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#83: helix

8/31/2015

Comments

 
walking the helix 
you go around in circles
yet higher each turn!
Picture
The Helix Spire by Erich Remash. 
Photo credit, not sure... maybe Chris Thomas?

In honor of the Helix and Burning Man this week! 

Some of the best Burner pix I've seen HERE. 



DEFINITION of this 2-syllable noun: 
  1. a spiral.
  2. Geometry. the curve formed by a straight line drawn on a plane when that plane is wrapped around 
    a cylindrical surface of any kind, especially a right circular cylinder, as the curve of a screw. 
    Equation: x = a sinθ, y = a cosθ, z = b θ. 
Comments

#82: enciente

8/30/2015

Comments

 
the damsel's enciente
so in a small town this quaint 
her suitor might faint
Picture
Never heard of this movie... I'll have to go rent it! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
So many movies... So little time. 

DEFINITION of this 2-syllable adjective [pronounced "en-seynt" or "en-saint"]:
  1. pregnant; with child.
Comments

#81: argy-bargy

8/29/2015

Comments

 
'twas argy-bargy
over how early barges 
of barley converge
Picture
Lots of argy-bargy in Calvin and Hobbes, my all-time favorite comic strip. The cartoon's creator, Bill Watterson, IMHO, is a genius and one of the best technical cartoonists of our time. His imagination is unbounded, and his main character Calvin is the epitome of the smart, precocious boy. 

DEFINITION of this 4-syllable hyphenated noun:
  1. Chiefly British. a vigorous discussion or dispute.
Comments

#80: opprobrious

8/28/2015

Comments

 
oft opprobrious
old Oscar Oberhammer
only ostracized 
Picture
An appropriate photo, I think... But of course this is Max, not Oscar, played by Walter Matthau in Grumpy Old Men, a fabulous comedy from 1993. Walter is one of my all-time-favorite actors. He's best known for his acerbic character on the Odd Couple TV series. 

DEFINITION of this 4-syllable adjective: 
  1. outrageously disgraceful or shameful: opprobrious conduct.
  2. conveying or expressing opprobrium, as language or a speaker: opprobrious invectives.
Comments

#79: protean

8/27/2015

Comments

 
protean nature
be wise to your surroundings
act accordingly
Picture
There are many references to "shapeshifters" in folklore and fantasy. One of the most popular horror figures is Wolfman. 

But. The real deal is the octopus! 
  • They've been around at least 296 million years!
  • Four pairs of arms that contain two-thirds of its neurons, the other third in its head
  • They're really smart, use tools, and have blue blood

DEFINITION of this 3-syllable adjective: 
  1. readily assuming different forms or characters; extremely variable.
  2. changeable in shape or form, as an amoeba.
  3. (of an actor or actress) versatile; able to play many kinds of roles.
Comments

#78: absquatulate

8/26/2015

Comments

 
that dapper Sasquatch
with my brand new Apple Watch
did absquatulate
Picture
Love this illustration! 
Reminds me of the monster in Young Frankenstein, dressed in tophat and tails. 

DEFINITION of this 4-syllable verb: 
  1. Slang. to flee; abscond: The old prospector absquatulated with our picks and shovel.
Comments

#77: xeriscaping

8/25/2015

Comments

 
use xeriscaping 
to keep your environment
dry and beautiful
Picture
Recipe for Dead Grass:
  • one ton of rock and gravel
  • one bunch of drought-tolerant greens
  • one bunch of succulents 
  • handfuls of mulch and wood chips 
  • sprinkle of recycled water
Arrange nicely on plot, serve hot or cold... enjoy! 

DEFINITION of this 4-syllable noun:
  1. environmental design of residential and parkland using various methods 
    for minimizing the need for water use.
Comments
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    The Word of the Day comes from Dictionary.com. Use the word in your own haiku and add to the comments.

    Improve your vocabulary and your haiku skills at the same time! If you don't know the definition, it's below, but see if you can figure it out from the haiku and/or image. 

    Poet and designer, David Alan Foster has been experimenting with haiku since the '70s. He has inspired (or possibly offended) many with said experiments.


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