Subliminal

Subliminal actually means something usually below the level of known sensation or consciousness. It can be useful when advertising.

Happy New Year!

Tiro

A tiro (which can also be written as tyro) is a beginner or novice. Two or more are known as tiros.

I'm a tiro when it comes to wildlife photography, but fortunately this little bird hopped off instead of flying away, so I got some of it in focus. Anyone know what it is?

Nyctitropic

Nyctitropic is the movement, of plants, at night. Yep, daisies and cabbages are going to crawl out their beds and murder you in yours!

Nah, not really. This phenomenon is caused by changes in light or temperature. Usually it's no more alarming than leaves drooping or flowers opening at different times. For example mirabilis jalapa and nicotiana sylvestris flowers tend to be droopy in the daytime, but perk up in the evening and overnight. That's handy if you're pollinated by moths.

I admit it's not an easy word to drop into a story or casual conversation, but I'm sure you'll find a way.

Joint

This post was inspired by my friend Richard Peej's Facebook post. He put up a picture of a carpentry joint (I don't know why, but who am I to judge people's odd hobbies?) Soon others added images of a marijuana joint, Sunday joint and an elbow joint being put to good use (er, yes that last one was me)

Other uses for the word include a place to meet someone for a drink, something done in partnership (eg jointly writing a book) part of a book cover, cutting up a carcass for food, held or belonging to more than one person (joint account) the contrivance by which two artificial things are joined together (that's something to do with plumbing, I think) the part of a stem from which a leaf grows, the cement bit between bricks and to prepare something ready to be joined to something else.

If I've missed any, please let me know - that way this post will be a joint effort.

Mull

A mull is a promontory. Mull can also mean to ponder or consider. Mulling wine, beer or cider is heating it with sugar and spices. Eg I went to the Mull of Kintyre and mulled over whether or not to have a glass of mulled wine.

Mull apparently can also be a form of non acidic compost or a particular type of muslim, so I suppose I could have sat on a pile of mull at a mull* in the company of a mull. We may have mulled things over together, but we'd not have drunk any mulled wine.

*Not Kintyre though as the soils is acidic there.

Now I could have mulled some wine and photographed that as I do like the stuff, but then I remembered how much you like my pictures of Scotland (or at least are too polite to beg me to stop, which is just as good) so here's one of the foghorn at the Mull of Galloway. (I don't actually know the  man in the picture, but he stayed there so long I took the shot anyway, then walked down to see what he was looking at. It was a HUGE seal. He (the man, not the seal) then pointed out various different birds and explained about the tides and other interesting stuff.)

Craggy

A crag is a steep or rugged rock. Craggy can refer to a human face or the landscape and means rugged or rough textured. There are other versions of the word, for example in Scotland* the scenery got craggier as we approched the highlands, it was craggiest on Skye where the landscape is craggily magnificent.

Btw the pictures are all to illustrate craggy landscapes. It's purely coincidental that the same photographer just happens to be in all of them not long after remarking on the size of my bum.

*yes I have been to Scotland. I have some pictures if you'd like to see them ...

Crenellations of Tantallon

You might have known that crenellation is the uppy downy bits on battlements. You can have a point if you did. To crenallate is to provide a castle or tower with crenellation.

Did you know the uppy downy parts also have proper names? The gaps are crenels or crenelles. The bits between are merlons. Here's a sign to prove I don't just make all this stuff up.

And here's a picture of a castle, showing crenallation, which was taken on our recent trip and is obviously the entire reason for choosing today's word of a week. It's called Tantallon - isn't that a fantastic name for a castle?

We got there early and had the place to ourselves for the first half hour. I really must work it into a story.

Rummage

My friends Geoff and Edna suggested rummage as a word of the week*.  Like us, they're campervanners** (the picture is of the four of us celebrating finding a good pitch)

Campervanners often have to rummage. It can mean to search untidily and unsystematically. It doesn't matter how tidily and systematically you pack your van, that kind of approach never works when it comes to finding the corkscrew and chocolate.

A rummage can be a confused miscellanuous collection (of craft supplies perhaps, Edna?) A rummager is someone who rummages. Once you've finished rummaging you will have rummaged for long enough.

To rummage out is to find amongst other things. To rummage about is to disarrange. (That's another good word)

Rummage also refers to the arrangement of casks in the hold of a ship. That definitely needs to be done tidily and systematically or the ship will become unstable. Also it'll mean the sailors have to rummage about to find their rum.

*Pity it wasn't rustle, or I could have told you about Edna rustling up thai green kippers, or the time Geoff got us lost in the fog and we heard weird rustling sounds in the night (which turned out to be hundreds of sheep we'd not seen through the mist on our arrival)

**They're the friends mentioned in my recent radio interview. My bit starts ten minutes in and lasts for five minutes.

Quadrennial

Quadrennial can either mean lasting for four years, or recurring every four years. That's rather confusing, isn't it? Suppose I told you I had a cake eating binge on a quadrennial basis - would that mean I stuffed myself silly for forty-eight consecutive months, or that I lasted almost four years between blow-outs?

