Unabashed

Unabashed

I think some people are sometimes surprised at just how abashed I can be. I mean, if I was truly unabashed, wouldn't I use my real name on this silly blog? Of course, my friends who read this know who I am, but my non-friend reader, well, odds are, s/he never will.

That is why I never made it on the Broadway stage.  I had been cast in the revival of "The Good Little Devil" in the mid '80s at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, and opening night I froze!! It was so embarrassing! Luckily Christopher Walken was able to talk me through it, and it was fine, but never again!! I remember at the post-show party, Liza told me I was really good, which made me feel great, but nevertheless, the fame, the glory, and the money were just not worth all the abashment I had to go through. Thus my Broadway career ended just as it was taking off.  I played the role for a week, and then my understudy took over - some guy named Hugh Jackson (or something like that?). He was fine, though I never saw Liza compliment him!

So now you know why I hide behind a nom de plume. Thing is, you have to realize that when I write, I literally have the plumage of the elusive Nom bird of the Brazilian rainforest* in front of my face. Which is why, unfortunately, you'll just about always find some misspellings or grammatical errors in my entries. The plumes are beautiful, and they really do make it easier for me to face my blog audience,** but I sometimes have to really squint to see anything through all the colors.

*Luckily I got them just days before importation of them was banned.
**Both of you!! Yes, we're celebrating with the doubling of my daily average readership.

Cahoot

Cahoot

I love this word because it sounds like something you'd hear in an old gangster movie: "So you think I'm in cahoots with the boys blue, ay? Ya think I'm  trying to pull a fast one? Ya think I'm gonna run off with your moll, ay? I ain't no stooly. And I ain't in cahoots with nobody, see?"

I love 1920s slang, too, mainly because instead of referring to a guy as a "stud" or other such tired cliche, I like the idea of calling him a "sheik." And I love the idea of giving someone "the air."  As in "That dame? You need to give her the air."

I'd love to pepper my everyday language and this blog with '20s slang, but, not unlike the Word of the Day, unless I hear consistently day after day I can never remember them.

Palooka - another great word! In the early talkies, it's so great when some tomato that's of average size for the time (you know, 5'2", 85 pounds) is telling off some boxer that's three times her size: "Listen hear, ya big palooka!" Priceless.

For more on 1920s slang, see this. For more gangster slang, see this. And if you find yourself really getting into it, join this group on FB!

Kowtow

Kowtow

Another great word today. For as long as I can remember, whenever I've heard 'kowtow' it's conjured up visions of bovines fawning over someone. And now that I see it involves touching the forehead to the ground, that's even better. I can just see all these cows begging for mercy, kneeling, touching their heads to the ground holding signs that say 'EAT MORE KALE!! EAT MORE KALE!!"

The One With Whom I Share My Life told me to say "The Chinese - they gave us fireworks, gunpowder, and now we know, kowtow." It's always nice to know whom to thank.

When I was thinking of what to write, I was thinking of the ol' "I like my men like I like my cows - big and dumb." But not only is that really old, my long-term reader already knows it's not true.

Pace

Pace

Wow. I like to use usual words I learn once in a while, but I think if I were having a discussion with someone and started a sentence with 'pace' it would be over. I'm not sure I could even respect myself after that. If I were to use it, I feel I should clear my throat loudly, say 'pip pip, tut tut and that rot" before actually diving into the sentence.

What I found really interesting is that the example sentences didn’t use a comma turning it into an interjection. I’m gonna change that. I declare as of this moment, that ‘pace” will have a comma after it and thus be an interjection. Why would I want to do this? Because it would be fun? Because it would be "different"? Naw. The interjection was my favorite Schoolhouse Rock segment, that’s all. Seriously, once you watch that, the song will be with you for HOURS.

Thus we have…

"Pace, Michele Bachmann is a much bigger screwball than Rick Santorum!"

"Pace! Rick Santorum is a much bigger screwball than Michele Bachmann!"

"Pace! Michele Bachmann is a much bigger screwball than Rick Santorum!"

"PACE! Rick Santorum is a much bigger screwball than Michele Bachmann!"

