Its okay I'll make everything alright

Now you may be a bit down or have some work that you could use some help with or just generally want someone to make things better. Well that is why I am here to:

Ameliorate

the situation. This is a rather useful verb meaning to make things better or improve something. I enjoy its use because of the wonderful melody it creates on saying it and the way you can slip it into many and varied conversations. For instance you could even use it in such an every day sentence as 'you could ameliorate that sandwich by adding a little mayonnaise' or 'if you add error bars to your graph it will ameliorate the results by vindicating them'. Also remember something can be ameliorable as well, i.e. an ameliorable guide that makes finding the best bars easy.

So there you go one small(ish) verb to make everything better.

Ed

I'm not boasting or anything but . . .

You may remember talk of hubris nature, well now we take quite the opposite tack almost shy or:

Demure

This is an adjective meaning shyness and modesty. For instance 'why are you being so demure about this, it is quite an achievement'. What I quite like about this word though is its additional use as a synonym for sober or somber i.e. 'you're looking awfully demure tonight'.

You may be wondering why I am drawing this word to your attention, it is neither long nor exotic to be fair it is rather dowdy. However, therein lies the point. The drab way in which it rolls off the tongue mirrors the retreated meaning of the word.

So I leave you in hope that you will be demure in triumph, not in the pub.

Ed

Tip Top

Ever wondered what is at the very top, that summit, that culmination of a crest?

Zenith

This is the highest point or peak. Alternatively it is the opposite of nadir, the road below your feet. Making the zenith the celestial point above your head.

Now you may be thinking great a nice new noun with a z but how do I use it? For once this is a word you can throw into your every day vernacular as an easy replacement for top with great effect. An example could be 'Do you think Rooney has passed the zenith of his career?' or 'I am going to strive to get to the zenith of my potential'. Admittedly it does sound a bit weird though if you ask someone to get you a book from the 'zenith shelf'. But a meeting at the zenith of the stairs does have an air of class.

So remember keep yourself away from the nadir, also known as the point of greatest despair, and moving on up towards your own personal zenith.

Ed

A Change of mind

I've decided to not let this blog die a death through negligence. In a turn of serendipity this change of mind brought me to another adroit word with which to kick things back off again:
Caprice
This is an unpredictable change in weather or mind. Now, you maybe be thinking I've heard that before but not sure where. Well on occasion it is used as a girl's name or probably better known as a car name (Holden or Chevrolet). These uses amuse me, especially imagining in the moments after a girl's berth a mother rather than going for her original choice of Anna suddenly and ironically changing her mind to Caprice.Still for use in an everyday scenario you could comment on someone's constant mind changing as 'Danny is so caprice; he changes his mind without reason or rhyme'. Alternatively on response to someone's change of mind 'Do you have any reason for that decision, or are you just being totally caprice about this?'. Of course there is also the use I get away with most to do with the weather. 'You best take a coat and umbrella with you, it may be sunny now but don't forget the caprice nature of weather in England'.
So here begins again our journey through words just be wary of a change of weather or mind.
Ed

HELLO!

Do you hear me? Do you understand me? Am I communicating my ideas in an elucidating manner? If you find a public speaker asking these questions you may find they do not comprehend the meaning of the word:

Lamprophony

This is a clarity of voice at an audible level. So a mumbling, or a heavily salivating jowled, speaker could be described as having a poor lamprophonic quality.

I see this word as one with a lot of potential to cement a place in our current vernacular, as an opportunity for its use presents its self in a quotidian fashion. For instance instead of saying 'sorry, I didn't catch that' or 'could you repeat that' you have an opening to quip 'Your lamprophony is poor could you repeat yourself' or 'You were maundering please increase your lamprophony and try again'.

So I bid you fair serendipity in keeping your communications clear and thus avoiding obfuscating matters.

