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The Write Way 31 October 2003 Fashion Statements Greetings, Lavinia popped in yesterday morning to show me her Melbourne Cup frock (I know ... it's hard to believe it's that time of year again already, isn't it?) Her favourite designer is a young chap just making his way in the fashion world ... you may have heard of him? Hugh Nanimuss? No? He and Lavinia seem to be completely in synch when it comes to fashion, and he it was who created some of her more memorable fashion statements ... such as her floor-length, milky-white silk frock, adorned with black faux fur patches, the duck-egg blue tulle frock with the sprinkles of pink and orange sequins on the leg o' mutton sleeves and her gold lamé leotard. Being familiar with his style, I sat with eager anticipation as she carefully unzipped the suit bag to reveal his latest creation ... To say I was not disappointed, dear reader, would be to understate my response to the vision that revealed itself to me, inch by unbelievable inch. Picture this, if you dare ... First - feathers ... lots and lots of feathers ... luminous pink and green and orange feathers. Then, a sort of brown leather boa that wound around the frock from hem to shoulder. The overall impression was that of a well-fed python that had had a successful run-in with a yard full of chooks. But Lavinia loved it, or professed to ... and I didn't have the heart to disillusion the dear girl. Besides, she's one of those people whose personality outshines any outfit and would be a hit even if she was wearing a potato sack ... Come to think of it, that might be preferable to Hugh's little number ...
She told me that when she first tried the frock on for Hugh, he said his heart ran the whole gauntlet of emotions and he told her through his sobs that he was confident that she could now assume the mantel of Fashion Queen. Funnily enough, I could just hear Hugh saying this. Any other person would, of course, have run the whole gamut of emotions and offered her the mantle ... but not our Hugh! A "gauntlet" is a severe trial or ordeal and it's usually used in the expression "to run the gauntlet." This charming custom involves a form of punishment "... in which people armed with sticks or other weapons arrange themselves in two lines facing each other and beat the person forced to run between them." You can also "throw down the gauntlet" and thereby issue a challenge to someone. This use of the word originates from the Old French word gantelet, a “glove.” The story goes that when issuing a challenge, French knights would remove their gloves and toss them in the path of the one they were challenging. Picking up the glove signalled acceptance of the challenge, and the two could then arrange a suitable time to skewer each other on lances, unseam each other from nave to chops or any other of those fun games that blokes indulge in. "Gamut," on the other hand, refers to the whole range or extent of something and is also a musical term (referring to the entire series of recognised notes). Dictionary.com explains the interesting origin of the word: It derives from "Middle English, the musical scale, from Medieval Latin gamma ut, low G : gamma, lowest note of the medieval scale (from Greek, gamma. See gamma) + ut, first note of the lowest hexachord (after ut, first word in a Latin hymn to Saint John the Baptist, the initial syllables of successive lines of which were sung to the notes of an ascending scale CDEFGA: Ut queant laxis resonare fibris Mira gestorum famuli tuorum, Solve polluti labii reatum, Sancte Iohannes).]" A "mantel" is the bit across the top of a fireplace where you leave your glasses, the remote, your car keys, your wine glass ... or where all those little knick-knacks that have to be kept up out of reach of the children end up and aren't they a horror to dust?! A "mantle" is a loose sleeveless coat worn over outer garments; a cloak. It can also be something that covers, envelops, or conceals things. So, now you know! This week's quiz: Find the odd word out in each set: 1. impolite, coarse, genteel, uncultured 2. waste, management, stewardship, husbandry 3. active, inert, vital, moving 4. innate, acquired, native, inherent 5. innocuous, innocent, noxious, inoffensive 6. conformist, maverick, renegade, radical 7. myopia, shortsightedness, foresight, blindness 8. herald, forerunner, follower, precursor 9. prepossess, bias, consider, prejudge 10.exciting, prosaic, mundane, commonplace Here are some Great Imponderables that Helen thought we'd be interested in
... Well, pondering ... You've heard the second Law of Thermodynamics, haven't you? It's the "natural tendency of all things to deteriorate and get messy over time: civilizations, relationships, ripe bananas, tidy apartments or human bodies." Last week's quiz: Match each word with its synonym:
Don't forget to ad a note to the Map of the World: http://pub37.bravenet.com/guestmap/view.php?usernum=3170114826 If you received this newsletter from a friend and you'd like to have your very own copy 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 8,000 now. A Little Something Extra This week's LSE is to help hone a few skills in basic grammar - and it's a bit of fun for adults as well as being very useful revision for children. If English is your second language, you'll find these tests, quizzes and games a good way to get confidence in writing. It's the BBC's Skillswise site: And here's a report to help you write that book you've always wanted to write! Word of the week: Thaumaturgy (n) The working of miracles or magic feats. This one comes from the Greek words for wonder (thauma) and work (ergon). Now there's a good word for Hugh! Oxymoron of the week: well dressed pop star Got a question about grammar, punctuation or any other language matter? Here's the place to go: http://pub37.bravenet.com/forum/show.php?usernum=3170114826 Here's a Latin phrase our python might find amusing: Ad praesens ova cras pullis sunt meliora. (Eggs today are better than chickens tomorrow. or A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.) 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 (made payable to Jennifer Stewart): http://www.write101.com/fund.htm 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.
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