Flibbertigibbet
Quick – name a character in in a book, play, or mythology you would describe as a flibbertigibbet. Did you say Maria, that gutsy, guitar playing, mountain top twirling nun from The Sound of Music?...
View ArticleEnsconce
photo by Tony Maden I recently became a huge fan of British comedic actress Miranda Hart. I have my husband to thank for this. He got hooked on Call the Midwife. Yes, you read that right; my husband...
View ArticleCompact and Bijou
You may think my husband’s car is small, but he would say his little habanero orange Prius C is compact and bijou. Compact and what? Compact and bijou. Isn’t that a wonderful phrase? Of course you know...
View ArticleBrooch
Okay, now you gotta admit, this is a funny word; brooch. Go on, say it…brooch. Chances are you wouldn’t have to check Merriam Webster to know it’s, “an ornament that is held by a pin or clasp and is...
View ArticleSimpatico
I love this word. Okay, okay, I say that about nearly all of these bon mots. But simpatico just has that roll-off-the-tongue quality. It’s hard to mispronounce. And to me, it’s so very evocative. The...
View ArticleGumption
That gal’s got gumption! It’s curious to me that I only ever connect this word to females. There’s nothing in it’s meaning to suggest the feminine. The Oxford Dictionary tells us gumption is shrewd or...
View ArticleKibosh
The morning was so gorgeous, we were thinking we might have a picnic on the front lawn in the afternoon. Sadly, the rain put the kibosh on that plan. Kibosh. What a great word to use when you want to...
View ArticleMoxie
“Moxie originated as a patent medicine called ‘Moxie Nerve Food,’” Really? That’s what wikipedia says about the word moxie. Maybe you knew that, but I sure didn’t. I thought moxie meant courage or...
View ArticleSchmaltzy
It was a Saturday morning in May of 2013. We were seated around a table in the meeting room at Lackman Library discussing The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly, when one of our members pronounced, “I...
View ArticleJangly
I love this word. Two images come to mind when I hear jangly. First, I picture a dozen silver and gold bracelets on a woman’s arm, clanging musically against each other as she talks animatedly, moving...
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