David Zapatka I attend a five-day conference every summer where experts are brought in to speak about a wide variety of topics. This year’s annual gathering had 218 speakers lecturing, hosting interactive gatherings and running tournaments on 308 interesting and entertaining topics. Being a lifelong student, I’m in my element when I can learn…
Tag: Word of the Month
Features, July 2019
Word of the Month: Sarcophagus
David Zapatka Just having toured the Valley of the Kings and Queens in Luxor, