The Word Collector

Part 1 - A Moment in the Sun

Reasonably intelligent”. It was the word reasonably that stung then, and still does now. Ever done one of those “360-degree appraisals” at work? You know, when people at all levels in your organisation give anonymous feedback about what they think of you? I can’t remember the rest of the comments but that one still lingers.

To be fair, I know I can lower the average IQ in a room by 50 just by walking through the door. I was doing a crossword over lunch the other day, with my brother and a knowledgeable and well-travelled friend of his, and as usual I was simultaneously stumped and astounded by their intellect, when suddenly my moment in the sun arrived — “The centrepiece on a timepiece”. They were momentarily stunned by my knowledge of the word gnomon I had stumbled across and noted a few days previously. I then resumed my monastic silence for the rest of the puzzle.

I have always loved words, so determined to get more than one clue right next time we meet, I have set myself a challenge. To write a meaningful piece of less than 150 words, containing 20 neologisms I have encountered recently (at least new words to me) . You may know them already, but to save you the pain I had of looking them up, the definitions are underneath. Enjoy:

“Sitting in the café I tucked into a vegan salmagundi, a brindle mix of tofu and seitan, listening to a carpet bagger at the next table finagle his way to a free lunch, while entering into a rodomontade on his personal eschatology which struck me rather as scatology, and wondering about the gaping lacuna in my own epistemology. I paid the moiety of the bill in fungible cash as my personal rebellion against the digitisation of our lives, and filled with post-prandial ubuntu and eudaimonia, left the café’s ziggurat with its lakeside view complete with catafalque-like artwork. Using the handgel as we left, to remove any lingering fomites, a solipsistic gesture towards virtue, as we walked up the valley by the lake I pondered on the important difference between entomology and etymology, especially if you are a flower.”

gnomon — centrepiece on a sundial that casts the shadow

brindle — the brownish or tawny colour of animal fur with streaks of another colour

salmagundi — a dish of chopped meat, anchovies, eggs, onions and seasoning

seitan — a high-protein vegetarian food made from cooked wheat gluten (not to be confused with Satan or you will get into trouble)

carpet bagger — a political candidate who seeks election in an area where they have no local connections

finagle — obtain something by devious or dishonest means

rodomontade — boastful or inflated talk or behaviour

eschatology — the part of theology concerned with death, judgement and the final destiny of the soul and humankind

scatology — an interest in or preoccupation with excrement and excretion

lacuna — an unfilled space or interval/gap

epistemology — the theory of knowledge

moiety — each of two parts into which a thing is or can be divided

fungible — exchangeable

ubuntu — a quality that includes the essential human virtues; compassion and humanity

eudaimonia — A Greek word — of good spirit

ziggurat — a rectangular tower in ancient Mesopotamia

catafalque — a decorated wooden framework supporting the coffin of a distinguished person during a funeral

fomite — a particle contaminated with an infection agent

solipsistic — selfish

entomology — the branch of zoology concerned with the study of insects

etymology — the study of the origin of words

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