub-Saharan African art, birds are frequent symbols, especially on masks. Birds symbolize strength and life, and often fertility.
The Yakut believe that after death, the souls of both good and evil fly to heaven in the shape of birds.
Blue birds symbolize hope in Russian folk tales.

“The earliest evidence of the belief in the soul-bird is undoubtedly provided by the myth of the phoenix.”
(The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols)

Specific Birds

From Ask Legit, here is a sample of common birds.

Sparrows

In Greek mythology, the sparrow was one of the birds associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Interestingly, scientists consider sparrows to be one of the most lustful birds.

In Kent, England, a person who caught a sparrow had to kill it to prevent their parents’ death.

In native European folklore, if a sparrow flies into someone’s house it is a sign of impending death.

*Victorian Christmas cards often depicted dead sparrows, possibly for luck, possibly as a call for empathy.*
*See Hyperallergic*

In Indonesian folklore, a sparrow flying into someone’s home symbolized good luck. If the bird built a nest in the home, it meant that a wedding would happen in the home soon.

Ancient Egyptians considered sparrows to be soul catchers, carrying the souls of the dead to heaven.

It was a common practice for sailors to tattoo themselves with sparrow images to ensure their safe passage to heaven in case they died at sea.

For more details, check out Owlcation’s The Meaning of Sparrows.

Eagles

*Eagle Totem at Totem Bight State Historic Site*

Eagles are among the most commonly used animals in ancient and modern symbolism. The eagle generally represents strength, freedom, and wisdom.

Many Native American communities considered eagles (especially the bald eagle) to be sacred animals relating to wisdom, bravery, and a connection to the spiritual realm. Eagles’ feathers were widely used in certain religious rituals. Today, there are numerous sculptures, statues, and carvings of eagles throughout the Americas.

*Harpy eagle on the Coat of Arms of Panama*

In native Celtic culture, where trees were considered sacred, any animal that lived in or on trees was equally considered sacred. Thus, eagles were closely associated with three gods.

In Mayan culture, the eagle is one of the Zodiac signs. It represents human beings who value freedom and can never be tied to a single place or person.

In ancient Egypt, the eagle was a symbol of wisdom because it flew higher than people and was, therefore, able to see the world from a far wider perspective than humans did.

Blue Jays

The blue jay is native to North America. It is renowned for its tenacity and determination. It is especially relentless when dealing with its enemies.

Blue jays are known for their patience and intelligence. It has been claimed that the bird often uses strips of materials like newspaper strips as tools to get food.

The blue jay is seen to be in pairs. When they fly, the pairs keep a great distance from each other, decreasing the probability of being targeted by the enemy.

Spiritually, the bird is thought to give knowledge and memories of long-forgotten things and provides intelligence on how to use them to seize opportunities. The blue jay symbolizes the ability to use any situation to one’s benefit. This comes from the bird’s ability to build nests in any tree or environment that suits it.

A blue jay is very aggressive and makes different varieties of loud sounds that travel over a long distances. In some cultures, having a blue jay as your totem implies that you are aggressive and, therefore, there is nothing that can stop you from defending what you consider right.

In certain cultures, those who have the blue jay as their spirit totem are said to be excellent in communication-related jobs such as law, public speaking, and politics.

Variations of the Bluebird of Happiness appear in Chinese, Russian, and European folklore, but they generally do not refer to the North America blue jay.

Robins

*Detail from The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch*

Robins are a common sight in North America, often seen pulling earthworms off the ground. The robin is known for its end-of-winter appearance, cheery songs, and orange-colored breast. While the birds are a common sight in cities and towns, they are also at home in forests and mountains.

Robins are famous as the quintessential early birds.

Ancient Europeans considered the robin to be a symbol of divine sacrifice and rebirth. The robin brought happiness, change, wisdom, and happy songs.

Several ancient Christian paintings depict the robin as Christ’s helper. It is said that the robin tried to pull off the thorns from Jesus’ Crown of Thorns.

*Robin, of Batman fame, wears a costume inspired by the bird.*

The robin is a symbol of nurturing young ones into adulthood. Robins are widely considered to be some of the best parents among all bird species. Seeing a robin is therefore associated with new growth in some cultures.

In Hinduism, the red color on a robin’s chest is said to symbolize a person’s kundalini (a serpent-like force at the base of a human’s spine). When one experiences inner spiritual growth, the kundalini uncoils and moves upwards as the person’s enlightenment and awareness increase.

Cardinal

The northern cardinal, usually just called the cardinal, is a fairly large, long-tailed songbird with a short, very thick bill and a prominent crest. People usually think first of the adult male, bright red with black markings. The female is taupe and less-intensely colored.

In Ancient Rome, the cardinal was regarded as a spiritual messenger sent by those who died and went to heaven. The word cardinal comes from the Latin word cardo meaning “hinge.” The birds are therefore seen as hinges on the doorway between heaven and earth.

Among Native Americans, the cardinal has strong ties to other realms and, as such, acts as a messenger from the ancestors. Several southeastern tribes associated cardinals with the sun as well as with good fortune.

In China and Japan, the cardinal is closely associated with the mythical phoenix (the bird of transformation, fire, and rebirth). The cardinal was associated with honorable rulers coming to power as well as the end of wars.

In China, the cardinal (Red Bird) is said to stand over the southern quarter of creation and defend it from evil influences.

