PARTY WOTW! (09/24/06)
That's right, people! It's party time! Welcome to the official third anniversary of the word of the week! This time, I put the power to choose the word into your hands, and those of you who voted chose this week's word pretty decisively. First of all, I would like to congratulate Mindy, Danna, and Leslie, the three people who won free song downloads in our little contest and who also happen to be three of the coolest people in the world. Honorable mentions go to my mom and sister, who also sent correct definitions to me, but who didn't get free music. I guess I should do something special this week for our party, so here's a brief history of the WOTW in haiku form:first had three readers
now we are just so famous
because words are fun
Not only is the WOTW fun to read, but we are also in the business of changing lives. Most of the feedback that I get is from people who say that they would be lost, just lost without a word to pull them through the weeks. No lie. Now, since I don't want you to feel lost in despair, it's time to present you with the very special WOTW, which won with 57% of your votes. Let's go:
-kamalayka (kŏ-mŏ-lī'ku) noun --> a waterproof shirt made from seal guts
Ex: As we journeyed through Antarctica, we wore kamalaykas in order to go from swimming to walking with no discomfort.
And what would the WOTW be without our beloved random fact? Here's the best part of the party - you get two random facts this week! One relates to our word, and one has to do with words in general. Here they are:
1. The word "scuba" is an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus."
2. The word mussel is derived from muscle, because of the strength with which these molluscs can keep their shells closed. And muscle, in turn, can be traced back to the Latin mus, or "mouse," because of the picturesque notion that a rippling biceps suggests the image of a mouse scampering about underneath.
Alrighty, folks, this has been fun, but it's getting late, and even a great party has to end eventually. Let's keep the dialogue open in this little endeavor... tell me if you have a WOTW-worthy word or if you come across a particularly random fact. I'll be getting a new poll up on my blog tonight or tomorrow morning, so come back and check it out! Have a superbly amazing week!
Avec beaucoup de joie,
Dr. J
posted by Jill at 6:09 PM
4 Comments:
Very exciting. I not only enjoyed the word but I also shared it with my friends who came over for football. After a few moments of strange looks, they began a discussion about muscles and mussles which led to a discussion about quohaugs which made me hungry. The dead seal reference made me sad, but it reminded me that my seals will be returning to my front yard in a few weeks (unless they ended up as kamalaykas)and of a poem by rudyard kippling that I love...
Oh! hush thee, my baby, the night is behind us
And black are the waters that sparkled so green
The moon, o'er combers, looks downward to find us
Asleep in the hollows that rustle between
Where billow meets billow, there soft be thy pillow;
Ah, weary wee flipperling , curl at thy ease
The storm shall not wake thee, nor shark overtake thee
Asleep in the arms of the slow-swimming seas.
Have a great week. Looking forward to your next post.
xoL
Laura, that was beautiful! I can't tell you how much you sound like your mother, honestly, the humor, the poetry, how touching.
By the way, who has seals in their yard???? While they are playing football no less.
Liz's haiku:
don't do your homework
before you clean the bathroom
it will make you sleep
I totally have seals in my yard. and the poem is called the seal's lullaby. And quohogs are a type of shell fish that are only found in rhode island and are stuffed with portugese sausage and called stuffies that are deliciously devine.
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