Ed

A little bit of Luck

Feeling lucky? Well maybe you will stubble across this word:

Serendipity

This word has its complexity in not the obscurity of it but finding a way to bring it into your quotidian vernacular. The meaning of the word is what I feel throws most people off as it is an aptitude for good fortune or luck. Yet you can not merely substitute serendipity into any sentence containing lucky or fortuitous. However, it does work in times where someone is having luck, such as 'he had the serendipity to find a four-leafed clover'.

So serendipity is not something you can have it is some thing you are.

Thus I ask you to go forth and be your very most serendipitous selves.

Ed

Niceties

'I think you have that slightly wrong, it should be this . . .' is not a sentence you hear too often. If you have sophomania or afflatus it is likely you have never heard this, it falls into that inxplicable deaf region in all hubris natured people's hearing. However, a quiet word correcting you is a great way to learn without loss of confidence, so coaches and teachers often use:

Admonition

This is a gentle reproof, council or advice from a supportive figure. So if you are struggling with a problem even if it is as small as spelling or as big life I am sure you have someone from whom you can ask for admonition. You may even be in the happy position of being an administer of admonition yourself, but whatever your situation there are people to help.

To recognise these barers of admonition I suggest you thank your supportive figures.

Ed

Hey Beautiful

Did you know you look amasing today, why not read on and allow me to continue inveigling, as you are so smart I'm sure you will understand everything I write. I have gone through in past posts words that range from arrogance through sadness even to confusion, hopefully you clever people found them all to be epigrams.

If you have not yet fallen prey to my flattery maybe I need to be a little more obvious or possibly you already know the word:

Inveigle

This is a word to describe the act of luring or ensnaring someone through flattery or artful talk. So if you engorge your vernacular to a great enough extent then you can inveigle your way to anything you want. Whether that is poker with unlucky friends, discounts from shops or dates with pretty people.

A Slanderous word

Words that often seam most interesting are those that are either long or short and complicated. Some of these shorter words appear most exotic when they use less common constant sounds made from letters like v,z and x. Thus I give you:

Vilify

This is a word that evolved from the use of vilificare, to make cheap. As such it means to speak ill of someone or something i.e. to slander or discredit worth.

The rarity of this word in popular vernacular maybe due to it's difficulty to fit into conversation and everyday life. For instance one's tendency would be to say 'Dave bitched about Liam' as bitch, and thus all its related forms, is part of current parlance. However this again gives me opportunity to champion non-crass language in suggesting the use of vilified. As such 'Dave vilified about Liam' in some instances this would also be more accurate as 'bitched' gives an air of negativity to the person discrediting another. Where as vilify and its other forms need not encapsulate that negative connotation.

Thus I bid you go forth and vilify, there is plenty to slander.

Ed

A Sad word

If you are quick to tears and easily upset maybe you should look away now. Or maybe not as this word is for you:

Lachrymose

This is a word to mean mournful. And as hinted to above further definitions are that of 'to course tears' or 'to shed tears readily'.

However if this post's substance, or lack there of, causes lachrymose in you the reader then the effect is complete.

Ed

Clarity

We can not go through life knowing everything, even if some act as if they do. Thus it is a common and conventional thing for us to encounter information in our day to day life that we have not heard before or confuses us. So this word comes to ease that:

Obfuscate

Although the word is a verb meaning to confuse it can be remembered in order to cushion that, often unwanted, realisation that indeed we are fallible. By giving you something you do know. It may also be used in a retaliatory context if some one were to intentionally bewilder you. When faced by such a situation a retort remarking on their obfuscatory information or phrase can in turn obfuscate the provocateur if he is unbeknownst to the word's existence.

I hope this post is unconfusing, unbefudling and unobfuscating.

Ed

An addition to the plethora of words

In a brief look towards the etymology of words it can be seen that on occasion a word can develop out of a phrase. A rather interesting example of which is:

Vulpine

This word's origin is an adjective pertaining to a likeness to a fox. However, from this an additional, and arguably more commonly used, definition has arisen. Cunning.