Magpies
One for sorrow,
Two for mirth
Three for a funeral,
Four for birth
Five for heaven
Six for hell
Seven for the devil, his own self
-Traditional English Nursery Rhyme

Other Birds

*I found the **anqu** (or **anqa**) intriguing, not only because it would be an awesome Scrabble word, but also because I never heard of it.*

Research led by the American Museum of Natural History suggests that there are about 18,000 bird species in the world. I’d venture to say that there is symbolism associated with most if not all of them!

The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols includes entries for anqa, bustard, cock, crane, crow, cuckoo, dove, duck, eagle, falcon, grouse, homa, hoopoe, kingfisher, kite, lark, macaw, magpie, nightingale, nightjar, oriole, owl, partridge, peacock, pelican, pheasant, phoenix, pigeon, quail, roc, simurg, sparrowhawk, stork, swallow, swan, vulture, wagtail.

The supernatural Thunderbird flaps its wings to create thunder and flashes its eyes to create lightning. Ojibwe thunderbirds punish humans for lack of morals. Menominee thunderbirds protect the earth from being overrun by great horned snakes and act as messengers for the sun. The seal of the Menominee Nation features a thunderbird. A Ho-Chunk who sees a thunderbird while fasting will become a great leader.

A three-legged crow, according to several East Asian folk traditions, lives in the sun or is the messenger of a deity living in the sun. The Chinese sanzuwu was one of twelve ornaments used to decorate Imperial clothing in ancient China. A golden or red jinwu represents the Sun in ancient Han temple art. The Japanese yatagarasu acts as a messenger of divine will and represents rebirth. The Japan Football Association features the yatagarasu on its badge. The Korean samjok-o is alternately a symbol, messenger, and resident of the Sun, more powerful than dragons.

Bottom line: whatever bird suits you, your character, your life, or your plot, check it out!

WHO KNEW?

Posted on May 3, 2022May 3, 2022 by vlaw759

*At birth, a panda cub is smaller than a mouse and weighs only four ounces.*

Michelangelo hated painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel so much that he wrote this lovely poem about it to his friend Giovanni da Pistoia:
I’ve already grown a goiter from this torture,
hunched up here like a cat in Lombardy
(or anywhere else where the stagnant water’s poison).

I enjoy odd, surprising, or little known bits of information. I hope you do, too, because I have accumulated so much of this stuff, it’s time for a dump!

The (Non-Human) Animal World

*A Great Dane named Juliana peed on an incendiary bomb during World War II, earning her a Blue Cross Medal!*

Zoolingualism is the ability to talk with animals and understand their reactions.
One species of jellyfish, Turritopsis dohrnii, is “immortal.” When damaged or traumatized, they can revert to their polyp developmental stage and start over.
Snails can sleep up to three years if the weather isn’t moist enough to meet their needs.
Hummingbirds beat their wings up to 70 times per second, faster than any other bird. Fast, yeah, but honeybees flap their wings 230 times every second!
Giraffes only have seven bones in their necks, the same number as humans.
Whales’ earwax forms in layers, so researchers can estimate a whale’s age and development by counting rings in a cross-section, just like rings on a tree.
Nine-banded armadillos always give birth to quadruplets, all identical.
Dolphins sleep with one eye open.
- This is called unihemispheric sleep.

*Domestic dogs have evolved muscles around their eyes that mimic human facial expressions. Wolves do not have these muscles.*

Frigatebirds fly for months over the ocean, using half their brains at a time so the other half can sleep during flight. They can also engage in regular sleep.
Faster than humans: a running grizzly bear, 35 mph; a cheetah, up to 75 mph; and a diving golden eagle, up to 200 mph.
- Over long distances, humans still win! Huskies most closely rival humans in endurance.
Approximately three percent of arctic ice is frozen penguin urine.
Mystery writers take note: koala fingerprints are almost indistinguishable from humans’ — so much so, they can taint a crime scene.
Gorillas have nose prints as unique as human (or koala) fingerprints. Conservation workers photograph and catalogue the patterns of wrinkles to track individual gorillas.

Elephants, flamingoes, giraffes, horses, and cows can all sleep standing up, but they can only dream when lying down. Some subway commuters have mastered the former, but I have no info on the latter.

Humans, Both Normal and Not So Much

*Abraham Lincoln was also a licensed bartender.*
*(from **Lincoln in Caricature** by Rufus Rockwell Wilson, 1903)*

People who suffer from boanthropy believe they are a cow and will try to live their life as a cow.
- King Nebuchadnezzer (creator of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon) may have developed boanthropy.
Before he became president, Abraham Lincoln was an elite wrestling champion. In 300 matches, he only lost one.
After serving as president, George Washington opened a whiskey distillery.
A duel among three people is called a truel or a triel.
Eating enough potatoes and butter, and nothing else, could keep a person alive for an indeterminate length of time—alive but not healthy.
One-quarter of all the bones in your body are located in your feet.
Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete.
Hugs that last over 40 seconds release oxytocin and make you trust someone more.
Queen Elizabeth always wears second-hand shoes. She employs a professional shoe-wearer to break in her shoes for her, preventing blisters on the royal feet.

*Some of the most famous cowboys in history didn’t wear cowboy hats in real life. Icons like Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid wore what we would today call bowler hats.*

The average person will spend six months of their life waiting for red lights to turn green.
LeMarcus Thompson, a hosiery salesman, invented roller coasters to combat moral degeneracy.
Before people said “cheese” to look like they were smiling for cameras, photographers often told subjects to say “prunes” to mimic the desired facial expression—stoic, with a small and refined mouth.
Dr. Frederic Whitehurst, a former FBI analyst, demonstrated that more than 90% of all forensic FBI samples are flawed or inaccurate.
Humans blink, on average, 12 times per minute. Speed and rapidity of blinking can indicate lots of interesting mental or physical conditions, useful for writers!
- Stress causes excessive blinking.
- Strokes may cause erratic blinking.
- Interest generally causes rapid blinking.
- Some medications cause slowed blinking.