And the argument would go on ad infinitum with the interjection getting more adamant, determined, firm, fixed, hard-nosed, immovable, inexorable, inflexible, insistent, intransigent, obdurate, pat, relentless, resolute, rigid, set, set in stone, standing pat, stiff, stubborn, unbendable, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unshakable, unswayable, bound, bound and determined, dead set on, dogged, ferocious, fierce, go for broke, grim, hang-tough, hard, harsh, implacable, inhuman, mortal, pitiless, remorseless, rigid, rigorous, ruthless, single-minded, stiff, stop at nothing, strict, stringent, unappeasable, undeviating, unflinching, unforgiving, unstoppable, unyielding, and vindictive* as it went. 

*Or as they'd say in Russin: непреклонным, решительным, твердым, фиксированным, трезвый, недвижимости, неумолимый, непреклонный, настойчивый, непреклонный, упрямый, погладить, неустанной, решительной, жесткой, множество, высечены на камне, стоял похлопывание, жесткие, упрямые, несгибаемая, непреклонная, бескомпромиссная , безжалостный, непоколебимая, unswayable, связанных, связанных и определяется, мертвый набор на, упорной, жестокой, жесткой, идти ва-банк, мрачный, полеты на жесткий, твердый, жесткий, непримиримый, бесчеловечного смертным, безжалостный, беспощадный, жесткий, строгий , безжалостный, целеустремленный, жесткий, остановится ни перед чем, строгие, жесткие, непримиримым, неуклонное, непоколебимой, неумолимый, остановить, непреклонным, и мстительный - man, I heart Google Translate!**

**But even more fun? translating it back into English: steadfast, resolute, firm, fixed, sober, real estate, inexorable, relentless, persistent, inflexible, obstinate, pat, relentless, resolute, rigid, set, set in stone, standing pat, tough, stubborn, unbendable, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unshakable, unswayable, associated, connected, and determined, dead set on, hard, brutal, tough, go for broke, dark, flying on a hard, hard, hard, implacable, inhuman death, a ruthless, merciless, hard, strong, ruthless, purposeful, hard, stop at nothing, strict, tough, uncompromising, steady, unflinching, unforgiving, to stop, inflexible and vindictive.***

***Even more fun English > Russian > Spanish > Filipino > Croatian > English

firm, resolute, firm, fixed, real polite, real, real, stable, relentless, repetitive, obstinate, pat, assertive, decisive, solid, stone, standing pat, tough, tough, stable, irreconcilable, tough, ruthless, not moved, moved, linked, connected, committed and determined, hard, rough, hard, go for the dark, flying on a hard, hard, hard, ruthless, merciless death, relentless, ruthless, tough, no awamalakas, gritty, hard to stop at nothing, inflexible strict, hard, hard, strong, tough and unforgiving, vindictive, and to stop.

Gregarious

Gregarious

So I don't think gregarious means what most people think it does. I always hear it being used for people who are extroverted and extra friendly - according to this def, you don't have to be friendly at all - just hang out with members of your own type. I guess that means that gun-toting Fox-news-watchin' radical right-wingers who hate everyone except each other are gregarious -- oh my, that does put a different spin on things.

So a group of fish is a 'school.' A group of crows is a 'murder.' Would gun-toting Fox-news-watchin' radical right-wingers just be a 'hater' of said people, or something more specific? A 'paranoid' of said group? A 'brainwash'? A 'gullible'?

OK, nuff of that. What I really wanted to talk about was the whole murder of crows thing. I see that for ravens it's a 'congress' or an 'unkindness'. Unfortunately, despite that fact that I have the best reader in the world, I don't think we'll  be able to change it, but I feel it should be a 'nevermore' of ravens. It would be a great homage to Edgar Allan Poe - one of the greatest authors what ever lived (thank you very much) - and a slam to the hater who wrote Mr. Poe's obituary in the NY Times and is now completely forgotten about except for being a hater of said author.

Speaking of EA Poe, did you see that new movie starring said author is coming out this spring? I try to keep an open mind with most movies,* but somehow I just don't think the EAP of said movie is going to be the haunted spirit that conjured up the poems and stories we love so much. Plus, I am so over the whole choral music playing behind trailers. As soon as I hear a record scratch** or a chorus singing during a trailer, my pessimism is squared. I mean, come on, freakin' Arby's is using a chorus for its value menu commercials (sorry, I can't find a link). I hope it's going to be good - I want it to be good. All those movies that "star" HG Welles and Jules Verne, about time Mr. Poe gets a starring role.

*Although I've complete given up on Geo. Lucas and Jimmy Cameron...yeech...
**The Other Half is upstairs right now wondering what I'm laughing at so much  - priceless!!