The Write Way

9 May 2003

Go Team! Go!

Greetings,

You've probably heard me mention some of my family's mottoes during the weeks, months or years since you made the wise decision to subscribe ... There's our Latin favourite, "Nil desperandum" which means "Despair not," but which we think sounds much better as "Don't let the bastards get you down." (And I know there are other versions of this, "Nil carborundum," "Illegitimis non carborundum," and "Noli nothis permittere te terere" to name but three.)

Another of our mottoes is, "It's only money" which comes in very handy in all sorts of situations. Then there's "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" - one of those multi-purpose excuses for when you don't want to do any chores around the house.

You know, mottoes are funny wee critters ... sometimes you'll stumble across one, invite it in for a nice cup of tea and a couple of pikelets with jam and cream, and it'll follow you faithfully for life. 

But with others it's a different kettle of fish all together. You'll have heard about them from your mates, seen them in the news and thought, "That sounds good!" And then one day, you'll catch a glimpse of them out of the corner of your eye and chase them down the street, tackle them around the knees, drag them home and lock them under the stairs till they settle down and agree to bide a while. Such was the case with one that only stayed with us for a few short years, "Ad astra, per ardua" (To the stars, through hard work/difficulties). It was all just too much and besides, we neither wanted to get to the stars nor be stars, so we took that little one out into the bush and set it free.

But we've recently acquired a motto which I think is the best of all. It's one of those that just sort of followed us home and we decided to keep it. Allow me to explain ...

A few weeks ago, the love-of-my-life and I were watching a program on the telly about a sports psychologist by the name of  Dr Phil Jauncey. Now Jauncey has a bit of a novel approach to this business of getting teams and athletes into a winning frame of mind. 

I don't know about you, but when anyone mentions "sport" and "motivation" in the one sentence, my mind leaps to visions of sweaty men in a change room, walking around the room, hitting their fists against lockers, grunting a lot, shouting out in response to another hyped-up individual in a track suit who's yelling inane things such as, "We're gonna grind 'em into the ground! Whaddarewegonna do?" 

But this bloke's not like that at all. In fact, he says he's found that there are four things that are guaranteed to lead to failure: 

I suppose we really should address that little slip before we go any further ... When a sentence begins with "there" or "here" you look after the verb to find the subject (which will then determine whether you use a singular or plural verb). So, in the sentence above: "There's lots more mottoes out there ..." find the verb then ask who or what before the verb to get the subject. Yes, I know that sounds contradictory, but it's not really ...

The verb is "is" (out there) ... Question: Who or what is out there? Answer: "lots more mottoes" so the verb must be plural. Our sentence (not a very good one, I admit) should be:

"There are lots more mottoes out there."

Just in passing, that little expression "to boot" has nothing at all to do with shoes. It comes from an Old English word 'bot' which means "remedy; advantage" and it's commonly used to mean "in addition to; as well."

It's Mothers' Day out here next week, so I thought you'd appreciate these Things My Mother Taught Me that Albert found:

 1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
 "If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

 2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
 "You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

 3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
 "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

 4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
 "Because I said so, that's why."

 5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
 'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not coming to the store with me."

 6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
 "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

 7. My mother taught me IRONY.
 "Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

 8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
 "Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

 9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
 "Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

 10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
 "You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

 11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
 "This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

 12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
 "If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

 13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
 "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

 14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION.
 "Stop acting like your father!"

 15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
  There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

 16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
 "Just wait until we get home."

 17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
 "You are going to get it when you get home!"

 18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
 "If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

 19. My mother taught me ESP.
 "Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

 20. My mother taught me HUMOUR.
 "When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

 21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
 "If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

 22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
 "You're just like your father."

 23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
 " Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

 24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
 "When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

 25. And my favourite: my mother taught me about JUSTICE.
 "One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!" 

26. My mother taught me about LEARNING:

"Literacy ain't everything."

This week's quiz:

Some more unusual words here - match 'em with their meaning:

demotic, quab, nonpareil, aglet, refulgent, antimacassar, googol, enate, sobriquet, antonomasia

1. the figure 1 followed by 100 zeroes (10 raised to the hundredth power)

2. a relative on your mother's side

3. something or someone very immature or underdeveloped

4. the metal or plastic bit over the end of a shoelace to stop it from fraying

5. colloquial, common or of the people

6. substituting a title for a proper name, the use of 'your majesty' or 'great one' would be such a case

7. a name, nickname or pseudonym

8. shining brightly, resplendent, illustrious

9. something without equal; a peerless thing or person

10.a covering originally thrown over the backs and arms of sofas and chairs to protect them from the hair oil worn by men of the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries

If you received this newsletter from a friend and you'd like to have the answers to the quiz delivered to you on Friday, just click here: mailto:WritingTips-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and why not spread the word? Send your friends a copy and invite them to join our merry band - we number nearly 7,000 now.

Here are some dieting tips that Jordan Roberts passed along:

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it. Don't waste it on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.    

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass green leafy vegetable.
And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable slop.    