*In 300 B.C., Mayans worshipped turkeys as vessels of the gods, Chalchihuihtotolin.*

Alfred Hitchcock was an ovophobe, meaning he had a fear of eggs.
- In a 1963 interview, he said, “I’m frightened of eggs, worse than frightened; they revolt me. … Blood is jolly, red. But egg yolk is yellow, revolting. I’ve never tasted it.”
Cleopatra wasn’t actually Egyptian. Really! Historians have traced the famous ruler’s lineage to Alexander the Great’s Macedonian general Ptolemy. So while she was an Egyptian queen, she was Greek.
John Duns Scotus, a thirteenth century philosopher, believed that wearing a pointed hat spread knowledge to the brain and improved intelligence. “Dunsmen” who agreed with his ideas wore “dunce caps” as a sign of intelligence, but social derision eventually led to the dunce cap meaning the opposite.

*President Lyndon B. Johnson owned a water-surfing car, called an amphicar.*

Weird Miscellaneous Facts

*If you start in Argentina, you could theoretically “dig a hole to China.” Reddit user Lokimonoxide demonstrated this idea by making a “sandwich” with bread in Uruguay and South Korea.*

When the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts opened in 1936, admission was 25 cent.
- General Admission is now free!
The Olympic Games used to hand out medals for arts and humanities. At the time, 151 medals were awarded for architecture, literature, painting, music, and sculpture.
What the fork? This pronged utensil was once considered sacrilegious because they were seen as “artificial hands.”
The organ music at baseball games originated at Chicago’s Wrigley Field in 1941.
“Baked” beans are actually stewed.
The stage before frostbite is known as “frostnip.”
LEGO has made more minifigs than the entire population of China, more than 4 billion.
Eating bananas can help relieve negative emotions such as irritability, anger, and/or depression.
Italian police stopped a shipment of Columbian coffee beans because the recipient shared a name with a famous Mafia boss in the film John Wick. In a “stranger than fiction” real life twist, police found that someone had hollowed out each coffee bean and filled it with cocaine.

*Big Ben (which is actually the bell inside the Elizabeth Tower) sounds unique because it cracked shortly after being installed in 1859.*

Spider webs were used as bandages in ancient times.
- Chemists at the University of Nottingham have synthesized antibiotic spider silk for this very purpose!
A cloud can weigh more than a million pounds.
A company called Eternal Reefs turns dead bodies into ocean reefs.
The largest padlock in the world weighs 916 pounds.
In the Philippines, McDonald’s serves spaghetti with McDo, friend chicken.
Ethiopia uses a unique calendar, similar to the Egyptian Coptic calendar. It is currently 2014 in Ethiopia.
Three Musketeers candy bars got their name because they originally came in packs of three, one each of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla.
The Brazilian team travelled to the 1932 Olympic Games in a coffee ship. They sold the coffee along the way to fund their trip.
- Two UK speed skaters funded their 2022 Olympic trip by creating and selling their own coffee brand.

Sunsets on Mars are blue.
(photo taken by the Mars Curiosity Rover)

BOTTOM LINE: Sometimes random bits of information are useful, sometimes just passing entertainment.

The internet abounds with interesting “facts” that aren’t actually true. For example, that giraffes have no vocal chords or that the average person swallows eight spiders in their sleep every year. One of my favorite websites is Snopes.com, where I can double check the truth of other websites and learn plenty more fascinating facts that are all sourced and cited.

KILLING ON MY MIND

Posted on April 26, 2022April 26, 2022 by vlaw759

“Axes, chisels, whetstones and a black stone bracelet from a Neolithic Macedonian settlement at Olynthus, excavated by Mylonas in 1928. Archeological Museum, Thessaloniki, Greece”
Michael Greenhalgh

I can’t help it. The evening news is full of local drive-by shootings and the massacre happening in Ukraine. I’ve been thinking about killing (not planning it, just considering the varieties of ways and means).

I’ve mentally pursued two paths: the category of killing and the method of killing.

Categories of Killing

Execution: the carrying out of a sentence of death on a condemned person within the confines of a legal system. Over time, many methods have been embraced. For more information, look here, here, or here.

Firing squad
Hanging
Electrocution
Lethal injection
Drawing and quartering
Drowning
Burning at the stake
Beheading (whether by axe or guillotine)
Exposure (on the ice, in the desert sun, adrift at sea)
Disembowelment
Crucifixion
Gibbeting
Keelhauling
Suffocation

Murder: the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another. The methods are infinitely variable.

Felony murder (in some jurisdictions):
- Killing someone during the commission of a dangerous or enumerated crime.
- The killer and also all accomplices or co-conspirators may be found guilty.
- It doesn’t matter whether the killing was intentional or accidental.

Homicide: the deliberate and unlawful killing of one person by another. The point here is lack of premeditation or planning. Killing in the heat of the moment by whatever means would count.

Justifiable homicide: the killing of a person in circumstances which allow the act to be regarded in law as without criminal guilt.
- Examples include self-defense, capital punishment, and police shooting.

(Note: police shootings are not automatically judged justifiable.)

