A.Word.A.Day Archives from https://wordsmith.org/awad -------- Date: Thu Apr 1 00:02:08 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--weltanschauung X-Bonus: I believe in evidence. I believe in observation, measurement, and reasoning, confirmed by independent observers. I'll believe anything, no matter how wild and ridiculous, if there is evidence for it. The wilder and more ridiculous something is, however, the firmer and more solid the evidence will have to be. -Isaac Asimov, scientist and writer (1920-1992) This week's theme: Words borrowed from German weltanschauung (VELT-ahn-shou-oong) noun World view; philosophy of life; a framework through which to interpret the world. [From German Weltanschauung (world view), from Welt (world) + Anschauung (perception).] Notes: When we bring in a word from another language, sometimes we borrow it and at other times make a loan translation. The word weltanschauung appears so useful that English has borrowed the original form and also made a loan translation: world view. "Gwyneth Paltrow summed up her weltanschauung thus: 'My life is good because I am not passive about it.'" Richard Dorment; Gwyneth Paltrow Feels Good -- And So Can You; Esquire (New York); Sep 16, 2009. -------- Date: Fri Apr 2 00:02:10 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--poltergeist X-Bonus: There's never been a true war that wasn't fought between two sets of people who were certain they were in the right. The really dangerous people believe they are doing whatever they are doing solely and only because it is without question the right thing to do. And that is what makes them dangerous. -Neil Gaiman, novelist and short story writer (b. 1960) This week's theme: Words borrowed from German poltergeist (POHL-tuhr-gyst) noun A ghost that reveals its presence by making noises or throwing objects. [From German Poltergeist, from poltern (to make noise, rattle) + Geist (ghost, spirit).] What really is a poltergeist? Check out The Skeptic's Dictionary: http://skepdic.com/poltergeist.html "The nearest Liverpool player was at least five yards away, meaning Emerson was trying to convince the referee he'd been tripped by a poltergeist." Paul Doyle; Liverpool v Lille; The Guardian (London, UK); Mar 18, 2010. -------- Date: Mon Apr 5 00:02:11 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--desideratum X-Bonus: A gun gives you the body, not the bird. -Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and author (1817-1862) For a change, this week we don't fit words into pigeonholes, we don't put labels on them, we don't assign them to a particular category or arrange them into a theme. We just let them be. The five words we've selected have nothing in common... well, if you try hard enough, you can probably find something, but enjoy this bouquet of assorted words, or a salmagundi of syllables, if you will. desideratum (di-sid-uh-RAY-tuhm, -RAA-) noun Something considered necessary or desirable. [From Latin desideratum (something desired), from desiderare (to desire).] "The researchers also asked what qualities the two groups [well-off vs street children] of young people would like to see in an 'ideal' Russian president. Twenty-nine percent of both groups said that the ideal president should be kind and tough, with the children of the street slightly more inclined than their better-off counterparts to stress kindness as a desideratum." Paul Goble; Wealthier Moscow Teenagers More Inclined to View U.S. as Russia's Enemy; The Moscow Times (Russia); Jun 21, 2009. -------- Date: Tue Apr 6 00:02:07 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--limen X-Bonus: The nuclear arms race is like two sworn enemies standing waist deep in gasoline, one with three matches, the other with five. -Carl Sagan, astronomer and writer (1934-1996) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words limen (LY-muhn) noun A threshold of response: point at which a stimulus is of sufficient intensity to generate a response. [From Latin limen (threshold).] "Such to the dead might appear the world of living -- charged with information, with meaning, yet somehow always just, terribly, beyond that fateful limen where any lamp of comprehension might beam forth." Thomas Pynchon; Against the Day; Penguin Press; 2006. -------- Date: Wed Apr 7 00:02:07 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--obdurate X-Bonus: Once we assuage our conscience by calling something a "necessary evil", it begins to look more and more necessary and less and less evil. -Sydney J. Harris, journalist (1917-1986) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words obdurate (OB-doo-rit, -dyoo-) adjective 1. Stubborn: not easily moved. 