Yvonne-.-
‘Wondrous Words Wednesday’ is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we have encountered in our reading.
It is hosted by Kathy, over at BermudaOnion’s Weblog. You can either stop by and leave a link to your own ‘mystery’ words of the week, or just browse the eclectic mix of words that others have discovered, there is always a great selection.
Don’t forget that Kathy and the rest of us, all love to read your comments as well!!
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My words this week come from my current read … a gutsy, fast paced thriller,
‘The Safety Expert’ by Doug Richardson
“Ben Keller lives life by one simple rule. Safety first. Ben is keenly aware of life’s hidden dangers. Ben never smokes. Ben always uses the crosswalk. Ben always drives within the speed limit. He has to be because safety is his business. From his home in Simi Valley, California, one of the safest cities in the United States, Ben works hard at living a perfectly normal, perfectly uneventful, perfectly safe life.
And life is good until the past reaches into the present. In the dark of the night, a man crosses a lonely intersection and is struck by a car, setting events in motion that will unravel the finely stitched strands of Ben’s cocoon, from a recently retired porn actress who is desperate to be a mother to the butch cop determined to shield her young son from the whisperings of the queen bee moms at his private school to the addict who is clawing to hold onto the sobriety which cages the violence within him.
A long dismissed demon has resurfaced, presenting Ben with a most unsafe dilemma: preserve the haven he has carefully built for himself or confront the evildoer who decimated his carefree young life all those years ago.
Ben is in danger. Ben’s world is unsafe. Ben’s life will be changed forever. Again.”
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1. TROMPED …(I could have guessed this one, but it is such a great word)
‘As Stew tromped toward the rear of his site, he continued his phone conversation.’
TROMPED … 1.To walk heavily and noisily; tramp … 2.To apply heavy foot pressure on something … 3.To trample underfoot … 4.To defeat soundly; trounce.
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2. PONTIFICATE
“In fact, Ben would sometimes pontificate, Americans by in large ignored any and all odds, astronomical or otherwise.”
PONTIFICATE … 1.To express opinions or judgments in a dogmatic way … 2.To administer the office of a pontiff … 3.The office or term of office of a pontiff.
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3 &4. MOOKS & SHIV
‘… and then having to divide the dough with mooks half as smart as himself just to keep someone from sticking a shiv in his back.’
MOOK … An insignificant or contemptible person.
SHIV … A knife, razor, or other sharp or pointed implement, especially one used as a weapon.
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5&6. GENTRIFICATION & BARRIO
‘And as much as the area had been slowly reborn from inevitable urban gentrification, some remnants of its barrio roots remained untouched.’
GENTRIFICATION … The restoration and upgrading of deteriorated urban property by middle-class or affluent people, often resulting in displacement of lower-income people.
BARRIO … 1. An urban district or quarter in a Spanish-speaking country … 2. A chiefly Spanish-speaking community or neighborhood in a U.S. city.
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7. OMNIPOTENCE
‘It stripped the rage and left him with a cozy feeling of omnipotence.‘
OMNIPOTENCE … 1. Having unlimited or universal power, authority, or force; all-powerful … 2. One having unlimited power or authority.
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All definitions are taken from ‘The Free Dictionary’ … https://www.thefreedictionary.com
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An interesting lot of words. I use pontificate quite a lot for some odd reason. Mook and shiv are completely new to me, as is Barrio. Nice to learn these things.
Hi Cath,
You would be amazed at some of the words that appear in people’s posts each week. Some I have heard of already, but there are many others which are completely unknown, (and would probably be better off staying that way!)
I would like to think that I could remember some of them to introduce into a conversation, but some of them are so obscure that it would be nigh on impossible.
Slang words are always the most difficult to work out and like yourself, I have never come across ‘mook’, ‘shiv’, or ‘barrio’ before, although they would probably be well known to a US audience.
A few British slang words came up today on various blogs, with US bloggers struggling to get them into context.
Slang words always look and sound so awful to me, however I suppose they are so much a part of everyday speech now, that we will never be able to lose them.
I think that ‘tromped’ is my favourite word this week, although I guess we British would probably use ‘stomped’ instead?
Thanks for stopping by, great to hear from you, as always
Mook is completely new to me. It seems such a nice word for someone you don’t really like, but the meaning probably comes through in the tone of voice when using the word.