Manslaughter: the crime of killing a human being without malice aforethought, or otherwise in circumstances not amounting to murder.

Involuntary manslaughter: the person who commits the crime had no intention of causing or even expecting the possibility of death.

NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE

Different jurisdictions define these categories of killing differently, and some times interchangeably. If you want to be precise, know your local laws.

Euthanasia (a.k.a. mercy killing): the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or an irreversible coma. Note: the practice is illegal in most countries.

Ritual sacrifice: offering something to a deity in propitiation or homage, especially the ritual slaughter of an animal or person.

Suicide: death caused by injuring oneself with the intent to die.

Assassination:

In law: any murder committed by an assassin, understood to be committed for money, without any provocation resentment given by the person against whom the crime is directed.
In dictionary.com: to kill suddenly or secretively, especially a prominent person; premeditated.

Wartime Killing

War: a state of arms conflict between different nations, states, or different groups within a nation or state.

Soldiers killing soldiers during a war between nations or states are generally considered justified and legal; incidental killing of civilians are generally considered collateral damage, regrettable but not subject to punishment.

Not all wartime killing is internationally acceptable.

The Hague Conventions (1899 and 1907) and Geneva Conventions (1864, 1949 [pt 1, 2, 3, and 4], and 1977 [protocol 1 and 2] and 2005) focus on the protection of people not or no longer taking part in hostilities. There is no single document in international law that codifies all war crimes. However, lists of war crime can be found in both international humanitarian law and international criminal law treaties, as well as international customary law.

War crimes (for a more complete list, see the United Nations, and the International Red Cross, and Wikipedia):
- Intentionally killing civilians
- Intentionally killing prisoners of war
- Torture
- Taking hostages
- Unnecessary destruction of civilian property, often with the aim of causing starvation or death by exposure
- Deception by perfidy
- Wartime sexual violence
- Pillaging
- Use of chemical or biological weapons
- Conscription of children into the military
- Granting no quarter despite surrender
- Flouting the legal distinctions of proportionality and military necessity

Crimes against humanity:
- Specific cries committed in the context of a large-scale attack targeting civilians, regardless of their nationality.
- E.g., murder, torture, sexual violence, enslavement, persecution, enforced disappearance, etc.
- Chemical, biological, and radioactive weapons are often considered specifically crimes against humanity in addition to being war crimes.

Genocide/ethnic cleansing:
- The deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.
- Forced sterilization and sexual violence may be included here the aim is to disrupt or preemptively remove future generations.

War between groups within a nation or state = gang war: a “small” war between two (or more) groups feuding over territory or vendetta, not generally related to international legal standing.

Characterized by sanctioned and unsanctioned killing
Gun violence
Street violence
Joining a gang may be involuntary
Leaving a gang—and surviving—may be next to impossible
All gang activity is illegal in the US, although being a gang member per se isn’t

Methods of Killing

There are far too many to list, but here are a few methods to think about.

No weapon (strangulation, broken neck or back, beaten to death with fists, thrown off a cliff, etc.)
Weapon of convenience (for example, branch, bookend, poker, scissors, axe—anything found at the scene)
Physical weapon brought to the scene (for example, cutting implement, gun, garrote, automobile, whatever)
Animal weapon (for example, dog, venomous snakes or insects, predatory animals such as bears, big cats, trampling by elephants or horses)
“Soft” weapon such as poison, gas, or medication overdose

Bottom Line: Killing is everywhere and always has been. Think about it! When—if ever—and under what—if any—circumstances would a character think/feel that killing could be acceptable.

WHAT? THERE ISN’T A WORD FOR THAT?

Posted on April 19, 2022April 19, 2022 by vlaw759

*Also known as “Main Character Syndrome”*
*from EliteDaily*

Last week I waxed enthusiastic about dictionaries, in all their forms and focus. Well, now I’ve made a truly unique addition to my collection, a Dictionary of things there aren’t any words for yet—*But there ought to be.

As you can surmise from the cover, The Meaning of Liff is basically a humorous read. In 157 pages, British writers Adams and Lloyd have made a herculean effort to fill the word void with wondrous creations, some with historical notes and illustrations. Rather than inventing new words, the authors have paired each definition with the names of places in England and Scotland (Liff is a village in Scotland near Dundee).

Adams and Lloyd followed up with The Deeper Meaning of Liff. Thirty years later, Joe Morwood and John Lloyd decided to expand their geography with The Yorkshire Meaning of Liff.

(In case you don’t recognize the names, Douglas Adams is a best-selling novelist, the creator of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Dirk Gently‘s Holistic Detective Agency; John Lloyd is an award-winning comedy television producer in England.)

**Dalmilling** (dal-MILL-ing) *ptcpl. vb. Continually making small talk to someone who is trying to read a book.*

In the examples I’ve excerpted below, bracketed comments [ ] are my additions.

Aalst (ay-AY-lst) n.
- One who changes his name to be nearer the front.
- [Something to consider when choosing a pen name?]

Bathel (BATH-ul) vb.
- To pretend to have read the book under discussion when in fact you’ve only seen the tv series.
- [One might assume that this applies to having only seen the movie as well.]

**Glenwhilly** (glen-WILL-i) *n. Scots. A small tartan pouch worn under a kilt during the thistle harvest.*
*[AKA under-armor.]*

Craboon (kra-BOON) vb.
- To shout boisterously from a cliff.
- [And who hasn’t?]

Duddo (DUD-oh) n.
- The most deformed potato in any given collection of potatoes.
[Not to be confused with] Dubbo(DUB-oh) n.
- The bruise or callous on the shoulder of someone who has been knighted unnecessarily often.

