The There There Letter: Bottomry, Borasca, and Bonanza
Three things from DAH. Free every Friday!
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DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. "Life is funny, baby, and that’s no joke." (Rachel Cohn)
First up this week, Bottomry …
I stumbled upon this word and was taken with it at once. If asked at that moment to use bottomry in a sentence I don't know what I'd have said. I'm sure I would've said something, since I'm rarely at a loss for words. But I know I would have used bottomry incorrectly. Bottomry, according to Merriam-Webster, is "a contract under which the owner of a ship pledges the ship as collateral for a loan to finance a journey." Well, I didn't see that coming. I'm still infatuated with the silly word despite its mercantile meaning. I do like words. Yet I've no plans to use this one in a sentence anytime soon.
The neuroscience behind infatuation: 7 weird ways your brain loves to be fascinated
Second up this week, Borasca …
Were I a beneficiary of bottomry funding I'd be alarmed to journey into a borasca. There. No plans to use the word in a sentence, and yet I've now done so. Big win of the day! A borasca is a Mediterranean Sea storm. It might be bad and might sink my ship, because an alternate meaning is "unproductiveness," especially of a mine. Borasca (but spelled borasco) started me on this B theme. It was A.Word.A.Day on March 9th. And, yes, I was infatuated with it. There's nothing better than discovering curious and underused words. There may be something better but I just can't think what. That's infatuation for you.
11 Rarest Words in the English Language
Third up this week, Bonanza …
The opposite of borasca, of course! Nothing foolish about finding or acquiring a bonanza … A.Word.A.Day back in April 2012. A lucky strike mine or a lot of something (ideally something worth a lot of money). Interesting, but I can't read the word BONANZA without hearing that classic television Western's theme in my head, along with the lyrics that weren't used on TV, including:
You can subscribe and browse past issues HERE
DAH is me, David Anthony Hance. "Life is funny, baby, and that’s no joke." (Rachel Cohn)
First up this week, Bottomry …
I stumbled upon this word and was taken with it at once. If asked at that moment to use bottomry in a sentence I don't know what I'd have said. I'm sure I would've said something, since I'm rarely at a loss for words. But I know I would have used bottomry incorrectly. Bottomry, according to Merriam-Webster, is "a contract under which the owner of a ship pledges the ship as collateral for a loan to finance a journey." Well, I didn't see that coming. I'm still infatuated with the silly word despite its mercantile meaning. I do like words. Yet I've no plans to use this one in a sentence anytime soon.
The neuroscience behind infatuation: 7 weird ways your brain loves to be fascinated
Second up this week, Borasca …
Were I a beneficiary of bottomry funding I'd be alarmed to journey into a borasca. There. No plans to use the word in a sentence, and yet I've now done so. Big win of the day! A borasca is a Mediterranean Sea storm. It might be bad and might sink my ship, because an alternate meaning is "unproductiveness," especially of a mine. Borasca (but spelled borasco) started me on this B theme. It was A.Word.A.Day on March 9th. And, yes, I was infatuated with it. There's nothing better than discovering curious and underused words. There may be something better but I just can't think what. That's infatuation for you.
11 Rarest Words in the English Language
Third up this week, Bonanza …
The opposite of borasca, of course! Nothing foolish about finding or acquiring a bonanza … A.Word.A.Day back in April 2012. A lucky strike mine or a lot of something (ideally something worth a lot of money). Interesting, but I can't read the word BONANZA without hearing that classic television Western's theme in my head, along with the lyrics that weren't used on TV, including:
Day by day, work or play, ready side by side.
Hello friend, come on in, the gate is open wide.
A bonanza of great friends sounds great to me. No fooling.
About April Fools’ Day
A Book I'm Reading Now: The Dictionary of Lost Words, by Pip Williams
My friend Kelly recommended this book. She said that every member of her book group had something good to say about it. And, bonus, it's set in Oxford, the home of my Mum's heart. Bonus number two: lost words!
And a bit more:
Not Writing, by Jane Kenyon
A wasp rises to its papery
nest under the eaves
where it daubs
at the gray shape,
but seems unable
to enter its own house.
And that's all for this week.
From Mary Oliver’s poem Sometimes …
About April Fools’ Day
A Book I'm Reading Now: The Dictionary of Lost Words, by Pip Williams
My friend Kelly recommended this book. She said that every member of her book group had something good to say about it. And, bonus, it's set in Oxford, the home of my Mum's heart. Bonus number two: lost words!
And a bit more:
Not Writing, by Jane Kenyon
A wasp rises to its papery
nest under the eaves
where it daubs
at the gray shape,
but seems unable
to enter its own house.
And that's all for this week.
From Mary Oliver’s poem Sometimes …
Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
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