Today’s WORK and WORD come courtesy of Reader B, whose own work and words I admire very much.
WORK
“Quite often writers find themselves in need of an adjective to describe the eloquent curve of such varied items as bent-over old men (and their beards), bowed trees and bowing servants, an attack of impotence, wilting flowers, and so on. Too often drooping is resorted to here. Why not use instead this sonorous mid–17th-century word [cernuous], chiefly botanical, but perfectly serviceable in all the cases listed above and more. Avoids the insistent comic overtones of droop, adding a touch of dignity to the scene.”
—Zadie Smith
—found in the Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus
WORD(S)
cernuous. adjective. Nodding, drooping, bent forward and/or down. From Latin, cernuus (inclined forwards).
“That very weight which sinks us downe from our erect constitution, into the cernuous lownesse of beasts.” (J. Hall)
“Walking up Redwood Avenue with its tunnel of cernuous willows, Levi found he had lost the will even to nod his head, usually an involuntary habit with him when music was playing.” (Zadie Smith)
“And now it really did seem to Rowf that they were both surrounded by a grove of dark-green leaves, cernuous on their short, tough stems…” (Richard Adams)
WEB
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“Osami Mizuike is the last of his kind. He’s the sole craftsman in the world who hand-makes traditional Japanese scissors called nigiri basami.” The accompanying video is a joy to watch. → “The last craftsman’s search for a successor”
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A rather optimistic take on information, new media and news → “Surfing, Drowning, Diving: A Brief History of Inventing New Media”
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► Ballet Mécanique, Fernand Léger’s classic 1924 Dadaist film, inspired by his horrific World War I experience.
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“Taking Notes May Actually Make You Much More Forgetful”.
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Today in 1990, Milli Vanilli’s producer unmasks the duo as impostors who lip-synced all of their music, including the smash hit ► “Girl You Know It’s True”. You’d think it little surprise given that almost a year earlier their track started skipping during a performance being filmed for MTV, forcing them to flee the stage. Nowadays they would just keep churning out radio-ready hits…
REPRISES/RESPONSES/REJOINDERS/RIPOSTES
- Reader W. asks about the weekly edition possibility. — Look for an invitation soon.
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