Ely (EE-le) n. T
- he first, tiniest inkling you get that something, somewhere, has gone terribly wrong.

Falster (FAWL-ster) [FALL-ster in American] n.
- A long-winded, dishonest and completely incredible excuse when the truth would have been completely acceptable.

**Ipplepen** (IP-pul-pen) *n. A useless writing implement made by taping six ballpoint pens together which is supposed to make it easier to write one hundred lines.*

Hadzor (HAD-zer) n.
- A sharp instrument placed in the basin which makes it easier to cut yourself.

Juwain (ju-WAYNE) adj.
- Only slightly relevant to the matter at hand.
- [Such a frequently useful adjective!]

Kanturk (kan-TERK) n.
- An extremely intricate knot originally used for belaying the topgallant foresheets of a gaff-rigged China clipper, now more commonly observed when trying to get an old kite out of the cupboard [closet in American] under the stairs.

**Ossett** (OS-et) *n. A frilly spare-toilet-roll cosy*

Lemvig (LEM-vig) n.
- A person who can be relied upon to be doing worse than you.
- [Need I point out how incredibly valuable such a friend/acquaintance/coworker is?]

Mogumber (mug-UM-ber) n.
- One who goes around complaining that he was cleverer ten years ago.

Nubbock (NUB-uk) n.
- The kind of person who must leave before a party can relax and enjoy itself.

Papcastle (PAP-kah-sul) [PAP-castle in American] n.
- Something drawn or modeled by a small child which you are supposed to know what it is.

**Sconser** (SKON-ser) *n. A person who looks around while talking to you to see if there’s anyone more interesting about.*

Querrin (KWER-rin) n.
- A person no one has ever heard of who unaccountably manages to make a living writing prefaces.

Randers (RAN-ders) pl.n.
- People who, for their own obscure reasons, try to sleep with people who have slept with members of the royal family.

Tanvats (TAN-vats) pl.n.
- Disturbing things that previous owners of your house have left in the cellar.
Udine (YEW-dine) adj.
- Not susceptible to charm.

**Vidlin** (VID-lin) *n. The moistly frayed end of a piece of cotton thread. “It is easier for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than it is for a violin to pass through the eye of a needle.”*

Wartnaby (WAWT-nay-bee) n.
- Something you only discover about somebody the first time they take their clothes off in front of you.

Yetman (YET-man) n.
- A yes-man who is waiting to see whom it would be most advantageous to agree with
- [X. Apparently their imaginations failed them.]

I highly recommend this dictionary, if for no other reason than it’s a fast, humorous read. Can you think of a definition we need in English that might fit your hometown?

But what about you?

Do you have your own non-words worthy of such a dictionary? I have a handful I’m willing to share, and will follow the format above. Some are in my speaking vocabulary; more are in my mental vocabulary!

Alcologic (al-co-LOG-ic) n.
- Thinking or ideas that seem perfectly reasonable and logical when drunk, almost always a bad—or worse than bad—idea.

**Bednertia** (bed-NER-sha) *n. The reluctance to get out of bed, even when drowsily awake, thinking about getting out of bed. No sex is involved.*

Hangry (hANE-gry) adj.
- Irritability or a bad mood caused by low blood sugar.

Ignoragas (ig-NOR-a-gas) v.
- The act of not apparently noticing a fart. This is a social nicety in some situations, aimed at avoiding embarrassment. In the home setting, it may reflect habituation.

Netbrain (NET-brain) n.
- A condition in which something that is usually known or remembered drops through the net and is temporarily unavailable. I first heard this word from my Associate Director of Educational Affairs at the American Psychological Association and it’s been a staple in my vocabulary ever since. I have no idea how widely used it might be.

**Obvispeak** (OB-vi-speak) *v. Saying the obvious in any situation. Often it is announcing something that everyone present can see. Alternatively, voicing a conclusion when there is no alternative.*

Pickaddict (pick-AD-dict) n.
- A person addicted to nose-picking, often in the bathroom or car when the picker thinks no one will notice. Usually controlled in public.

Readarhea (read-ah-REE-ah) n.
- A condition exhibited by someone who reads aloud from whatever s/he is reading, regardless of what the other person(s) might be doing, including reading, writing, or working.

Rubbleit (RUB-bul-it) v.
- To reduce to rubble, either literally or figuratively.

Sleepnet (SLEEP-net) n.
- A system or habit of thought a person uses to promote sleep. Does not usually involve counting sheep.

So, what is the use of non-words?

Besides entertainment, consider working them into your speech and/or writing. The context is usually sufficient for understanding. Such words are fresh and eye/ear-catching. Many authors have created words that are now part of everyone’s vocabulary. Just think of chortle (Lewis Carroll), freelance (Thomas Brown), litterbug (Alice Rush McKeon), mondegreen (Sylvia Wright), nerd (Dr. Seuss), robot (Karel Capek), scaredy-cat (Dorothy Parker), and scientist (William Whewell).

If you’re interested, here are some other dictionaries that only sort of exist:

That Should Be a Word: A Language Lover’s Guide to Choregasms, Povertunity, Brattling, and 250 Other Much-Needed Terms for the Modern World by Lizzie Skurnick
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig
The Extended Words: An Imaginary Dictionary by Sid Gershgoren

Bottom Line: Sometimes, dozens of dictionaries still aren’t enough. Consider creating words. Every word in current usage started as someone’s creation!

