More words

[slemslempike]

I spent the afternoon in the reading room at the library trying to absorb Butler's argument in Bodies that Matter. While I in no way back down from my stance that people who write in library books, even in pencil, should be forcibly tattooed with THOUGHTLESS IDIOT, these bits did amuse me:







And what better framing device for my own list of words I have looked up recently. There are rather fewer than before because I have been reading less of anything, and nothing of Will Self.

Brumaire - Second month of the French revolutionary calendar - the month of mist (October/November)
internecine - mutually destructive conflict
cynosure - a centre of attraction
cicisbeo - admirer of a married woman / knot of ribbon on a fan
labile - unstable, easily changing
paramnesias - false memory
antebellum - period preceding American Civil War
inchoate - not yet completed
aphasia - inability to use or understand language
Keratin - primary protein of hair, skin, nails
Chlamys - short woollen cloak
tabouret - low upholstered stool
colonnade - row of columns
quinquet lamp - where oil resevoir is higher than the flame (apparently same as Argand lamp?)
monism - doctrine that all things are part of the same reality
mimetic - reflective of reality

And other things I've learnt from books:
Sadza is a dish of grain meal, mbodza is underdone/inedible food.
After reading Berlant, who talked about "the cliche that queers are light in the loafers", I am introduced to a new term, which is apparently meant to be about mincing? Anyway. That was a new thing I learned.

With regard to the last post, as you may have worked out from other people's answers, the offical flower of the United Staes is... the rose. Which, apart from being blatant copying (it's totally ours! We had a war of them and everything!), is not a flower I associate with America in the slightest.

I have been trying to learn things about history as well. I made a chart with British monarchs, prime ministers, US presidents, French kings/presidents and Russian Emperors/leaders. 1710-1949. I'm never going to remember any of them, but it did lead to a pleasant Sunday colouring things in. There is not nearly enough colouring in in my life at the moment.

Henry Pelham was succeeded as Prime Minister in 1754 by his brother, the Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. FACT.

Comments

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

Lots I didn't know this time! I always get 'cynosure' mixed up with 'sinecure'.

'antebellum' could refer to any war, I should think.

[cellardor.livejournal.com]

Ma ha! I knew two this time. Antebellum and Keratin. Having done American Studies as a degree and having a mother who's a hairdresser I really should know them.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

paramnesias - false memory

Another word I know due to Star Trek! Yay for educational telly! (I even know the episode: Next Gen, Mind's Eye, ahem.)

And mimetic is one I learned in Dune. Because, as it turns out, I wouldn't know any uncommon words at all if it weren't for sci-fi. Ahrrm.

I am going to try and use internecine in conversation now, yes.

[sabethea.livejournal.com]

Unlike last time, I knew quite a few of these words. Which makes me feel extremely smug, which is totally unjustified as I suspect you've been reading Regency era novels recently and that's why I already knew the words...

[anglaisepaon.livejournal.com]

Mimetic - I probably heard that word at least 20 times a day in grad school. I still hate the sound of it.

And tabouret I only know from Georgette Heyer. Hurrah for fluffy reading!

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

I didn't know paramnesias, or the lamp.

[frightened.livejournal.com]

I thought "labile" meant "lippy" and "internecine" meant "complicated and twisty", so good to know!

[gair.livejournal.com]

Those annotations are hilarious and I thank you for the photographs.