What's in a word? Fascinating question really. I am a dictionary fanatic. Chambers is my favoured choice and I am on either my fourth or fifth copy. I always keep it by me and I can honestly say I use it every day - sometimes - like earlier today - I read it just for pleasure when I find something that catches my eye. Six centimetres thick and heavy with it, it usually rides around on my walking trolley so that it is always ready to hand. I could do with a little mobile 'crane' to lift it on to my knee but probably it is good for my muscles to have to lift it myself.
My spelling is not what it was. Sad to say I often have to use my Chambers for that purpose. It is usually 'double or single?' letters which let me down and often remind me of my firt husband who used to tell how his teacher in junior school told him that if he couldn't think how to spell necessary to think of it as nekessary - and he always did.
But, back to Chambers and a look in for how to spell something I thought might be a good starter for the Codeword I always do in The Times (Peekaboo) the book fell open at B and the word 'burn' which takes up almost half a page. I don't think it is a word I use much unless I burn myself - and that was usually on the oven shelf when my wrist caught the edge of the shelf when taking something out of the oven; this no longer happens as I no longer cook.
I realise that if I see something I really want (like the chair I bought yesterday) money could be burning a hole in my pocket. Should I buy the chair or not? Yes I'll burn my books and get it. I am not likely ever again to burn the candle at both ends (too old for that these days) but I did burn the midnight oil last night (and am paying for it today as I can't keep awake) by staying up very late to read the book 'Trespasses' by Louise Kennedy (winner of the An Post Irish Book Awards Novel of the Year 2022).
I am not likely to suffer burnout and become overworked, ineffective or exhausted (although as many folk who have been teachers would describe it 'dead beat') by the end of each Summer Term.
But it would be rather nice to sit in the heather on the side of a burn somewhere in Scotland and dabble my toes in the water - once the water has warmed up a bit.
Have a pleasant evening.
But watch what you're doing - don't get your fingers burnt!
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28 comments:
The most amazing thing about this post to me is that you gave the measurement of the thickness of the Chambers dictionary in centimetres. Although I am somewhat younger than you I do not think in anything but feet and inches. I could tell you that the dictionary looks about 3" thick as I am looking at it from my chair. I also happily read it during idle moments.
I also love words and have always had a fascination for them. If your Chambers dictionary gets heavier than you like, you can type a word into google and get everything that is in your dictionary.
My dad was also an avid dictionary user. Even now I can hear him say, 'If you're not sure, look it up in the dictionary.' Xx
One of my teenage longings was to own a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary - the closest that I came was a paperback edition of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. It has been a companion now for half a century (so somewhat out of date on recent changes) but still a book that I frequently turn to, along with Fowler's Modern English Usage - my edition of this is also now somewhat long in the tooth.
It's not the first word that comes to my mind when I burn myself on the oven!
This is such a fun post as I am a word collector too. I write down fun words like furbelow and colly wobbles as I find them and once used furbelow in a garden column I wrote. When I find them I like to use them. So let's not get "burned out" on our blogging. As a fellow blogger writes "Toodle pip."
Years ago, as a volunteer tutor in adult literacy, I was told that a dictionary is no good if you cannot spell. Checking to see if the spelling of 'bern' is correct would not get anyone very far, after all.
What a lovely post.
You find interest in everything.
Years ago on teaching practice my tutor told me that I had a spelling problem and I thought (but didn't say). "I don't have a problem, I know I'm not good at spelling but I know how to use a dictionary." It doesn't help that the spell checker on my PC has stopped working. But I am good at maths and music, a different kind of brain I suppose. My husband dislikes losing when we play Scrabble so won't play but instead I play on my Kindle and haven't lost a game in years.
Another interesting blog post. Before the Internet, I always prized my Rogets Thesaurus. Now I just use Google. Technology is too ready at our finger tips .. much like your dictionary on your trolley.
sitting by a burn and dabbling your toes in the water sounds idyllic. Perhaps a volume by Robbie Burns? Or perhaps some dapper fellow with nice side burns? But whatever you do, make certain to have sunscreen...you do not want to risk a sunburn.
This is a clever post, Pat! I have a large dictionary in the house but I never use it anymore. I just use Google...
Yes, Roget's Thesaurus - I was introduced to this by my brother as a young teenager, but it took me a while to really appreciate it.
Do you remember the phrase "Look it up in your Funk and Wagnalls"? a quick aside from Dan Rowan and Dick Martin's NBC comedy 'Laugh In' (1960's or 70's).
A quick search by me shows that sales of the dictionary reportedly increased by 30% as a result. I loved the show with a very young and delightful Goldie Hawn, and also Lily Tomlin if I remember correctly.
Like Tara commented, I do like a good unusual word or turn of phrase, and read in a book by U.S. author Elizabeth Strout about someone having to go and 'widdle the dog'. She is a winner of the Pulitzer prize for fiction and I am enjoying her books very much, particularly 'Olive Kitteridge' and 'Olive Again'. - Pam.
You really do find some interesting things to write about that I would have never have thought of.
I'd love to say I read a dictionary for fun - but I don't and that is possibly why I shall never write as eloquently as you and Rachel!
Roget's Thesaurus is fun! Combined with a dictionary...
I love dictionaries too - though I use an online mainly. And a thesaurus is my most used and consulted book of all time - indeed, I could not write a decent paragraph without one.
There is much to learn from the dictionary. When thee was a lull in class I did a few dictionary exercises like word origin. I hope a few of those people still look at word histories.
The Brothers Grimm, who collected the fairy tales, also started a German dictionary. It took about hundred years to complete, and there are 32 volumes. It is really fascinating to read, of course it has been digitalized. When I worked in the library, I loved to browse in it. I also liked encyclopedias, the real thing, on paper and very heavy and sometimes a bit outdated. Google is useful, but not so much fun.
Hilde in Germany
I too am a dictionary fanatic, but mine is an Etymological Dictionary. The C T Onions version.
I don't use a dictionary but the computer rights my words. But what I do like about words is their original form and how they have been translated through different languages.
Like you, I love words (and languages), especially the history or etymology behind them.
With German, English, Italian and French, I have a good base for comparing words between different types of languages, and I enjoy that a lot.
Using dictionaries is mostly when I want to make sure I am expressing myself with the correct terms, especially as there are many "false friends" in German/English vocabulary. But I mostly check for the correct term (not the spelling, just the term) online on leo.org.
The few dictionaries I own in physical form are for translation rather than explanation.
Weaver, you might enjoy reading “The Dictionary of Lost Words’, a novel by Pip Williams. It was my book group choice last year and enjoyed by all. Does anyone else remember “It pays to increase your word power” from the Reader’s Digest. I have the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary in two volumes and keep the Little and Concise dictionaries to hand as well as a thesaurus. Old habits die hard. Sarah in Sussex
Thank you all so much for such interesting comments.John - I am still laughing at yours and Rachel - the only reason I gave the measurement in centimetres was that my metric ruler was to hand and the only reason I bought it because the reverse has the history of the rulers of UK from the Romans through to Elizabeth the seond!
Dear bloggers - how loyal you all are - you will never know how much pleasure you give me
We still use our dictionary, thesaurus, and road atlas rather than google.
Loved this delightful post, Pat!
Hugs!
I still have a dictionary/thesaurus handy. I intend to show my granddaughters how to use the dictionary etc.. road atlas . A skill their parents nor school will likely teach them.. . Enjoyed reading your post very much Pat even if i'am late to the conversation.. Hugs! debs
An inspired post today Weaver.
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