WHY ONE ISN’T ENOUGH!

Posted on April 12, 2022April 12, 2022 by vlaw759

I’ve long loved dictionaries, and mine currently crowd seven bookshelves. I can just imagine the gasps, chuckles, and maybe eye-rolls out there about now.

But think about it. Depending on who and when you ask, the number of English words varies widely, but all agree the number is humongous.

As of June, 2018, according to the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) there were 171,146 words currently in use in the English language, plus 47,156 obsolete ones. The main page of the OED official website said they covered over 600,000 terms.

In June, 2021, the official edition of the Merriam-Webster online dictionary included approximately 470,000 words.

And new words are added daily. In the 20th century, 800 to 1000 new words were added to the English language each year. In 2022 so far, new words include hellacious, fast fashion, supposably, higgle, long hauler, vax, vaxxer, megadrought, mesovortex, and charging station, and new acronyms, such as EV, HEV, PHEV, etc., etc., etc. And as you no doubt realize, words are included in the vernacular before they make it into any official dictionary.

Clearly, one comprehensive, agreed-upon dictionary isn’t possible. And the sheer scope of the language would make it cumbersome and daunting to navigate.

The Cavalry to the Rescue!

Fortunately, there are (by actual count) a gazillion dictionary makers out there to sort and organize words for us. Whatever your need or interest, there’s a dictionary for that!

I’m a writer, so my word needs are many and varied. An inspection of my dictionary shelves shows a touching popularity of slang dictionaries. Slang is a true love because it’s the language of much realistic dialogue, and can set time, class, and subculture.

In this regard, Eric Partridge’s A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (8th edition) is a classic. I recently acquired Partridge’s Concise Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English edited by Paul Beale as well. Why? Because it’s slimmed down the original and added new material.

But slang isn’t a unitary thing! Therefore, I have dictionaries of war slang, hippie slang, and many volumes of “American” slang. Some years ago, I was extremely please to find the first two volumes of the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang. I am devastated—well, perhaps that’s a slight exaggeration—that there will never be a third volume. The project was too time-consuming and expensive to complete.

Speaking of price: dictionaries tend to be big, and specialized ones, expensive. If you want a standard Merriam-Webster for general use, one can be had for very little money, especially used, because they are printed in huge runs and sell widely.

But if you want something like the Dictionary of American Regional English, in six volumes, the price tag is currently $635 used. I picked up my six volumes one by one, from library discards and secondhand stores, and that can still be done if you are tightfisted and determined. FYI, I find these volumes cumbersome to use, so take that into consideration.

Recently I came across the Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English, on Amazon for $128.35 hardcover and $74.99 on Kindle, the only two formats out there. And these are the lowest prices I found!

These are just two dictionaries recognizing the differences in language across the country. Such differences have long been acknowledged. One of my dictionaries is Yankee Talk. Another is Butter my Butt and Call Me a Biscuit. (You can imagine the regional connections of that one.)

Words—Like People—Age

The OED recognizes “archaic” words. I have a dictionary called The Word Museum, one example of a dictionary of such outdated words. Dictionaries of colonial English or slang by decades inherently acknowledge aging. As a writer, I need to be aware that word choices can easily seem too modern—or too old.

Then there’s the question of which English. During my first trip to Europe, I discovered that I actually speak “American.” Now, more aware, I have on my shelves dictionaries of American, British, Australian, and South African English.

Apart from—or in addition to—the above, I love having dictionaries that give me age-graded vocabulary for children, the meaning of symbols, and abbreviations, and sailing terms.

Abbreviations are part of virtually every “in-group.” For example, not even all psychologists would recognize that VTE means vicarious trial and error.

When writing about a subculture not one’s own, Talk the Talk: The Slang of 65 American Subcultures is invaluable. Just to tempt you, check out the Table of Contents!

Not dictionaries in the traditional sense…

Many of these “dictionaries” are books word lovers enjoy anyway. For me, these include dictionaries of dreams, body language, superstitions, proverbs, phrase and fable, and word origins.

Reading dictionaries is not only entertaining, it’s also educational.

For example, people may not know that the following words, among others, not only have Yiddish roots but also came into common usage in the 1930s.

Mensch
Yenta
Bagel
Futz around
Schlep
Schmaltz
Schmooze

Not in my wheelhouse…

Although I do have a rhyming dictionary, I don’t have scrabble or crossword puzzle dictionaries. Nor do I have dictionaries geared toward medicine, architecture, engineering, music, farming, the law…

Should I decide to delve deeply into such professions/topics, the dictionaries are out there.

No doubt there are people out there who believe that one good standard dictionary, and maybe one good thesaurus, suffice. Clearly, I beg to differ!

Bottom line: Whatever your interests and/or needs, there’s a dictionary for that! Explore!

CONSIDER THE ONION

Posted on April 5, 2022April 5, 2022 by vlaw759

They say inspiration comes from everywhere. Interesting details to add to your writing also come from everywhere. To flavor your work, consider the onion.

(For a laugh, consider the satirical new website The Onion, but I’m actually talking about the plant in this instance.)

Onion Lore

There is a vast array of folklore surrounding onions. Onions are part of nearly every cuisine around the world, so nearly every culture has found uses for onions beyond cooking.

If you stick pins into a small onion and keep it on your windowsill, it dispels bad spirits from your home—or so says folklore. (Garlic has been used for the same purpose.)

Onions are also thought to ward off snakes and witches.

American colonists hung onions outside their doors to deflect evil spirits and keep them from coming inside.

