Author Archives: bethoffreshair

\ FIL-uh-math \  , noun; 1.A lover of learning; a scholar. 12:45-1:00 Little Waddler is napping and his dad goes to pick up the little Philomath from school.  So for now it’s me, my hot decaf soy latte that serves as lunch, and the book Madeline.  I put Madeline’s adventures on hold so I can pick up 10 toys, with hopes that maybe theContinue reading “philomath.”

\ ey-KLAH \  , noun; 1.Brilliance of success, reputation, etc. 2.Showy or elaborate display. 3.Acclamation; acclaim. Maya Angelou brought her eclat to the ‘jewel of the Blue Ridge,’ Madison County.  She was not showy, but a stunning sort of brilliant.  Her reputation brought a reverent silence over the auditorium.  She spoke, we listened.  She joked, we laugh.  She was honest, we cried.  I feel honored to haveContinue reading “eclat.”

 \ GUHNG-HO \  , adjective; 1.Wholeheartedly enthusiastic and loyal; eager; zealous. 2.In a successful manner. I was watching the cute lil waddler yesterday.  At age one, he is completely gung-ho about bouncy balls, tennis balls, wiffle balls, etc.  We were rolling the tennis ball around, once we got it from the dog, who is also gung-ho about them, and we lost it under the dresser.  I grabbedContinue reading “gung-ho.”

 \ HOM-uh-graf \  , noun; 1.A word of the same written form as another but of different meaning, whether pronounced the same way or not. I approached the Outback Steakhouse entrance before close.  I was under the entrance of the Chocolate Thunder From Down Under.  I was so close, they barely sat me at a table.  In fact, the hostess said I might’ve set a record, and she wrote it down to record it.  I practically doveContinue reading “homograph.”

\ KLAHCH \  , noun; 1.A casual gathering of people, esp. for refreshments and informal conversation. There has not been a word of the day that is so near and dear to my heart as this.  My sweet grandmother, Doris Elizabeth, introduced me to the world of coffee at a very young age.  We’d go to her house and have “coffee clutch” and gamble our pennies in a gameContinue reading “klatsch.”

dith-uh-RAM-bik\ , adjective; 1. Wildly enthusiastic. 2. Wildly irregular in form. 3. Of, pertaining to, or of the nature of a dithyramb. Origin: Dithyrambic  is ultimately from dithyrambos , a word of unknown origin but associated with Greek, meaning “a wild choric hymn, originally in honor of Dionysus.” Hey!!!!!!  Hope you’re all doing as wellContinue reading “dithyrambic.”

\EN-gram\ , noun; 1. The supposed physical basis of an individual memory in the brain. 2. A presumed encoding in neural tissue that provides a physical basis for the persistence of memory; a memory trace. I’m going to have a real hard time remembering this one.

\ ZEE-nith \  , noun; 1. A highest point or state; culmination. 2. The point on the celestial sphere vertically above a given position or observer. Opposite of nadir.   Each Christmas Eve, we attend a party held by our dear friend, a former Toronto Blue Jay manager. Coaches, announcers, and players fill the room. The same World Series ring shimmers in the light at each table as finger food is eaten.  These folks have reached the zenith of Major LeagueContinue reading “zenith.”

\ LAN-yap \  , noun; 1.A small gift given with a purchase to a customer, for good measure. 2.A gratuity or tip. 3.An unexpected or indirect benefit. I wish I would’ve known this word for my days in retail and we included something with their purchase.  I would’ve had a blast saying to customers, “Hey there.  Credit or Debit?  Thanks for coming in today, here’s your lagniappe!”  Some customers weren’t even happy with a free gift.  Downtown AshevilleContinue reading “lagniappe.”

\ kuh-LIJ-uh-nuhs \  , adjective; 1.Misty; dim; dark. Happy Winter, kind folks.  Last night was the first time since 1638 that the winter solstice happened along with a total lunar eclipse.  Mindy and I are now expressing our excitement in a situation by saying, “that’s so totally lunar!!” It was a beautiful caliginous night.  We crawled out on the roof justContinue reading “caliginous.”