You may now have already come to the realisation as to which phase has caused this change in terminology. The phrase to which I elude is actually 'Crazy like a fox'. Its meaning being that a fox will act in an erratic manner to avoid harm and save it's self. So foxes are said to be cunning as acting crazy is part of a defence to out wit an assailant. Thus the phrase evolved becoming 'As cunning as a fox'. Or in the case of Blackadder "as cunning as a fox what used to be Professor of Cunning at Oxford University but has moved on, and is now working for the UN at the High Commission of International Cunning Planning".

To state 'you are as cunning as a fox' became a fox likeness and so cunning a synonym of vulpine.

With this new illumination on the orange creature, who may well be rummaging through your rubbish, I give credence to your next phrase. Could it too bring about a change in etymology?

Ed

A jovial word

As this blog has progressed it appears to have taken somewhat a negative slant always favoring the suggestion of derogatory words to help expand our social vernacular. So turning to a more hopeful note I give you:

Adroit

This is a complimentary adjective praising the expert or nimble use of one's hands or body. Thus a pianist could be said to be adroit or in deed t can be used to elude to a person's skill or ingenuity such as 'Lionel is an adroit footballer'.

So with the weather improving, especially for those heliophiles among us, I give you a positive word with which I hope will help you see the adroitness in others.

Ed

The Quinquennial Word

In order to enhance our current common parlance I give you this post. However, in expanding the plethora of words used in day to day correspondence I must avoid earlier admonitions suggesting such expansive use of unusual vocabulary can cause sophomania.

With this thought prominent in my mind I give you:

Unctuous

This is an adjective for someone or something that is overly smooth. Yet a secondary use, which is often adorned with a derogatory intonation, is that of someone who is excessively suave or smug. Hence the link to the earlier mention of sophomania which has an essence of smugness encompassed in it.

Thus you may use unctuous in order to comment on a slippery surface, to indicate someone's hubris mood or someone who is rather sophisticated.

With that I bid you farewell,

Ed

One more word

The aim of these posts is to be informative. Yet I wish them to be terse enough to keep you interested and hopefully intrigued enough to keep reading.

With that in mind I feel this word is rather apt.

Epigram.

This is a curt witty statement ending in an ingenious or clever twist of thought. However, the pressure now comes because I am required to produce an 'ingenious' ending in order to attain the level required by my high asperations.

Thus I put to you the idea that rules are made to be broken therefore suggestions are made to be ignored. Cliched ridden but also a useful mantra for those who are epically lathargic.

Just something to think about, or not if you are lazy.

Ed

Yet another word

As I read more and think actively about this blog I find myself being pickier as to what words to put forward.

Thus I think this word is rather relevant.

Fastidious.

This is a synonym of finicky and thus can be used to define someone who is very meticulous. So quite obviously you could use this word instead of the rather more crass phase often used which is to say that some one is 'anal'. If a person where to be overly precise with things. As is the ambition of this blog to move away from possibly offencive or boring colloquialisms towards the majestic use of an expansive vocabulary, fastidious is a perfect example.

Wishing you all sun, sea and books

Ed

Oh I do love sarcasm, or do I mean irony

It appears to have became a common phrase to say 'Only the English really understand satirical wit'. However occasions of late have caused me to question if we actually know ourselves.

The main reason I question this is the often liberal use of the word sarcasm to the extent that it has almost become a cliche.

Sarcasm is when appearing to praising something while insulting it. Such as 'Yes Sire you look wonderful' when in fact he is an grotesque amorphous blob. Now the case of saying 'Sure I'll do that washing up later' when in actual fact having no such intention is really a form of verbal irony.

So to clarify saying one thing and meaning another is irony yet an insulting meaning to a complement is sarcasm.

Yes the differences are subtle nonetheless they are still there.

For day to day life this may just be a fastidious flight of fancy, yet I urge you next time pause a moment just to query. Because of course without questions we would have no answers.