If you throw onion peels on the floor, you’ll throw away your luck.

In many prehistoric societies, onions were the symbol of eternity, fit only for the gods. Additional symbolism includes protection, memories, jealousy, envy, divine healing, and mood swings.

Onions in dreams may represent the layers the dreamer needs to get through to find the source of a problem or issue. Alternatively, the dreamer may need to cleanse something in order to start afresh.

Put an onion under your pillow if you wish to dream the identity of your future lover.

In Egypt, an onion held in the right hand was a sign of fealty, used to swear allegiance to Cleopatra, and were a farewell offering carved into Tutankhamen’s tomb. They have been found in the pelvic region of mummies, in the thorax, and flattened against the ears. In 1160 BCE, King Ramses IV was entombed with onions in his eye sockets.

In other cultures, onions were associated with the devil. In Persia, it was said that when Satan was banished from paradise, onions sprang from the print of his right foot.

Romans believed that eating onions increased the quantity and vitality of sperm. Some Middle Eastern cultures considered onions an aphrodisiac.

In England, onions predicted the weather: a thick skin meant a bad winder ahead, a thin skin, a mild one.

Schoolboys used to believe that rubbing their bottoms with onion juice would numb them to the sting of disciplinary caning.

If you want to make a wish on Friday morning, sprinkle salt and pepper on an onion skin and toss it into the fire while thinking the wish. Other days or times? Who knows?

When undecided about something important, scratch each option on a different onion and store them in the dark. The first one to sprout reveals your best choice. This applies to choosing one’s lover/husband as well!

In English-speaking countries, some people believe that putting onions under the bed of a sick person aids recovery.

Stringing onions up around the house, especially at the entrance will guard against illness, accidents, and curses.

Put a slice of onion under the doormat to keep away unwanted visitors.

If onions sprout in your kitchen, plant them. If they grow, you will come into unexpected money.

The cut side of an onion has been used to relieve the effects of insect stings, and to draw poison from the bites of venomous snakes and rabid dogs.

Snakes hate the smell of onions, so carry one when you walk in snake territory to ward them off.

Get rid of warts by rubbing the edge of an onion on the warts and then throw the onion over your right shoulder without looking back.

Onion juice provides extra sulfur which can support strong, thick hair, thus preventing hair loss and promoting hair growth. The sulfur from onions may help collagen production which, in turn, promotes healthy skin.

Onion Medicine

Folk medicine often contains a kernel of truth, and onion medicine is no different. Modern medical researchers study onions’ palliative properties for everything from high blood pressure to cholesterol levels.

Because eating onions causes one to perspire, they’ve been used in folk medicine to cure colds.

Onions are low in calories yet high in nutrients, including vitamin C, B vitamins, and potassium.

Research shows that eating onions help reduce heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, elevated triglyceride levels, and inflammation.

Red onions are rich in anthocyanins, which are powerful plant pigments that may protect against heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes.

Onion consumption is associated with improved bone mineral density.

Onions are a rich source of prebiotics, which help boost digestive health, improve bacterial balance in your gut, and benefit your immune system.

Onions have been shown to inhibit the growth of potentially harmful bacteria like E. coli and S. aureus.

Onion juice can cure colds, cough, high fever, and sore throat. (One might want to eat parsley to combat onion-breath!)

Onion Facts

Even without their miraculous fortune-telling powers or magical healing properties, onions are pretty nifty vegetables!

Most people cut onions before eating them, often tearfully. Chilling peeled, halved onions in the fridge or in a bowl of ice water for 30 minutes can lessen the onion tear production.

FYI: onion tears are chemically different from tears caused by pain or sadness.

No one knows for sure where onions first appeared. Some believe they originated in Central Asia; other say onions were first grown in Iran and West Pakistan. But onions were surely eaten long before they were cultivated, and now they are grown in 135 countries.

When Europeans came to the New World, they brought onions with them, only to find that Native Americans were using wild onions for food, in syrups, as poultices, as an incident in dyes, and as toys!

Worldwide, people consume and average of 11 pounds of onions per year, but onion eating varies widely by geography. Turkey has the highest consumption, with 80.7 pounds per capita per year. In the US, the figure is 18.6 pounds per person per year.

WARNING: all parts of onions (and related plants, like garlic) are toxic to dogs and cats! Raw or cooked, as little as 1/4 cup can make a 20-pound dog sick.

If that’s not enough onion-y brain fodder, check out the National Onion Association, the Encyclopedia Britannica, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, and the story of The Oldest Onion in Denmark.

I like learning when I read, and I try to include bits of lesser-known information in my stories. For example, gasoline cost ten cents a gallon during the Great Depression, and around the time of the Civil War, the census’s listed the occupation of prostitutes as seamstresses.

Bottom line: Consider adding a little onion to your writing!

SAY WHAT?

Posted on March 29, 2022March 29, 2022 by vlaw759

Today I feel like playing with words! Considering the history of the English language, it’s no wonder there are so many strange juxtapositions in our syllables. An easy illustration is lay and lei: one from Proto-Germanic and one from Hawaiian.

English is not the only language with homophones and homographs, of course. German, Korean, Vietnamese, and Mandarin are notorious for wordplay based on homophones and homonyms. The language with the most homonyms might be Rotokas, spoken by the people of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. There are only 150 possible syllables, so each syllable gets a lot of use!

Homophones

I’ll start with homophones, words that sound the same but are different in meaning or spelling. I’ve chosen words that are both! Here, in no particular order are some examples. (This is by no means an exhaustive list. Check here or here for many more examples!)

