Monthly Archives: April 2011

I learned a new word this morning–callipygian, “having well-shaped buttocks.” From the Greek kalli– (beautiful) + pyge (buttocks). A statue of Aphrodite in Syracuse was thus named, and the word sprang from there.¹ You’ll recognize the “beautiful” root in calligraphy … Continue reading →

The Professor is reading another book. Well, she’s always reading a book, but you know what I mean. An obscure book that she’s heard about somewhere and that she’s decided will make a good addition to her mental library of … Continue reading →

We all have those times when we suddenly realize that we’ve missed something obvious, times when we think to ourselves, “Duh.” That’s how I felt the other day when I realized it had never even occurred to me to look … Continue reading →

This morning, I went to say “background investigation” to The Professor, and I said “background invasion” instead. I’m pretty sure this will be a new term of art around our place.

I’ve been thinking about the word kerfuffle. It’s one of those words that sounds just like what it is. It isn’t an onomatopoeia exactly, because a kerfuffle doesn’t make a specific sound. But the word has in it for me … Continue reading →