WORK

“I have read so many books. And yet, like most Autodidacts, I am never quite sure of what I have gained from them. There are days when I feel I have been able to grasp all there is know in one single gaze, as if invisible branches suddenly spring out of no where, weaving together all the disparate strands of my reading. And then suddenly the meaning escapes, the essence evaporates and no matter how often I reread the same lines they seem to flee ever further with each subsequent reading and I see myself as some mad old fool who thinks her stomach is full because she’s been reading the menu.”

—Muriel Barbery
—from The Elegance of the Hedgehog

WORD(S)

snollygoster. noun. A shrewd, unscrupulous person. Needless to say, often used to refer to politicians (and, apparently, some in the monument business). J. W. Ham, credited with popularizing the term in the 1890s, defined it as a “place-hunting demagogue.” See also: the likely root, snallygaster, a mythical beast said to prey on poultry and children that’s supposedly found in Maryland. From German schnelle geister (quick spirits).

“Former President Truman may have been making a talknophical assumnacy when he said a snollygoster is what Southerners call a man born out of wedlock.” (Cavalier Daily)

“…it is to be remembered that the Southerners have always had a remarkable faculty for creating new words and modifying old ones. Anyone who has noted the advent of ‘snollygoster’ in the present generation … will readily concede that.” (Jacob Dunn & Sarah Wrigley)

WEB

1. Frederik Buyckx’s Moving Albania photo series is mysteriously compelling.

2. Laying the foundation for invisibility cloaks → “Gold origami exerts strange power over light”.

3. Reader G. shared the aptly named Dronestragram, which is full of compelling photos taken using drones. But the drone-shot erotic film Drone Boning takes the drone-based visual medium to new heights. Hat-tip: a different Reader G.

4. “Reading a Poem: 20 Strategies” is surprisingly good. Doubly so given the venue. And, yes, there’s a practically infinite number of additional strategies, the reverse of each also being true. Some of the comments are at least as good as the article.

5. Today in 1908, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are cornered by Bolivian police and, most likely but never confirmed, killed…one by a mercy shot, the other a suicide. Don’t worry about jumping, ► the fall will probably kill you.

REPRISES/RESPONSES/REJOINDERS/RIPOSTES

• Reader T. muses: “Speaking of fall guys, it’s a weird coincidence that I recently read Lonesome Dove, in which the arch villain jumps to his death to avoid hanging. I’m going to have to go back now and see if McMurtry left any clues that the Fawkes reference was intentional.”

• Reader C. is skeptical about a weekly digest: “OK. I have stayed out of the fray regarding a weekly synopsis. For me, it is a non-starter. I like the daily morsel. It goes well with Loja coffee and a perusal of El Mercurio on a bench in the square. And it is wonderfully non-practical. A weekly digest would be too much in a single sitting.”

• Reader D. enjoys the daily respite: “I have only been receiving the email for a week, but I love it. It’s a nice respite during the day. Thank you for your efforts.”

I welcome comments, suggestions, thoughts, feedback and all manner of what-have-you. Just press ‘Reply’ or email to: clippings@katexic.com.

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