mendacious adj. untruthful2 + 2 = 5 is a mendacious statement...it is also an amazing song by Radiohead.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waJWRYa7weo]This "untrue" statement is also found in Notes from Underground by Dostoevsky, one of my favorite books which I have not read in a very long while.I admit that twice two makes four is an excellent thing, but if we are to give everything its due, twice two makes five is sometimes a very charming thing too.I think I must have written several college essays on this quote. We spend most of our lives striving for honesty and truth in our lives and yet when we break its confines we enter a new realm of creativity and invention. Yet in Orwell's 1984, 2+2 = 5 is a statement used by the state to oppress its people.Something to think on for the day...
oik
oik n. an uncouth or obnoxious personWow. I can't believe the dictionary gave me this word today. It's Saint Patrick's Day! In America, it means you get drunk, wear green and pretend you're Irish. In Ireland...er...you drink Guinness and have a farm parade. We spent St. Patrick's Day in Ireland a few years ago and it was actually quite pleasant and devoid of oiks. It was like a religious holiday for the Irish and as we were there on a weekday, it was a day off. We went to a parade in Cashel but it was mostly tractors, farm animals and children. We had ice cream and Guinness and the world was blissful. Unfortunately there was no traditional Irish music, just Black Eyed Peas and a late night dance party...which was disappointing.The world could do with a few less oiks these days. They seem to turn up everywhere...television, Whole Foods, on trains with "F*** Me, I'm Irish" t-shirts" and on the road in cars. I think someone needs to form a Coalition Against Oiks. I encounter them everyday and have to bite my tongue.Well anyway, today I have avoided the oiks. My husband's birthday is today so he is in the city while my son and I avoid the crowds and drunken masses. This word reminds me of a chant from old Girl Scout Camp days. Change the oi oi oi to oik oik oik....[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrjZi7WIAOw]
contumacious
contumacious adj. stubbornly or wilfully disobedient to authority
When I was in kindergarten, I bit a fellow classmate because she grabbed the rotary telephone I was playing with out of my hands. I spent the week in the corner during recess. Later on, I slapped a girl because she made fun of a picture I had drawn of myself and said it looked like a bumblebee (we had to wear blue and plaid jumper uniforms), more recess in the corner. During one of my times in the corner, I peeled apart a construction paper advent wreath that was hanging on the wall - double time in the corner. And so on.I have always been stubborn and don't obey much of anything well. I was not a well behaved child in kindergarten most likely because I had not attended preschool instead spending the first 4 years of my life at home playing outside like an animal with the neighbors the way a healthy child should. So when I arrived at kindergarten I was forced to learn to obey authority or at least pretend to.Although my contumacious ways were tamed by the first grade, they never really went way. Probably because most of the time the authority I am supposed to be obeying is unqualified, dictatorial or has other objectives in mind other than my well being. Just because someone is named an "authority" does not mean that they can wield power over someone else. It reminds me of the constitutional peasants from Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvKIWjnEPNY]Perhaps my personality is the reason why this movie is still one of my all time favorites and this scene is one of the most memorable...or it could be the usage of the phrase "moistened bitch." Happy Friday!
nard
nard n. the Himalayan spikenardWikipedia's description:Spikenard (Nardostachys grandiflora or Nardostachys jatamansi; also called nard, nardin, and muskroot ) is a flowering plant of the Valerian family that grows in the Himalayas of China, also found growing in the northern region of India andNepal. The plant grows to about 1 m in height and has pink, bell-shaped flowers. It is found in the altitude of about 3000–5000 meters. Spikenard rhizomes (underground stems) can be crushed and distilled into an intensely aromatic amber-colored essential oil, which is very thick in consistency. Nard oil is used as a perfume, an incense, a sedative, and anherbal medicine said to fight insomnia, birth difficulties, and other minor ailments.[1]Lavender (genus Lavandula) was also known by the ancient Greeks as naardus, nard, after the Syrian city Naarda.The scent of Spikenard attracts cats, a strange phenomenon in itself.I am at a loss as to what I should write about this one. The most interesting thing about this plant is that it attracts cats and can be used as a component in catnip. I'm a dog person. I've never had a cat, only dogs. I will admit that cats are way smarter than dogs, as judging by the 3 cats that sit on my back deck and taunt my dog everyday. Stella (my dog) goes to the same window everyday and barks as if this was something new although it happened the day before. The cats seem to get enjoyment out of it because she's behind a door and they know she can't get to them.However, I am looking for unconditional love from my pets, not intellect. Cat's seem to have their own ideas and agendas. They wander around out of doors on their own and are more independent than dogs. They have their own lives and adventures. I respect cats. If I had a great childhood, I might want a cat...but I need the love of a dog.I'm not going to argue about whether cat people are better than dog people...or vice versa. I think they are just different types of people. There are a prevalence of cat videos and photos all over the web...more so than dog videos and I have frequently wondered why. I think it might be because cats exhibit more human qualities than dogs. Most of the videos and photos of dogs show them being goofy or stupid or with babies. Cat videos show more curiosity, vindictiveness, calculation...hence the adjective "catty." Cats are more female while dogs are more masculine...there may be some personality analysis behind your preference, but I'm not qualified for this.This word also brings to mind the TV Show, the Office...which I can no longer watch because Steve Carell is gone. I don't like Andy running the Office and I find it unfunny and trying too hard, which is something the old Office never had to do...but Andy's nickname is 'Nard Dog, so it's an interesting allusion to my mental wanderings.
In conclusion (and having nothing to do with the plant definition of this word) cats are smarter than dogs, but dogs are more loving and loyal...and The Office was way better with Steve Carell despite the combination of Nard and Dog in Andy's nickname...well, I can't say I haven't made a new word association, albeit random.
brinkmanship
brinkmanship n. the pursuit of a dangerous policy to the limits of safety before stoppingI did a little more research on this word since at first I was thinking of Evil Knevil and various examples of pushing oneself to the brink of physical safety. However, Wikipedia clarified it for me as having a more political context, one of the best examples being the Cold War. So here's a little short animation that I find apropos...[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIGk9qu2_iM]The best and most famous example is the Cuban Missile Crisis. I remember when I was younger discussing this with my parents and how insane everyone was thinking that an attack on the country was near.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W50RNAbmy3M]Since I associate so many things with music, a good musical tag for this term is "99 Luftballoons" which is awesome in English or German...[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdiUyMmVQ7E&feature=fvst]Or even as sung by Homer (my personal favorite).[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mA4CkK_Deo]