2. Hard-hearted: resistant to emotions. [From Latin obdurare (to harden), from durus (hard). Ultimately from the Indo-European root deru- (to be firm) that's the source of such other words as truth, trust, betroth, tree, endure, druid, during, durable, duress, trow https://wordsmith.org/words/trow.html and indurate https://wordsmith.org/words/indurate.html .] "The White Paper outlines no strategy to end government's obdurate resistance to proper pricing of passenger services." Raghu Dayal; Whither is Fled, Railways' Visionary Gleam? The Economic Times (New Delhi, India); Feb 23, 2010. -------- Date: Thu Apr 8 00:02:16 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--quiescence X-Bonus: I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity. -Gilda Radner -actress and comedian (1946-1989) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words quiescence (kwee-ES-uhns, kwi-) noun A state of rest, inactivity, or quietness. [From Latin quiescere (to become quiet), from quies (quiet).] "The Copenhagen debacle could lead to a period of quiescence in which not much is done to pursue climate-change policy." Anthony Giddens; Start the World, We Want to Get On; NewStatesman (London, UK); Feb 8, 2010. -------- Date: Fri Apr 9 00:02:09 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--chicanery X-Bonus: It will not do to investigate the subject of religion too closely, as it is apt to lead to infidelity. -Abraham Lincoln, 16th US President (1809-1865) This week's theme: Miscellaneous words chicanery (shi-KAY-nuh-ree) noun Deception by trickery or sophistry. [From French chicaner (to quibble).] "Some analysts are claiming that these arrests [of Taliban members] are not good news at all, but merely evidence of still more too-clever-by-half chicanery by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence." Good News From Pakistan, And That's No Conspiracy; The Gazette (Montreal, Canada); Feb 24, 2010. -------- Date: Mon Apr 12 00:02:07 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--shanghai X-Bonus: No sooner is the rage of hunger appeased than it becomes difficult to comprehend the meaning of starvation. It is only when you suffer that you really understand. -Jules Verne, science fiction author (1828-1905) No matter where we stand on earth, we can all enjoy an equally wondrous view of the stars. Yet the age-old wisdom tells us there are three important things to look for when the aim is to call a few yards of this land ours: location, location, location. And location is what we want to pay attention to when it comes to this week's words, for they all came from the names of locations. They're known as toponyms, words derived from places. Whether it's when we drink champagne (from Champagne, France), commit a solecism (after Soloi, an Athenian colony in Cilicia), or when we meet our Waterloo (Waterloo, Belgium), we are (perhaps unknowingly) alluding to a distant land and its history. This week's words take us on a tour of cities and towns in China, Germany, France, Iraq, and South Africa. shanghai (SHANG-hy) verb tr. To recruit someone forcibly or by fraud into doing something. [After Shanghai, a major seaport in east China. The term derives from the former practice (mid-1800s to early 1900) of luring men, by the use of drugs, liquor, or violence into serving on US ships destined for East Asia. People who recruited sailors in this manner were called crimps. The practice ended with The Seamen's Act of 1915 that made crimping a federal crime.] Shanghai today: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/shanghai_large.jpg [Photo: Jens Schott Knudsen http://www.flickr.com/photos/58571789@N00/3980348978 ] "I know that no one shanghais people into joining the police or becoming a medic, but it does us no harm to remind ourselves from time to time how off-the-scale gnarly these jobs are." Caitlin Moran; Buttocks on the Skirting Board?; The Times (London, UK); Jan 25, 2010. -------- Date: Tue Apr 13 00:02:11 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--munich X-Bonus: Convulsions in nature, disorders, prodigies, miracles, though the most opposite to the plan of a wise superintendent, impress mankind