Posted by: Zoe L on Sunday, October 31, 2010
Inspired by Keats and his ode ’To Autumn’, we’re feeling a bit poetic. And in honour of the new season, this month we are mostly liking gloaming.
Gloaming (noun) is that dusky time of the evening, where the shadows are long and the sun has nearly disappeared for the day.
Not really used much nowadays, perhaps it’s time for a revival.
“You can’t play out on your bikes much longer, it’s nearly gloaming.”
“We collected conkers and berries long into the gloaming hours.”
A similar, and equally evocative word is crepuscular. Those twilight hours or things that become active when the sun goes down.
“Vampires are so popular these days. I can’t understand my daughter’s fascination with those crepuscular creatures.”
“Students are so crepuscular; they never see daylight.”
Posted by: Gareth on Thursday, July 15, 2010
This month’s word is: Glamping
Short hand for glamorous camping (you see what they did there?) If, like most of the women (and the odd man) in our office, you need your duvet, cafetiere or Cath Kidston hamper when sleeping under canvas, then you’re a glamper. (Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!)
Examples:
We hired a yurt at Glastonbury this year – it’s the ultimate in glamping!
Or
Look at those two with their shabby-chic tent, laptops and top-to-toe Boden, they’re such glampers.
Posted by: Gareth on Monday, July 20, 2009
This month’s word is:
Pettifogger – someone who argues over something petty or trivial, or who is excessively concerned with unimportant detail.
What a lovely word.
Example:
‘Stop being such a terrible pettifogger and focus on the main points of the case!’
There’s a few people not a million miles away that this would apply to…
Posted by: Chris on Saturday, June 6, 2009
This month’s word is Humdudgeon.
The urban dictionary actually gives a few definitions.
1) A person down on his/her luck
2) A grumpy simpleton
3) Someone who sits in the corner of parties angrily eyeing guests, or pervertedly leering at the young female guests
4) Someone who sits in the corner at a party POKING other guests as they walk by… usually with a drink in their hands.
‘Oh my goodness, what a humdudgeon you’ve met there.’
‘That hundudgeon really rubs me up the wrong way.’
Posted by: Gareth on Sunday, May 10, 2009
This month’s word is Betwixt.
This month’s word was chosen purely because we love its feel of old fashioned, fusty bookishness: Betwixt (adverb or proposition) – meaning ‘between’
“Betwixt” and “between” have similar origins: they both come from a combination of the prefix ‘be-’ and an Old English root meaning ‘two’. Both words appeared before the 12th century, but the use of betwixt dropped off considerably toward the end of the 1600s.
It survived in the phrase “betwixt and between” (neither one thing nor the other), but nowadays betwixt is uncommon. It’s still widely understood, though, and this writer, for one, will be making a conscious effort to reintroduce it into common parlance. Until next month’s word, at least.
Inspired by Keats and his ode ’To Autumn’, we’re feeling a bit poetic. And in honour of the new season, this month we are mostly liking gloaming.