Now you're confused over the meaning of a word which you hadn't previously even knew existed. There's no need to thank me. I do this kind of thing out the goodness of my heart.

Paraselene

A paraselene is a bright spot, especially on a lunar halo. It's sometimes known as a mock or false moon. I'm not sure I entirely follow, but it's a nice word and maybe my friend Sheila will come along and explain it properly.

The picture is of the actual moon, taken by Gary. He's one of the bright spots in my life.

Looking at the view

Here's Gary photographing the view on the second day of our trip (er yes, he is stood just behind the sign warning of dangerous cliffs. He's like that) View used in this context means what is seen from a particular point. Of course what we can see might be a row of overflowing bins, but usually it's taken to refer to a picturesque, natural scene.

It can also mean the extent of visibility (his mistake was made in full view of his mother-in-law) a visual or mental survey (she viewed the results), an opinion or mental attitude (his mother-in-law held strong views about his intelligence) or with the aim of attaining something (she had a view to a divorce) or to bear something in mind (in view of what she'd seen him do).

A viewing is an opportunity for a visual inspection, such as when house hunting. Once you've viewed it you might want to take a long term view of it's suitability.

In view of the length of this post, I'll stop now and fill the kettle with a view to making a nice pot of tea.

Haiku

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry which traditionally have seventeen sylables and a seasonal reference. (The picture is of a Japanese anemone which flowers in my garden every autumn)

Don't know about you

but I simply cannot do

a decent haiku

Can do better? (or worse - I'd like to see that!) 

Riffled

Hands up who thought I'd put an extra f in the title? Anyone? No? Oh, I was sure I'd catch someone out. Riffling, as you know, means to turn pages in quick succession (my book Paint Me a Picture is such a page turner you're sure to riffle through it) to shuffle cards or something to do with gold washing. A riffle can also be a patch of waves or ripples (I particularly like that one)

Rifling on the other hand is putting spiral grooves in a gun barrel to make it more accurate (the gun in question could be a rifle, but they do it with other kinds too). Rifle can also mean to search and rob or carry off as booty. So someone might riffle through a gun inventory deciding which rifled rifle to rifle.

Keep your standards up

When I checked my dictionary to see if standardise should be spelled standardise or standardize I found that both versions are acceptable. Either way it means to make something fit in with a standard.  Have you noticed that standardisation often seems to involve bringing everything or everyone down to the lowest common denominator rather than trying to raise them up to the highest possible level?

Standardizes, standerdizing and standardized should all have a z according to my dictionary, although not to the spellchecker on my computer. That's helpful.

A standard is a level of quality, principles of good behaviour or a type of flag or lamp and the way some plants are trained. It can also mean the accepted norm or average.

Aphorism

An aphorism is a short statement of fact or opinion. They're often catchy and quotable. If you snooze you lose, All for one and one for all, Forgive your enemies but remember their names, Little strokes fell great oaks. Actually oaks feature quite a lot, From little acorns grow mighty oaks, Storms make oaks grow stronger roots, Today's oak is yesterday's nut which held its ground, The only cure for sea sickness is to sit with your back against an oak tree.

Even when aphorisms are opinion and/or wrong they're stated as facts eg Lightning never strikes the same place twice, Posession is nine tenths of the law, All things come to he who waits.

Sometimes they're designed to encourage better behaviour or spur us to action, If you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem, Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration, Nothing ventured nothing gained. They can also suggest a deeper meaning, All that glitters is not gold, You can lead a horse to water but can't make it drink.

Aphorisms often contradict each other, Oil and water don't mix, Opposites attract, You're never to old to learn, You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

One of my favourites is, Keep your powder dry. It's good advice.

Making a plash

Plash can mean a pool or puddle, or a splashing sound. It's usually used in reference to water and I feel it suggests something gentle and refreshing. A fountain plashing water into a large basin where wearry tourists stop to rest. A beach being plashed by the tide. The sound of oars plashing into a sunlit river overhung with willows.

It's the kind of sound we'd enjoy hearing on a hot midsummer's day.

Lickety-split

To go lickety-split means to rush headlong towards something, or travel at full speed. To me, it rather suggests one should be heading in the direction of a couple of frightfully nice chaps, serving lashings of ginger beer.

We don't generally go lickety-split in our van (it doesn't half rattle if we do) but we expect it to go where we want when we want. The other day it wouldn't go anywhere. Fortunately the RAC where able to coax it back into action.

We visited this castle with our van. I climbed the first turn of steps lickety-split, but by the time I reached the top it was more ... well what word or phrase do you think sums up the red-faced, gasping mess I was when I got up there?

I shall not abnegate

To abnegate is to give up or deny oneself something, particularly a pleasure. It can also mean to renounce or reject something, such as a right or belief. I'm no abnegator; I believe I shall enjoy eating the rest of this cake as much as I enjoyed the first slice. (I grated the zest of the lemon into the icing and the whole thing smells of citrus freshness.)