catchup

So it's every day again, no excuses. I'm well (as can be expected, not complaining), I still have my marbles, though I seem to have lost my latest word lists. I just have two:

thole 1 θəʊl| (also thole pin) noun: a pin, typically one of a pair, fitted to the gunwale of a rowing boat and on which an oar pivots.  ORIGIN Old English, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dol.  

 thole 2 |θəʊl| verb: [ with obj. ] Scottish or archaic endure (something) without complaint or resistance; tolerate. if there's one thing I can't thole it's a lie.   ORIGIN  Old English tholian, of Germanic origin.

I LOVE THAT, BOTH MEANINGS.

spandrel  noun:  Architecture:  the almost triangular space between one side of the outer curve of an arch, a wall, and the ceiling or framework.  The space between the shoulders of adjoining arches and the ceiling or moulding above.  ORIGIN late Middle English: perhaps from Anglo-Norman French spaund(e)re, or from espaundre ‘expand’.

ONE MORE:

horripilation |noun:  [ mass noun ] literary:   the erection of hairs on the skin due to cold, fear, or excitement. [ count noun ] : a horripilation of dread tingled down my spine.  DERIVATIVES  horripilate, verb: my skin horripilated   ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from late Latin horripilatio(n-), from Latin horror ‘stand on end’ (see horrid) + pilus ‘hair’

REMEMBER THIS - from a few weeks ago? I've had occasion to use it; I hope you have, too.

I just finished reading The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Leguin (1929-2018).  I read all the tributes and memorials to her on her recent death and I realised I had read only one of her books - can't remember which one. So I bought Left Hand and read it.  As a rule I like fantasy and science fiction but I had trouble with this one, having to recognise the amount of planning and work went into this one before she could begin writing the story.  She had to create a whole new world/ universe/ language (key words, anyway), weather patterns, the names of the days and months, legends, dynasties, names, on and on and on.  I bet she had fun doing it, but I found it hard to read for story as I encountered this alien creation.I remembered what I used to do when I played with my paper dolls. On a much smaller scale I created a parallel world for my flat, two dimensional creatures, with names and histories and characters and traits..so then I accepted Leguin.   And she really is a good writer.

But I have other things to read.