with the strongest sentiments of religion. -David Hume, philosopher, economist, and historian (1711-1776) This week's theme: Toponyms Munich (MYOO-nik) noun A shortsighted or dishonorable appeasement. [After Munich, Germany, the site of a pact signed by Great Britain, France, Italy, and Germany on Sep 29, 1938 that permitted annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland by Nazi Germany. WWII began a year later; Sudetenland was restored to Czechoslovakia after the war.] Notes: The name Munich is an exonym https://wordsmith.org/words/exonym.html (a name used by outsiders). The local name (endonym) for Munich is München, derived from Mönch (monk) as the city was founded by Benedictine monks in 1158. Photo-op before the signing of the Munich Pact: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/munich_large.jpg L to R: Chamberlain (British PM), Daladier (French PM), Hitler, Mussolini (Italian PM), and Ciano (Italian foreign minister) [Photo: German Federal Archive] "Neoconservatives, writes Jacob Heilbrunn, 'see new Munichs everywhere and anywhere'." Andrew J. Bacevich; The Neocondition; Los Angeles Times; Jan 20, 2008. -------- Date: Wed Apr 14 00:02:08 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--bayonet X-Bonus: Kill a man, and you are an assassin. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill everyone, and you are a god. -Jean Rostand, biologist and philosopher (1894-1977) This week's theme: Toponyms bayonet (BAY-uh-nit, -net, bay-uh-NET) noun: A blade attached to the muzzle of a gun, used in close combat. verb: To fight or kill with bayonet. [After Bayonne, a town in southwest France, where the weapon originated or was first used in early 17th century.] US Marines practice bayonet fighting: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/bayonet_large.jpg [Photo: U.S. Marine Corps] You'd think with modern high-tech gadgetry, a 17th century weapon would now be obsolete, but the US Marines take their tools seriously, even the bayonet: http://www.marines.mil/unit/basecamppendleton/Pages/News/2003/Longer,%20sharper%20bayonet%20set%20to%20pierce%20the%20fleet.aspx "Although no tactician has taken the bayonet seriously since the Civil War, the Army sees bayonet training as a way of pumping up aggressiveness. On this morning, some of the women seemed tentative as they jabbed at dummies -- but no more so than an equal ratio of men, the sergeants said." This Woman's Army With a `No Big Deal' Shrug, Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood Again Mixes Genders; St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Feb 26, 1995. -------- Date: Thu Apr 15 00:02:07 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--babylon X-Bonus: A couple of months in the laboratory can save a couple of hours in the library. -Frank H. Westheimer, chemistry professor (1912-2007) This week's theme: Toponyms Babylon (BAB-uh-luhn, -lawn) noun A place of great luxury and extravagance, usually accompanied with vice and corruption. [After Babylon, an ancient city of southwestern Asia, on the Euphrates River. It was the capital of Babylonia and known for its opulence and culture. It was the site of Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.] Hanging Gardens of Babylon, a 16th century engraving: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/babylon_large.jpg [Artist: Martin Heemskerck] "Tsuyoshi Morimoto said that when the economic crisis hit the international market, many big companies turned to Iraq in hopes that it would save them. 'Big companies talked a lot about Iraq and paid a huge amount of attention to it. It is just like we suddenly built a Babylon, and now the Babylon is collapsing.'" Qassim Khidhir; "Don't Expect Too Much From Iraq"; Kurdish Globe (Arbil, Kurdistan); Jan 16, 2010. -------- Date: Fri Apr 16 00:02:08 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--maffick X-Bonus: Gods are fragile things; they may be killed by a whiff of science or a dose of common sense. -Chapman Cohen, author and lecturer (1868-1954) This week's theme: Toponyms maffick (MAF-ik) verb intr. To celebrate boisterously. [Back formation from Mafeking (now Mafikeng), a town in South Africa, where a British garrison was besieged for 217 days during the Boer War. Lifting of the siege on May 17, 1900 sparked wild celebrations in London.] Mafikeng, South Africa: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/maffick.jpg [Map source: