Tassel

A tassel is generally a tuft of wool, or other thread used as a decoration on cushions, scarves etc. Some plant heads or flowers are also refered to as tassels, if their stamens or other parts appear tassel like. Young sweetcorn cobs are an example.

A tassel can also refer to a piece of wood or stone supporting a joist or beam.

Jackie Sayle indulged in a spot of tasselling when she created my druid initiate*, as she tasselled yarn for the hair. She makes lots of brilliant knitted characters which she sells to raise money for a charity which helps people with cancer.

*originally a gnome, but she and her friends are converting.
Happy hallowe'en!

Vegetably

Today's word of the week was suggested by Carolyn Henderson, after I used it in reply to a question she asked on Facebook – What does pumpkin taste like? My response was 'faintly vegetably'. That's about right, isn't it?








Vegetably means, of or relating to plants, reminiscent of vegetables, or with vegetative properties. I wonder what they are? That bit made me think of a caped swede (as opposed to Alexander Skarsgård who is sometimes a caped Swede and who I don't think of as often as you might imagine).










The word can also mean containing vegetables. Eg the beef pie was very vegetably, or with respect to vegetables.













My most recent book cover is rather vegetably, and the vegetables are pumpkins, so that all ties in very neatly and gives me an excuse to mention that Slightly Spooky Stories II is available now as a paperback or ebook and free to read if you have Kindle Unlimited.

Acanthus

An acanthus is a herbaceaous plant or shrub of the genus Acanthus. They have spiny leaves and tend to be big and noticeable. The kind of plant you'd describe as handsome, architectural or impressive, rather than pretty.

Talking of architecture, acanthus leaves are often the inspiration for stylized representations of plant life, often created from stone, used to decorate buildings, especially the tops of columns. Those can be called acanthus too.

Hare

A hare is any member of the animal family Leporidae.

They can run really fast, which is why my second shot is a bit blurry! It's also the reason the lures used in dog racing are called hares. I'm not sure, but the fact these go round in circles might be why people who dash about all over the place are said to be haring around.


To be hare-brained is to act in a rash or wild manner.

Should you try to remain on good terms with both parties during a difficult situation, you may be described as running with the hare and hunting with the hounds.

The Hare and Hounds sounds to me like one of those pubs which looks all nice and traditional on the outside, then tries to sell you 'deconstructed' food and refuses to serve it on plates.

To start a hare can be to open up a lively discussion or to set something in motion.  Hmmm... what do you think about restaurant food you have to assemble yourself, or which is served in a shoe, on a bat, or wrapped in a nappy?