The silent anticipation of another adventure!
Six Word Story
Category: word fun
Wacky Words Unveiled!
Happy Saturday! Sheesh! The kids are having a four-day weekend. Yesterday
was unplanned, as Mother Nature treated us with a wee but of freezing rain.
Monday is Family Day, here in Ontario, and several other Canadian provinces.
My oldest daughter, Amanda, turns 16 on February 22. Wait? What happened to
that toddler who used to waddle around like a starfish in her snowsuit, and
LOVED, Dora The Explorer?
But like time, I must press on, because yours is valuable and I just know
you’re dying to know the answers to these crazy words. It’s not all fun and
games on this blog; you are about to learn some highly transferable
wordsmithing here. Pshaw! No . . . it’s fun and games.
If you haven’t had a chance to do the quiz, you can either scroll down to
the last post, or click on this link. Wacky Word Quiz
First up, we have the one that would get the best reaction should you ever decide to call someone it. Have your cell phone camera ready, because the face may look something like this:
FARTLEK: A: an activity runners do when they switch between sprinting and jogging
Did you get that one? I mean; how did they come up with that? Maybe the certain displacement of gases produced by the runner’s efforts? 🙂
Next up, we have Bumber Shoot: C: umbrella
What a downer, unless it’s raining. I was expecting some voracious carnivore of a weed, launching up from a jungle floor to snatch unsuspecting prey.
Ummm . . . moving on. Do you think the woman in the photo below just might be an
Abecedarian?
NOPE! Unless she’s a C: anyone currently learning the alphabet
“Hey! Are you calling me a skirl?”
“We’d never dream of it, Betty, um, I mean, Sparkle Twirl.” (Ya, I don’t get the nickname, either, I think she gave it to herself.)
SKIRL = A: the loud wailing sound produced by bagpipes
So there you have it! Go forth and use these words liberally, in whatever context you’d like, for not many will know what the heck you’re talking about!
Wacky Word Quiz
Well, the earth’s rotated many times since I’ve last posted one of these. I thought it might be time to open that bulging door under constant strain against the clutter. It guards the tomb of antiquities, commonly known as the storage closet.
Here goes. Ouch! Mind the bowling ball . . . cue the slapstick canned laughter. Now where is it? Oh, yes, there it is! I see the yellowed and curled corner of the pages belonging to the, ‘Dictionary of Oddity’s.’ It’s lying just beneath my sister’s possessed Teddy Ruxpin (batteries not needed) . . . “Your kids will love it! Pleeeeease, just take it!”
An ‘80’s lawn dart has staked it’s one pound metal spike through the bruin’s heart, but good old Teddy bears it with a grin. With trembling hands, I yank out the dart and cast the slow cackling beast and spear into the garage, where lawnmowers go to die.
The dart has punched a hole right through a warning label at the page’s header. ‘Do—- use these words in real life.’ I know it’s missing a word and some letters, but the dart has spoken.
Just a few things to refresh some memories or if you’ve never played: please try to avoid looking up the words/ enter the letter of your guesses in the comments/ I will be back in a day or so with the answers/ have fun!
On your mark, get set . . . bang! Now read and type, really fast!
Fartlek
A: an activity runners do when they switch between sprinting and jogging
B: to renege on a deal after secretly negotiating another offer from a different party
C: an obsolete measurement used in England to determine the distance between dales
D: eighteenth century slang term for a pickpocket
Bumber Shoot
A: another term for the water shoots on a Banyan Tree
B: nineteenth century expression for an incompetent person
C: umbrella
D: the game of dice from which Yahtzee was derived
Abecedarian
A: someone who is of the belief that portholes to other earthly realms exist
B: an uncommon term from the middle-ages used to describe an aristocrat who turns his/her back on their birthright in exchange for the life of a commoner
C: an obscure religious sect that archeologists believe may have lived and worshipped in the Tibetan Mountains
D: anyone currently learning the alphabet
Skirl
A: the loud wailing sound produced by bagpipes
B: the behind-the-heel toe tap dance move performed in Hasapiko Dancing
C: the stitching used to secure the lace to a 1920′ era Flapper Cloche Hat
D: to curtsy in a clumsy manner
Photos with Captions, To Make You Smile and Think
It’s hard to believe that we’ve arrived at March 3, already. Seems like a blink since we were in our homes, ringing in 2021, COVID style. As vaccinations roll out and the most vulnerable are innoculated, we cling to the hope of showing this pandemic the back door.
While you wait, here’s a few photos and captions that I hope will take your mind off things. Enjoy!
‘Fiction In A Flash Challenge 2021.’ Week #35 Entry Part 6) by MarkBierman@mbiermanauthor#IARTG #WritingPrompts #FlashFiction #WritingCommunity
HELLO EVERYONE AND WELCOME TO AUTHOR SUZANNE BURKE’S “FICTION IN A FLASH CHALLENGE!” EACH WEEK SHE FEATURES AN IMAGE AND INVITES EVERYONE TO WRITE A FLASH FICTION, OR NON-FICTION, PIECE INSPIRED BY THAT IMAGE IN ANY FORMAT AND GENRE OF THEIR CHOOSING. MAXIMUM WORD COUNT: 750 WORDS. IN ADDITION TO RUNNING A WONDERFUL BLOG, SUZANNE HAS WRITTEN MANY EXCITING BOOKS. PLEASE A HAVE A LOOK AT HER SITE: WECOME TO THE WORLD OF SUZANNE BURKE
Here is my contribution to this week’s prompt. Enjoy!
“Oh Sheila, could this night get any better? I mean, you, me, just the crickets.”
“Oh, yes, Paul . . . it’s wonderful. There’s really no where else I’d rather be.”
“There’s something intoxicating about spending a night under the stars with a beautiful woman. Do you know that the constellation, Cygnus the Swan, is above our heads right now? Go ahead, look! No not at me. Look up, my dear. Do you see it? Yes, that’s it. See the splendor of it all? You want to know something, and it’s the truth.”
“What? What is it?”
“Keep looking up. I mean really take it all in.”
“I’m looking, and yes, it’s heavenly—”
“Just like you, my Sweet. Now I have something for you.”
“Really! What is it! Shall I close my eyes?”
“If you’d like. Yes, and hold out your hands, too. I love your radiant smile, by the way. Here it is. Okay, now open them.”
“A mirror?”
“Yes, I want you to look at it, and then up again at the Swan. No, not at me, the Swan. Not that I mind the love in your eyes. No, Sheila, look up and compare. Why do you look so disappointed?”
“I don’t understand, that’s all.”
“Stop looking at me that way. No, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. I just wanted you to see that this constellation is just an ugly duckling, compared to you.”
“Oh, I see . . . of course, thank you, Paul.”
“I have a poem that I wrote for you. It’s about our love and this is the perfect night to read it. Here it goes. She is the light of my—”
“Stop!”
“What?”
“Please, Paul . . . I-I can’t do this anymore!”
“What do you mean? I planned this whole evening! Even made your favorite, Caprese salad, which is disgusting, by the way. Are you saying we’re through?”
“Just, turn away for a moment. Would you please, I cannot look at you, any longer. I’m so sorry, but you need to fix it.”
“Fix what?! I thought you said I was perfect!”
“No fix it! Pull it out!”
“Sheila! You are so devilish! But I cannot do that, this is a public park. There are still families about.”
“No! Not that! Pull out that ghastly nose hair that’s been waving at me all night.”
Mark Bierman 