Wikipedia] "Colin Milburn had a glazed look of stupefaction in his unseeing eyes and was completely oblivious to the mafficking going all around him in the wake of England's recently completed Test victory over Australia." Frank Tyson; Driven by Natural Gifts; Sportstar (Chennai, India); Jul 4, 2009. "Last year, about 300 people who like comics showed up ... It was a successful day of mingling, marketing, and mafficking." Wayne Alan Brenner; Giant-Sized Annual; The Austin Chronicle (Texas); Mar 3, 2006. -------- Date: Mon Apr 19 00:02:07 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--vanity fair X-Bonus: One is happy as a result of one's own efforts once one knows the necessary ingredients of happiness: simple tastes, a certain degree of courage, self denial to a point, love of work, and above all, a clear conscience. -George Sand [pen name of Amantine-Aurore-Lucile Dupin], novelist (1804-1876) When my daughter was little and scraped a knee, what brought the swiftest diversion wasn't candies or toys, but stories. Stories soothe us, teach us, take us to other worlds. Even when we grow up, our hunger for stories remains. Each of this week's five words is a story in itself. From mythology, fiction, and poetry, they contain tales that are hundreds or thousands of years old. Through the allusions and metaphors in them we'll visit lands afar. vanity fair (VAN-i-tee fair) noun A place characterized by frivolity and ostentation. [After Vanity Fair, a fair that lasted all year long in the town of Vanity, in the novel Pilgrim's Progress by writer and preacher John Bunyan (1628-1688). In the fair were traded houses, honors, titles, kingdoms, pleasures, and much more -- sounds like an early version of eBay.] Vanity Fair: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/vanity_fair_large.jpg [An illustration from the book Pilgrim's Progress] "[The Millionaire Fair] was a vanity fair of thin beautiful women sporting mink fur coats and low necklines decorated with glittering jewelry and dark-suited, elegant men shadowed by beefy bodyguards." Maria Danilova; In Moscow, A Nouveau Riche Showcase; The Associated Press; Nov 3, 2006. "In one corner was Karl Rove, presidential adviser and global-warming denier. In the opposite corner was the An Inconvenient Truth tag team of singer Sheryl Crow and documentary producer Laurie David. Their encounter took place Saturday night in Washington at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, a vanity fair for journalists, politicos, and celebrities." The Lightning Round; The Philadelphia Inquirer; Apr 24, 2007. -------- Date: Tue Apr 20 00:02:07 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--Old Man of the Sea X-Bonus: Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputation and social standing, never can bring about a reform. Those who are really in earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation. -Susan B. Anthony, reformer and suffragist (1820-1906) This week's theme: Allusions Old Man of the Sea (old man ov the see) noun A tiresome burden, especially a person, difficult to free oneself from. [After Old Man of the Sea, the sea-god, who forced Sinbad to carry him on his shoulders and refused to dismount. In this story from The Arabian Nights, Sinbad the Sailor eventually released himself from his burden by getting the Old Man drunk.] Also see albatross https://wordsmith.org/words/albatross.html The Old Man of the Sea, 1923: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/old_man_of_the_sea_large.jpg [Artist: Monro Scott Orr] "Deirdre has Ken the Cardie Wearer ever at her side, an Old Man of the Sea she can't ditch. He grows daily more brain-sapping as he takes up local causes like t'cobbles in Coronation Street." Molly Blake: The Mail's First Lady of TV; Evening Mail (Birmingham, UK); Dec 6, 2000. -------- Date: Wed Apr 21 00:02:13 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--pygmalionism X-Bonus: One of the primary tests of the mood of a society at any given time is whether its comfortable people tend to identify, psychologically, with the power and achievements of the very successful or with the needs and sufferings of the underprivileged. -Richard Hofstadter, historian (1916-1970) This week's theme: Allusions Pygmalionism (pig-MAY-lee-uh-niz-uhm) noun 1. The state of being in love with an object of one's own making. 