April is a month for fools! From words that refer to natural phenomenon that have misled us to words to describe the things we do to make fools of others, this month I’ll explore words to do with some sort of trickery. First up is brocken spectre. This optical illusion caused by one’s own shadow…
Category: #Otherworldly Words
For October I unveil a daily dose of the unusual, the dark, the bizarre on a linguistic journey through words befitting the season. Join me as we explore Otherworldly Words − words that help us express the frightening matters that often are hard to explain.
Otherworldly Words: Foreboding
Many people’s minds turn to basketball during this time of year. Not mine. I think of Julius Caesar and the dire warning to “beware the Ides of March.” So March is the perfect month for #Otherworldly Words to explore the vocabulary of warnings. Each word in this group foretells something wicked this way coming. Foreboding is more or…
Otherworldly Words: Presentiment
Many people’s minds turn to basketball during this time of year. Not mine. I think of Julius Caesar and the dire warning to “beware the Ides of March.” So March is the perfect month for #Otherworldly Words to explore the vocabulary of warnings. Each word in this group foretells something wicked this way coming. Presentiment comes from a…
Otherworldly Words: Premonition
Many people’s minds turn to basketball during this time of year. Not mine. I think of Julius Caesar and the dire warning to “beware the Ides of March.” So March is the perfect month for #Otherworldly Words to explore the vocabulary of warnings. Each word in this group foretells something wicked this way coming. While ominous indicates a…
Otherworldly Words: Ominous
Many people’s minds turn to basketball during this time of year. Not mine. I think of Julius Caesar and the dire warning to “beware the Ides of March.” So March is the perfect month for #Otherworldly Words to explore the vocabulary of warnings. Each word in this group foretells something wicked this way coming. Of the words that…
Otherworldly Words: Idolater
While St. Valentine’s Day has passed, #OtherworldlyWords continues to look at four words that describe the downside of love and attraction. The final word in this month’s theme is idolater. An idolater is one who worships idols or is an “immoderate admirer.” Many of us have worshiped Hollywood Idols from time to time. When this admiration…
Otherworldly Words: Infatuate
While St. Valentine’s Day has passed, #OtherworldlyWords continues to look at four words that describe the downside of love and attraction. This week’s word is infatuate. No one likes to act a fool, but love sometimes makes us lose our head. Comically, the word is from the Latin root meaning “to gape.” So, being infatuated means to stand…
Otherworldly Words: Obsess
Ah, amore! It’s February and our minds turn to St. Valentine’s Day and longing gazes and tokens of love. But what about when love crosses the line? #OtherworldlyWords returns with a look at four words that describe the downside of love and attraction. While marketed as a good thing for cologne, obsession can have its…
Otherworldly Words: Bewitch
Ah, amore! It’s February and our minds turn to St. Valentine’s Day and longing gazes and tokens of love. But what about when love crosses the line? #OtherworldlyWords returns with a look at four words that describe the downside of love and attraction. First up is bewitch. With its origin in Old English, this word…
Otherworldly Words: Will-o’-the-wisp
Perfect for Halloween Night, will-o’-the-wisp is the ghostly light in the woods that is always just in front of you. So much of nature has inspired our tales of horror as we grapple with understanding the difference between the natural world and the preternatural. I’ve long thought the much maligned full moon lit the way…
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