Yours incredulous as always

Ed

A few thoughts

My last post made me ponder, yes we all have our own ego but do we have a communal social ego and maybe further a social arrogance. It has been seen in the past that a community will boast superiority over another. I mean not just religions, for I wish not to go down that path, but also between those of different education. When I say education I do not just mean standered school learning, I more refer to what you learn beyond that. Yes it is cliched but you do learn something new every day even if it is something inconsequential like the score of a football match. From everything we read and hear we either choose to believe or dismiss. This decision in most cases does not even cross the conscious mind. For instance you would never listen to the news and then think 'I don't agree with that it didn't happen', unless you check your calendar and it happens to be the 1st of April. So with every bit of information you learn you are taking a point of view as to what is correct.

This is where I feel the arrogance comes in. With this increase in knowledge I feel we look back at our past selves and previous ages and think higher of current society thanks to those advances. Yet we always seams so short sighted as if the knowledge we have now is the be all and end all.

I like to think I do not fall into this trap, again a sign of arrogance, thanks to being a scientist. I deal every day with theories, not facts, theories as to what models best describe the world around us. A theory is just a guess never to be proved right but only surviving until proved wrong.

However following this way of thinking to the letter can prove rather depressing because you end up with the view that we know nothing and so have not advanced beyond those that went before as they too knew nothing. But that though is easily quelled as I write, or you read, this note. Its very existence proves our ability to create whether it be language, via which we communicate, or through the physical act of communication. Thanks to not just the internet but computers and electricity and even going back as far as to look at those who sourced and distributed the materials from which all those things were made. This sort of view of understanding, and to an extent thanking, all the things done and the people they are done by is one adopted by Taoists.

This is a view I think could make all of us a little less arrogant i.e. thinking less of ourselves by realising all the things those that came before us did put us where we are today.

With that thought lingering I bid you Adieu

Ed

Another Word

I found great joy in writing my last note and it has lead me to look to a plethora of reading materials in search of more. I am starting to notice the beauty of language available. The subtleties of certain turns of phrase, once lost on me are on bringing new found joy.
The word for today is Hubris
The description of which is akin to arrogance. As in it describes a state of over confidence in ones self or indeed an overindulged sense of pride.
Thus you could use the word to pitch back a contemporary who is excessively pleased with themselves. However this would be some what of a double edged sword if the retort to your saying 'You are being overtly hubris' were to be 'what is hubris?' because undoubtedly in this scenario it would draw a sly smile on your part. With this knowledge of you bettering your contemporary unwillingly your ego would grow and subsequently cause a possible self confidence bordering on hubris it's self. An ironic turn of events I am sure you could appreciate.
Yours ingenuously
Ed

Words of Wisdom

To keep an ever growing thirst for the use of poetic language quenched, I believe a sizable vocabulary is required.
So with that in mind I give you Words of Wisdom.
A good way to look at this is the method of verbatim, i.e. using exactly the same words, however this does require a decent muse. So reading, or better still listening, to eloquent people is key.
The word for today is Catatonic.
This is a description most often used to explain the state of someone in great shock or in relation to schizophrenia. This is due to it's physical manifestation being that of rigidity and mental stupor with the person often being completely confused or influenced by great excitement.
Thus the phrase 'He/She looks/looked catatonic' could be used to explain a person in great distress with not understanding a situation or experiencing unrestrained joy.
Yours warts and all,
Ed

A new Start for me

Welcome to a new beginning, for me anyway.
Blogging cool or not? Yes I see the irony. I am starting this due to a random bet with a housemate who I thought was not stupid enough to become a twit. So we have both conformed to a new generation of communication.
However I am not all together unhappy as this gives me chance to extend my litterary output. As a physicist by day it will help to strech my language beyond the direct notoin of sicentific notation.
So for now I will say sault and bid you all a goodday

Ed