2. The condition of loving an inanimate object such as a statue or image. [In Greek mythology, Pygmalion was the king of Cyprus who carved a female figure in ivory so realistic and beautiful that he fell in love with her. The goddess Aphrodite took pity on him and responded by bringing the statue to life as Galatea. Pygmalion married her.] https://wordsmith.org/words/images/pygmalionism_large.jpg [Artist: Jean-Baptiste Regnault (1754-1829)] More art on this theme: http://www.metmuseum.org/search-results?ft=Pygmalion "Sarah Palin has been an exercise in Pygmalionism gone wrong. The most famous female politician in the world today is a vain and sanctimonious woman of boundless ambition and no vision." Janet Bagnall; Setback for Women; The Gazette (Montreal, Canada); Feb 12, 2010. "The aim was to show the reverse Pygmalionism of cinema, which takes live bodies and makes cool, untouchable idols of them." Hold On to Your Popcorn; The Observer (London, UK); May 20, 2007. -------- Date: Thu Apr 22 00:02:07 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sisyphean X-Bonus: Punishment is the last and least effective instrument in the hands of the legislator for the prevention of crime. -John Ruskin, author, art critic, and social reformer (1819-1900) This week's theme: Allusions Sisyphean (sis-ee-FEE-uhn) adjective Endlessly laborious and fruitless. [After Sisyphus, a king in Greek mythology who was cursed to push a huge boulder to the top of a hill, only to watch it roll back down and to repeat this forever. Roll, rinse, repeat.] Sisyphus: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/sisyphean_large.jpg [Artist: Peggy Dembicer http://www.peggydembicer.com ] "Even making the bed together in the morning, an act that had hitherto struck me as Sisyphean, took on meaning." Tim Page; Parallel Play; The New Yorker; Aug 20, 2007. -------- Date: Fri Apr 23 00:02:07 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--achates X-Bonus: A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease. Every hidden cell is throbbing with music and life, every fiber thrilling like harp strings, while incense is ever flowing from the balsam bells and leaves. No wonder the hills and groves were God's first temples, and the more they are cut down and hewn into cathedrals and churches, the farther off and dimmer seems the Lord himself. -John Muir, naturalist, explorer, and writer (1838-1914) This week's theme: Allusions Achates (uh-KAY-teez) noun A trusty friend or companion. [After Achates, the faithful companion and friend of Aeneas, in the epic poem Aeneid by the Roman poet Vergil (70-19 BCE). In the story, Achates is called fidus Achates (faithful Achates) and he accompanies Aeneas everywhere in his adventures.] Aeneas and Achates: https://wordsmith.org/words/images/achates_large.jpg [Artist: Dosso Dossi (c. 1490-1542)] "I was baffled by the lack of reference to the sleuth of Baker Street and his trusty Achates." John Banville; Bloomsday, Bloody Bloomsday; The New York Times; Jun 13, 2004. -------- Date: Mon Apr 26 00:12:15 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cathect X-Bonus: When others asked the truth of me, I was convinced it was not the truth they wanted, but an illusion they could bear to live with. -Anais Nin, writer (1903-1977) Which came first, editor or edit? This may sound like a chicken-and-egg question, but it's not. It's easy to assume that the word editor was formed from the verb edit. In reality, the word editor came first (from Latin edere: to give out). Then we formed the verb edit from it. Words such as babysit, vaccinate, donate, all were derived from their noun forms, not vice versa. This re-interpretation of a word to coin a new word is called back-formation: devising a word from what appears to be a derivative word. This re-analysis of words can be in error or in humor, done on purpose. About 110 years ago British troops were released after a long siege in a town called Mafeking in South Africa. It sparked wild celebrations in Britain. The town name Mafeking was jocularly treated as a gerund and a verb form was coined: to maffick: to celebrate https://wordsmith.org/words/maffick.html . The word we now know as cherry was originally cherise (in French it's still called cerise today), but as that seemed to be plural, people erroneously spoke of a cherry when referring to a single fruit. In the beginning back-formations are usually frowned upon, for example, the verb enthuse (a back-formation from enthusiasm) is not yet well