13 October 2017

Forgotten writers



Is it worse to be forgotten than never known? BBC author Hephzibah Anderson reveals the reasons why several famous and successful authors have been forgotten and suggests that it's up to readers to keep them alive. Finding the out-of-print books in second-hand book shops is half the joy. Yes it is. Fortunately, we have several charity shops in our town that carry lots of second hand books, as well as a second-hand dedicated book store. And I love them all.

Personally, I would rather be forgotten than never known. At least then there's a chance of being found again.

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20171010-the-great-writers-forgotten-by-history

06 October 2017

Annual Washington Post Neologism Contest

Thank you Washington Post for once again introducing some levity into the national conversation.


ANNUAL NEOLOGISM CONTEST

Once again, The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternative meanings for common words.

The winners are:
1. Coffee (N.), the person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.
3. Abdicate (V.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Esplanade (V.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly (Adj.), impotent.
6. Negligent (Adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
7. Lymph (V.), to walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle (N.), olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence (N.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
10. Balderdash (N.), a rapidly receding hairline.
11. Testicle (N.), a humorous question on an exam.
12. Rectitude (N.), the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon (N), a Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster (N.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism (N.), (back by popular demand): The belief that, when you die, your Soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent (N.), an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.