Unlike yesterday’s word, nefarious, noisome, to my ear doesn’t sound anything like its meaning. Despite looking like “noise,” noisome actually derives from the same root as annoy. A skunk uses a noisome odor as its defense mechanism. Many chemicals have a noisome odor. Such odors, or at least our perception of them, are our own…
Tag: writers
Otherworldly Words: Nefarious
To my ear, nefarious is one of those words that sounds like what it means. Just saying, “nefarious plans” sounds pretty evil. The sound of the word isn’t the only reason I’m including it, however. The second part of the meaning, iniquitous, says so much about the crux of being “wicked” or “villainous.” The deeper…
Mayhem Monday: Which path?
It’s #MayhemMonday! I supply the mayhem, you try to survive.
Otherworldly Words: Necropolis
A necropolis is a final resting place for the bodies of those who have passed. As I discussed in mausoleum and charnel house, where to place the dead changes across time and culture. Such places hold deep meaning, and some become a pilgrimage. Droves of fans visit the graves of James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, and other icons. The…
Otherworldly Words: Monstrosity
When you hear monstrosity, do you automatically assume the reference to be negative? “The building is a Modern monstrosity.” In my mind, the term is loaded, not just referring to size or scale, but, in deed, comparing the object to a monster. “Dude, that Triple Bypass Burger is a monstrosity.”
Otherworldly Words: Moldering
In America, many houses are left to molder. Inner city mansions, farm houses, and prairie churches alike meet this sad fate. I find this waste of buildings reprehensible. (Did you know half of all waste in landfills is building materials?) The waste is unwarranted, but what’s…
Otherworldly Words: Mausoleum
Cemeteries across the world hold centerpieces. Many are family or community mausoleums. These repositories for our lost loved ones are part of what make historic cemeteries beautiful, peaceful places of quietude. I think that’s fitting. As we visit the ones we lost, we can escape the hectic pace of our lives, if even for just a…
Otherworldly Words: Legerdemain
Good sleight of hand, or legerdemain, proves how easily the eyes are deceived. People often say, “Seeing is believing,” without acknowledging that what we see is part of our perception. And our perceptions are colored by our biases. It’s easier…
Is this the oldest trial of a werewolf?
Peter Stubbe, known as The Werewolf Farmer of Bedburg, is an early werewolf villain who claimed to transform into a werewolf through the use of a bedeviled belt. Stubbe was tried and executed for his murderous crimes. While I enjoy a good werewolf scare as much as anyone, Stubbe would likely today be labeled a…
Otherworldly Words: Leviathan
Job 41: “Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook or tie down its tongue with a rope? Good question. But what’s the point? Something huge takes great endeavor would be my interpretation. This advice is good for writers, artists of all stripes, and fishermen. A word of caution….you may need a bigger boat.
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