Can you use all the variations in a single sentence that makes sense?

All	Awl
Be	Bee
Forward	Foreword
Discreet	Discrete
Seed	Cede
Our	Hour
Aloud	Allowed
Pole	Poll
Sole	Soul
Roll	Role

Piece	Peace
Cue	Queue
Pea	Pee
Die	Dye
Low	Lo
Toe	Tow
Ail	Ale
Sheer	Shear
Here	Hear
Wear	Ware
Step	Steppe

Might	Mite
Bear	Bare
Limb	Limn
Knight	Night
Board	Bored
Liar	Lyre
Sweet	Suite
Deer	Dear
Stare	Stair
Ring	Wring

There are many pairs of homophones (some estimate as many as 6,000!), but some syllables work extra hard and mean three or more different things. Again, this is nowhere near an exhaustive list.

Sight	Site	Cite
Need	Kneed	Knead
Rheumy	Roomy	Roomie
Use	Ewes	Yews
Sense	Scents	Cents
Their	They’re	There
Aye	Eye	I
Lean	Lien	Leen
Poor	Pour	Pore

Do	Due	Dew
New	Knew	Gnu
Bye	Buy	By
Idol	Idle	Idyll
Aisle	I’ll	Isle
Meat	Meet	Mete
Weigh	Way	Whey
Naught	Knot	Not
Pair	Pare	Pear

Some homophones are dependent on the speaker’s accent. Words that sound the same in Johannesburg may be entirely different in Toronto.

All/Awl	Oil
Oral	Aural
Farther	Father
Ant	Aunt
Bizarre	Bazaar
Brooch	Broach
Collander	Calendar
Tot	Taught
Burrow	Burrough
Chilly	Chile

If you really want to go crazy, consider raise, rays, rase, rehs, res, réis, and raze.

Rase is a verb meaning “to erase”
Rehs is the plural of reh, a mixture of sodium salts found as an efflorescence in India
Réis is the plural of real, a currency unit of Portugal and Brazil
Res is the plural of re, a name for one step of the musical scale

Homographs

Then there are homographs, words that are spelled the same but differ in meaning or pronunciation. I’ve focused on the former here.

Bar as in drinking place, bar as in fasten the door, bar as in fastener or weapon
Part as in separate, part as in a piece of something
Snuff as in tobacco product, snuff as in smothering a candle flame
Yen as in Japanese currency, yen as in a desire
Clear as in weather, clear as in clean up
Foot as in body part, foot as in length
Wind as in moving air, wind as in turning something
Chair as in furniture, chair as in run a meeting
Stand as in get up, stand as in take a stand, stand as in piece of furniture
Case as in luggage or box, case as in court case
Bit as in took a bite of, bit as in horse harness, bit as in small amount
Swallow as in ingest, swallow as in bird
Pot as in vessel, pot as in plant, pot as in marijuana
Ring as in jewelry, ring as in bell
Wire as in piece of metal, wire as in electrical work, wire as in telegraph
Dig as in make a hole, dig as in “like it”
Bow as in bend from the waist, bow as in front of a boat
Stern as in firm, stern as in back of a boat
Park as in outdoor space, park as in leave a vehicle
Ear as in body part, ear as in corn
Second as in time, second as in between first and third

Many of these homographs are variations from a single word origin, and their various meaning can be traced back. If you want to wander down an internet rabbit hole, try looking up the etymology of homophones.

Walk from the Proto-Indo-European root “wel-” meaning “to turn or revolve“
- Travel on foot
- A pathway along which one might travel on foot
Pregnant from Latin “praegnantem” meaning “before birth“
- Person who is with child
- Tense pause (full of meaning)
Plate from Proto-Indo-European root “plat-” meaning “to spread“
- Flat sheet of metal that holds food
- Flat sheet of very thin metal coating an object so it looks like gold or silver
- Layer of the planet’s mantle holding continents, floating on magma
Secretary from Medieval French “secretarie” meaning “confidant, someone entrusted with secrets“
- Administrative assistant
- Officer
- Type of desk used by a secretary
Port from Proto-Indo-European root “prtu-” meaning “passage“
- Wine variety originating from the Portuguese city Oportus
- Place where boats anchor
- Left side of a ship when facing forward from the stern
- Medical appliance installed under the skin
Book from Proto-Germanic “bōk(ō)-” meaning “the part of a beech tree used to make tablets for written documents“
- Reading material
- Make a reservation (originally marked in a book, now more likely kept on a tablet)
Table from Latin “tabula” meaning “small flat slab, usually for inscriptions or games“
- Furniture for holding meals or other objects
- List of numbers and figures
- To enter into return to a list
Lift from Proto-Germanic “luftijan” meaning “to elevate”
- Pick up
- Elevator
- Giving a ride

Homographs (non-homophonic)

And then there are homographs that are spelled the same but differ in pronunciation as well as meaning. How many of these do you recognize?

Wind
Buffet
Minute
Bow
Bass
Evening
Coordinates
Proceeds
Does
Axes
Agape
Putting
Moped
Tear
Wound

In many cases, only a shift in stress from one syllable to another indicates whether the word functions as a noun or a verb. As with many elements of the English language, this “rule” has many exceptions.

Attribute
Produce
Refuse
Frequent
Discharge
Second
Entrance
Digest
Interchange
Content
Advocate
Discount
Contract

And just to increase your vocabulary one more time: homonyms can be either or both!

Bottom Line: It’s no wonder people have difficulty learning English as a second language!