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.”
Tag: writing prompts
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…
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.
Otherworldly Words: Hobgoblin
We all have fears, and the hobgoblin is a mythical representation of those fears. many of the creatures that people may have once believed in, to one degree or another, are easily explained away. The hobgoblin and his kin were the creatures of the night that whisked us away— and were used to warn children…
Otherworldly Words: Golem
Sometimes called a fetish or a voodoo doll, objects like a Golem are a sign of our wishes for supernatural interference in the natural world. Often, these moments are revenge for an act of injustice. We feel to weak or frightened to fill our own vendetta, or know that the authorities will not see to justice….
Otherworldly Words: Gall
Saying someone has a lot of gall is like literally saying they are filled with a bitter, disgusting fluid. Think about that. Many phrases are rooted in our physical reactions: ‘it gives me shivers’ or ‘I’m tingling all over.’ Such phases try to make concrete our feelings. But sometimes, like with gall, when you think a bit…
Otherworldly Words: Divination
Wishing to see the future, or divination, is a long sought-after talent. Whether that talent is a gift or a curse is still up to debate. Certainly, many of us would love the ability to see lottery numbers or stop the death of a beloved. Yet, in most tales of foresight, the moral often lies in…
Otherworldly Words: Deleterious
Deleterious is one of those words seldom used. When it is used, I think its context is often with health: “Smoking is deleterious to health.” It derives from the Greek, meaning to destroy. I mentioned in an earlier post that we have more words in our language to discuss negative emotions and aspects of life,…
ADRIANLILLY.COM 