Cranial Celebrations – Fun With Words

 

I’ve written before about my love of words and the games I’ve played with them since I was very young. I find words a fascinating play-fellow. Whenever I run across a fun word or phrase while I’m reading I make a note of it.

 

Cerebral insolvency

This was from a mystery novel. It described a rather oafish, crude man as being “cerebrally insolvent” and I thought that was a marvelous description.

 

Nominative Determinism

It’s the hypothesis that people tend to gravitate towards areas of work that fit their names. I used to love playing with the phone book to see how many “job” names I could find. Examples like Baker, Cooper, Banks, etc.

 

Abattoir

It’s a slaughterhouse. One of the first times I came across this was in a Monty Python sketch where an architect was supposed to design an apartment building. With rolling floors and revolving knives…

 

Oubliette - (ooo blee ette)

It’s a secret dungeon accessible through a trap door. Very fancy name for a hidey-hole.

 

Shibboleth

A particular custom, principle or belief. “Y’all” is a shibboleth associated with southern culture. In Judges 12:6 it’s a word to distinguish between enemy and ally. There are many other examples. If you can work it into a conversation, you will be noticed.

 

Bureau

I STILL have trouble remembering how this is spelled!!

 

Pince-nez (pants-nay)

Those glasses without temples that perch on your nose. Like the ones Teddy Roosevelt wore. It comes from the French for “to pinch” and “nose” and I had the hardest time remembering how it was pronounced.

 

The room had no tongue, yet it spoke volumes/yet the walls spoke volumes.

I don’t remember which way it was written, but the meaning is the same. I love the mental picture of inanimate things having a “voice”. “I bought that dress because it spoke my name.”