Q: Is beer or wine bad for me?
A: Look, it goes to the earlier point about fruits and vegetables. As we all know, scientists divide everything in the world into three categories: animal, mineral, and vegetable. We all know that beer and wine are not animal, and they are not on the periodic table of elements, so that only leaves one thing, right? My advice: Have a burger and a beer and enjoy your liquid vegetables.    

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body, and you have body fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.    

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

Q: If I stop smoking, will I live longer?
A: Nope. Smoking is a sign of individuality and peace of mind. If you stop, you'll probably stress yourself to death in record time.    

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: You're not listening. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?  

Q: What's the secret to healthy eating?
A: Thicker gravy.    

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.    

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? Hello . . . Cocoa beans... Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel good food around!    

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.   Have a cookie . . . flour is a veggie!    

And one more thing ... "When life hands you lemons, ask for a bottle of tequila."

If you want to revisit past issues of the newsletter, or if you're searching for something about grammar to settle an office dispute, don't forget you can read all past newsletters in the Archives.  

Thank you to everyone who has recently contributed to my Running Away Fund (or renewed a paid subscription) - I really appreciate your continued support. It's always a treat to get comments (and money, of course) about my weekly rambles. And if you've now been overcome by an urge to donate, you'll find all the details at the end of the newsletter.

Last week's quiz:

mukluk, limpkin, valetudinarian, gnomon, flagitious, sesquipedalian, mundungus, ignipotent, oscitancy, horripilation 

1. stinking tobacco - MUNDUNGUS

2. large brownish wading bird of warm, swampy regions of the New World, having long legs, a drooping bill, and a distinctive wailing call - LIMPKIN

3. the act of yawning - OSCITANCY

4. an object, such as the style of a sundial, that projects a shadow used as an indicator - GNOMON

5. goose bumps - HORRIPILATION

6. soft boot made of reindeer skin or sealskin and worn by Eskimos - MUKLUK

7. presiding over fire or fiery - IGNIPOTENT

8. a sickly or weak person, especially one who is constantly and morbidly concerned with his or her health - VALETUDINARIAN

9. a big word - SESQUIPEDALIAN

10.infamous; scandalous - LIGITIOUS

Remember our Map of the World: http://pub37.bravenet.com/guestmap/view.php?usernum=3170114826 ? You can read the previous 99 messages by clicking on the List button at the top of the page. NB - check to make sure your message hasn't been replaced ... if it has, add another!

A Little Something Extra

"Question: A few weeks back I took a leap of faith and joined an online critique group. One of the rules is that writers can only stay in the group and get critiques on their writing if they write two critiques of other writers' work each month. I really need help with my own writing; that's why I joined the group, but I don't feel confident enough to critique anyone else's work. I've already tried copying the style that other writers in the group use, but I don't think I get it right. Can you give me some tips?"

Read Susan Letham's tips on how to write your first critique.  

If you're looking for articles about how to get started with your writing, what to write, how to develop characters, plot or whatever ... feel free to browse to your little heart's content.  

Word of the week: Ennui (n) Boredom, jadedness, apathy brought on by having or knowing (or thinking you know) everything; dullness and languor of spirits arising from want of interest or satiety.

And isn't this a little ripper of a word? So much better to say the reason you're leaving the party early is because you've been overcome by a sudden bout of ennui than to confess that the other guests at the do have about as much personality as a toilet seat.

This wonderful little word has a fascinating history:

"It all started with the Latin idiomatic phrase, mihi in odio est "I hate or dislike" (literally, “for me [mihi] it is [est] in odiousness [in odio]”). This phrase reduced to a single verb, *inodiare “to make odious” which served as the source of the Old French verb anoier “to annoy, bore.” This verb was borrowed into English around 1275 as anoien, our "annoy" today. Later the Old French verb developed into ennuyer from which arose the noun "ennui" in modern French. This noun acquired the sense “boredom” and was then borrowed again, this time in its new form, in the 18th century, no doubt, to distinguish the complex apathy of the upper class from the simple boredom of the lower." www.yourdictionary.com 

Oxymoron of the week: professional player

Since we mentioned this earlier, it seems fitting to use this Latin phrase this week:

Si fractum non sit, noli id reficere. (If it ain't broke, don't fix it.)

[SEE FRAK-toom NON SEET NOH-lee ID ray-fee-KAY-ray]

Regards,

Jennifer

P.S. Want to donate to the upkeep of this newsletter? Here's how:

1. Pay by PayPal:

2. Click here to subscribe for a full year OR

3. Use your credit card on my secure order form: http://www.write101.com/fund.htm (You can also access the PayPal subscription link from this page if the link above didn't work for you. With PayPal, you can use your credit card, PayPal account or pay online using your own cheque account.) OR

4. Send a cheque: http://www.write101.com/fund.htm 

Click here to subscribe for the next year:

To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: mailto:WritingTips-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com  or go to the  web site, at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WritingTips  This menu will also let you change your subscription between digest and normal mode.

Home | Contact | Order | Site Map |Subscribe   

Copyright 2006 Jennifer Stewart Write101.com