The Closet: Spring 2009 Northeast Ohio MFA Graduate Reading

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NIfty Words (care of the OED) or, Words I Didn't Know

adumbrated- adj. shadowed forth; represented faintly or in outline.
sophrosyne- n. soundness of mind, moderation, prudence, self-control.
oneiric- adj. of or belonging to dreams.
o'neiromantist- adj. one who divines by dreams.
pathos- n. that quality in speech, writing, music, or artistic representation which excites a feeling of pity or sadness; power of stirring tender or melancholy emotions; pathetic or affecting character or influence.
lacuna- n. In a manuscript, an inscription, the text of an author: A hiatus, a blank, missing portion.
askesis- n. strict self discipline or self control, as for religious or meditative purposes.
apperception - n. The process of understanding by which newly observed qualities of an object are related to past experience.
ridunculous - adj. (urban dictionary) extremely ridiculous.
bald-head - adj.(Rastafarian) a straight person; one without dreadlocks; one who works for babylon (care of Lisa Lalli)
obsequious- adj. compliant with the will or wishes of another, esp. of a superior; prompt to please serve or follow directions; obedient; dutiful. (now rare)
gewgaw- n. a gaudy trifle, plaything, or ornament; a pretty thing of little value; a toy or bauble.
swagger jacker- n. someone who steals someone else's flow, lines, jokes, swagger.
somnambulist- n. sleepwalker
houri- n. a nymph of the muslim paradise; adj. hence applied allusively to a voluptuously beautiful woman.
egregious- adj. remarkable in a good sense; remarkable in a bad sense.
detritus- n. matter produced by the detrition or wearing away of exposed surfaces, especially the gravel, sand, clay, or other material eroded or washed away by an aqueous agency; a mass or formation of this nature.
qiviut- n. (Eskimo) the underwool of the arctic musk ox; fibre made from this.
woodwright- n. a worker in wood, as in a carpenter. see also, wood-sawyer- n. one who saws wood.
subaqueous- a. of or pertaining to underwater swimming or diving performed with the assistance of an aqualung.
Vesperugo- n. Evening, or the evening star.
avuncular- adj. of, belonging to, or resembling an uncle.
feuille- n. A thin plate; a leaf; the name of a color.
satori- n. (zen buddhism) a sudden indescribable and incommunicable inner experience of enlightenment
savoir-faire- n. (French) tact, address; the instinctive knowledge of the right course of action upon any given emergency.
noc'tambulator - n. one who walks at night.
quirt - n. a kind of riding whip used in the Western United States and Spanish Americas having a short handle and a braided leather lash about two feet long; v. quirting v. to stop up an opening.
malabathrum- n. an aromatic leaf mentioned by ancient writers; a perfumed ointment made from this.
nacre- n. the smooth, shining, iridescent substance forming the inner layer of many shells; mother-of-pearl.
concomitance - n. coexistence; Theol. coexistence of the body and blood of Christ in each of the eucharistic elements.
catafalque n. – (French, from Italian catafalco) a decorated platform or framework on which a coffin rests in state during a funeral; Roman Catholic Church: A coffin-shaped structure draped with a pall, used to represent the corpse at a requiem Mass celebrated after the burial.
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- n. Fear of long words.
portmanteau- n. a case or bag for carrying clothing and other necessaries when traveling; originally of a form suitable for carrying on horseback; now applied to an oblong stiff leather case, which opens like a book, with hinges in the middle of the back.
hogan- n. The rude hut of Navajo and other American Indian peoples of the south-western United States.
asterperious- adj. superior attitude in an inferior place. From Zora Neale Hurston's "Sweat." Having trouble finding an actual definition of this! Is it an ethnocentric term?
legerdemain- n. sleight of hand; the performance of tricks which by nimble action deceive the eye; jugglery; conjuring tricks.
tatterde'malionism- n. the style or practice of one appearing in tattered clothing; style or practice of one appearing ragged or beggarly.
pyrolatrous- adj. (Greek) of the Fire- Worshipers.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Spring 2009 Northeast Ohio MFA Graduate Reading

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