Hi Margot,
‘mook’ didn’t sound really very nice to me, but I suppose is actually much nicer than the equivalent British slang word, which is ‘mucker’.
Typically British though, according to the ‘free dictionary’, this word can either mean:- a friend or mate … or a coarse person.
How would the person you were addressing know exactly how to take the remark?
I must say that I have only ever heard it used when talking to, or about, a friend or mate.
Ah! the vagaries of the English language LOL
Thanks for stopping by and adding to the discussion.
Great words today! Happy reading!
Hi Julie,
It is great to discover new words and meanings (even better if they actually stick in the memory!), but coming across ‘slang’ words is always fun. There are so many variances from country to country and whilst some of them you can make a good stab at guessing the meaning of, others are a complete mystery. Thank goodness for the ‘urban’ dictionary!
Thanks for stopping by, always great to hear from you.
I always thought tromp was a made up word. I love mook and will try to use it soon.
Hi Kathy,
I have to admit that I didn’t really expect to find a definition for ‘tromped’. I just assumed it would be a derivation of ‘stamped’ or ‘stomped’. I do love the sound of the word ‘tromped’ though and I shall be looking for ways of using it soon, although according to Dave, it is something that I already do most of the time anyway!!
The only new one for me here was “mook,” which could come in handy!
Hi and thanks for the visit, it is always lovely to receive comments.
‘mook’ could possibly come in very handy, although I suspect it is a word that could only be used the once, as if the recipient is intrigued enough to look up the definition, they may not be too pleased about it.
Mook and shiv are new to me. I tromp and pontificate — sometimes at the same time according to my husband. 🙂
Hi Joy,
‘mook’ and ‘shiv’ are both typically US slang words, so as a Brit they were both unknown to me, and I would never have guessed their definitions correctly, that’s for sure.
My husband has pretty much the same opinion about me, as yours seems to have about you … I can’t think what they are talking about!!!!
Although it is Stew who is doing the tromping in the book, I can only assume that both of these words are female rather than male words … LOL
Thanks for stopping by, great comments.
Such a lovely list of words this week- some new for me, others old and familiar favourites. I too like pontificate.
Hi Louise,
I think the general concensus of opinion is that, tromping and pontificating are very obviously female traits, at least that’s how most men see it.
Personally, I rather think that most women are omnipotent as well, although I can’t see my husband rushing to agree with that sentiment quite so quickly ….!
Thanks so much for the visit and I hope that you are enjoying a great reading week.
I hadn’t heard of 3 & 4 or 5 & 6, but I had heard of the others.
Hi Nikki,
Thanks for taking the time to read this post and leave comment, I always appreciate it.
I think that the particular four words that you highlight are typically US slang words, so are not in regular use in the UK. I definitely never knew about any of them.
‘Gentrification’ is such a genteel, upmarket sounding word, for something that obviously causes so much pain and suffering on the ground. I guess something similar happens the world over, however it seems such a shame that middle and upper class people feel the necessity to oust lower income families, in order to make an area more upmarket, especially if they are an indigenous population who have lived in the area for years.
Have a great weekend, are you doing anything special?
Hi Yvonne,
Today was spent clothes shopping… I needed something for a funeral next Wednesday (my great uncle died unexpectedly but peacefully last Monday). I hadn’t seen my neice & nephew for a fortnight, so I popped down to see them after I’d been shopping.
Tomorrow… Well, I’ll see what the day brings. I had planned to go to the cinema between Christmas & New Year but didn’t due to being ill… so I may go tomorrow. I’m also hoping to get some reading done!
I hope you’re enjoying the weekend. 🙂
Hi Nikki,
Sorry to hear about the death of your great uncle and I hope that everything goes well on Wednesday.
Dave has been away at a conference for a couple of days, so as the hospice shop was a little short-handed, I decided to go in for a few hours and help out.
Tomorrow is going to be spent washing and ironing, now that Dave is home and unpacked. With this unexpected cold snap looking set to continue for a couple more days, I think that a nice lie in may be on the cards as well!
We have to go down to Southampton on Tuesday for a family meal, as our youngest nephew will be turning 18. This is just the first in a whole stream of special birthdays and anniversaries this year, it is all certainly going to be a bit hectic, not to say expensive!
Enjoy your day, whatever you decide to do.