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Kleptomania is “an obsessive impulse to steal regardless of economic need.”
You probably knew that already.
But what about
bibliokleptomania?
That’s
bib·lio
klep·to
ma·nia.
Can you deduce the definition?
If you related this tongue-twisting term to books, you’re on the right track.
Photo from the German Federal Archive via Wikimedia Commons
While I can’t be sure that boustrophedon wasn’t the ancient equivalent of a modern-day party trick, I can tell you that its style was meant to emulate the pattern of an ox plowing a field, back and forth.
How might you use boustrophedon (boo-struh-FEED-n) in your daily life?
I have no idea.
No, wait, that’s not true …
How about: boost ruh feed ‘n then yer cows’ll be a whole lot better off’n …
Seriously now brown cow, that only helps you remember how to say it.
How about teaching it to a kid—kids get a kick out of writing secret codes to fool their friends.
What’s more, you can say “boustrophedon” while you’re vacuuming the carpet
or mowing the lawn,
and won’t you feel smart ‘n sassy?
Brag if you want to, girlfriend, because now you know a word that most people wouldn’t dare try to define. Continue reading
Throughout history, men have managed to tag their names to countless gizmos and gadgets as well as species, medical procedures, landmarks, and doodads, claiming the lion’s share of eponyms for themselves.
An eponym, as you probably guessed, refers to a person after which a particular something is named.
Think Bunsen burner, Douglas fir, Kafkaesque, and, well …
Call me bewildered, bamboozled, and flat-out flummoxed!
Carol sent me a little word quiz this morning that left me scratching my noggin.
She hinted that the answer was one that should come easily to any true-blue farmgirl,
but the fact is …
it had us both hoodwinked.
So, let’s see if you can guess:
What English plural word does not contain any of the same letters as its singular equivalent?
Think on it as you ponder my lush pasture below, and then meander down the page to find the answer.
You should have seen her!
She was …
prickly
(but not peevish),
spiky
(yet not exactly sharp),
and thorny
(without a trace of temper).
I’m quite sure she had four tiny paws and a little black nose,
but she was curled up into a bristled ball such that I couldn’t tell one end from the other.
She was positively erinaceous!
Can you guess what she was?
Hammer. Hammer. Hammer.
OUCH! What a ninnyhammer.
No, I don’t mean the actual hammer …
Yowzer! It really hurts!
Sorry—I’m having trouble staying on track.
Where is that ice pack I put in the freezer?
I might as well tell you (you’ve already guessed):
I “nailed” my thumb instead of the nail I was aiming for,
and that makes ME the
ninnyhammer.
Perhaps you’d prefer
ding-a-ling,
featherhead,
goose,
mooncalf,
(yes, I said mooncalf),
nincompoop,
turkey,
yo-yo …
Take your pick.
Any way you slice it
(hammer it?)
it still hurts.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; Michael Jastremski
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Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
All proceeds (minus shipping and packing) will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo of the prop and its cost here along with a few details as to its condition. The first person to call the farm and talk with Brian, 208-882-6819, becomes the new owner of a little bit of herstory. Shipping will be either USPS or UPS, our choice. No returns.
