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There's a Word for That: Nonsense

I’m a big fan of words in general, but some of my favorite words are nonsense.  Nonsense words just seem more fun to say.  I think, ultimately, I have two women and one man to thank for this.  The man is Dr. Seuss (aka Theo LeSeig, aka Theodore Geisel), who recently celebrated his 106th birthday.  The man himself is no longer with us, but he has left a lasting legacy of wonderful books, many of which are filled to the brim with nonsense words and rhymes. The two women are my mother and my grandmother.  My grandmother, who is now 91, handed down a collection of nonsense rhymes and lyric that I don’t even know the depths of.  Moments ago, I called my mom to inquire about one of the rhymes, … Read entire article »

Filed under: There's a Word for That, Write & Blog

There's a Word for That: City Names

There's a Word for That: City Names

First, let me say that I am not really a history buff.  In order to be really into history, you have to memorize dates and names and locations of when stuff happened, and I am not very good at memorizing.  BUT, it’s always interesting to me to know the history of the place I am living – who came before me and what life was like in my city/town 20, 50, 100 years ago. The problem … Read entire article »

Filed under: There's a Word for That

There's a Word for That: Drinking

Ok, it’s 11:44 at night, so I’ve got 16 minutes to write this post and still get it published on a Wednesday. (Yes, it’s been that sort of day).  So, this week, I’m taking the suggestion of my friend and fellow blogger, Hilary, for our TWT topic.  (I feel like TWT already stands for something, but I’m not sure what.  Maybe that will be next week’s post.) Anyway, Hilary suggested that I find out what people call a drinking fountain.  I’m guessing that means she has a clever word for it.  (We’re all waiting, Hil!)  My pal Jill also brought up the word scuttlebutt on a TWT post, and through research I learned that scuttlebutt can mean a flask of water on the deck of a boat.  Personally, I call a … Read entire article »

Filed under: There's a Word for That, Write & Blog

There's a Word for That: Who's Your Baby?

There's a Word for That: Who's Your Baby?

Who’s Your Baby? Our babies are California and Smurf Beef.  No really.  Carina has two baby dolls, and those are their names.  Both were gifts from Grandma. California (pronounced Californa) came first.  We have no ties to California, so I’m fairly sure we don’t talk about it much, but as we all know with preschoolers, they only have to hear it once in order to add it to their vocab arsenal. Smurf Beef is the second born, … Read entire article »

Filed under: Mommyhood, There's a Word for That

There's a Word for That: Wayfinding

As a trained technical writer and a former museum employee, wayfinding signs (signs used to tell people where to go) intrigue me.  I recently came across this one and had to wonder what the designer was thinking when they put it together. So, this week I’d love to hear your thoughts on this sign.  Is there a word for that? You might have to use more than one word, but leave a comment with what you think this sign is trying to tell us. … Read entire article »

Filed under: There's a Word for That, Travel

There's a Word for That: Scuttle part 2

Greetings all.  Sorry I missed my “There’s a Word for That” post last week.  One of my recent blogging hurdles is that I spent a week in a location where internet access was VERY expensive, and I am too cheap to shell out the big bucks for things I think should be free. Anyway, on with the show.  I loved all the comments with your thoughts on the definition of the word Scuttle.  Here I thought I was going to be original in my association of the word with the bird in the little Mermaid movie.  I guess we children of the 90’s (and moms of the 00’s) all think alike.  My other “personal” definition was to move like a crab, which many of you mentioned as well. So, it turns out … Read entire article »

Filed under: There's a Word for That, Write & Blog