accepted. Scores of other back-formations are now full-fledged members of the English language: greed (from greedy), injure (from injury), beg (from beggar). The verb to back-form itself is a back-formation. We'll look at five more this week. cathect (kuh-THEKT) verb tr. To invest mental or emotional energy in an idea, object, or person. [Back-formation from Greek kathexis (the investment of emotional energy in something). Ultimately from the Indo-European root segh- (to hold) that is also the source of words such as hectic, scheme, and scholar.] "Mortimer divorced Jane Goodall's mother, Vanne, in 1950, consigning Jane to the fate of so many children who cathect with the animal kingdom to compensate for missing parents." Judith Lewis; Observing the Observer: Jane Goodall, The Woman Who Redefined Man; Los Angeles Times; Nov 19, 2006. -------- Date: Tue Apr 27 00:02:09 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--sass X-Bonus: Life is something that happens when you can't get to sleep. -Fran Lebowitz, author (b. 1950) This week's theme: Back-formations sass (sas) noun: Impudent talk; back talk. verb tr.: To talk disrespectfully, especially to someone older or in authority. [Back-formation from sassy, alteration of saucy, from sauce, from Latin salsa, from sallere (to salt), from sal (salt). Ultimately from the Indo-European root sal- (salt) that is also the source of silt, sausage, salad, salami, salary, and salmagundi https://wordsmith.org/words/salmagundi.html ] "Madea ran to the edge of the stage with a gun after thinking someone in the audience was sassing her." Kevin C. Johnson; Love Him or Hate Him, Tyler Perry Is All Over the Place; St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Apr 18, 2010. "I raised you so you wouldn't talk back to me or sass me." Lawanda Randall; Telling Tales: The Tree of Love; The World & I (Washington, DC); Feb 1995. -------- Date: Wed Apr 28 00:02:07 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--callithump X-Bonus: Some problems in the world are not bullet-izable. -H.R. McMaster, Brigadier General, US Army, Iraq War veteran (b. 1962) [Actually Brig. Gen. was talking about PowerPoint] This week's theme: Back-formations callithump (KAL-uh-thump) noun 1. A noisy, boisterous celebration or parade. 2. A mock serenade with pots, pans, kettles, etc., given for a newly married couple. Also known as charivari or shivaree. [Back-formation from callithumpian, alteration of English dialect word gallithumpian (disturber of order at Parliamentary elections in 18th century).] "'Our clothes,' Bono said, 'got somewhat fusty in the rebels' little New Year's callithump." M.T. Anderson; The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing; Candlewick Press; 2008. http://amazon.com/o/asin/0763629502/ws00-20 -------- Date: Thu Apr 29 00:02:07 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--accrete X-Bonus: Everyone is kneaded out of the same dough but not baked in the same oven. -Yiddish proverb This week's theme: Back-formations accrete (uh-KREET) verb tr., intr. To grow gradually by accumulation. [Back-formation from accretion, from accrescere (to grow). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ker- (to grow) that is also the source of words such as increase, recruit, crew, crescent, cereal, concrete, and crescendo.] "Protoplanets accrete more material and grow into full-sized planets." Lisa Grossman; Saving the Earth With Dynamical Simulations; Science News (Washington, DC); Jan 8, 2010. -------- Date: Fri Apr 30 00:02:10 EDT 2010 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cerebrate X-Bonus: I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours. -Stephen Roberts, database architect (b. 1967) This week's theme: Back-formations cerebrate (SER-uh-brayt) verb tr., intr. To use the mind: to think, reason. [Back-formation from cerebration (act of thinking), from cerebrum (brain). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ker- (horn or head), which is also the source of words such as unicorn, horn, hornet, rhinoceros, reindeer, migraine, carrot, carat, and Hindi sirdar (leader, from Persian sar: head).] "Since Galatea, Richard Powers has been cerebrating more than he's been feeling, but with his latest book, as if in wild overcompensation, he has led with his heart and entirely lost his head." Thomas Mallon; Going to Extremes; The Atlantic (Boston); Jan/Feb 2003. http://amazon.com/o/asin/0060976926/ws00-20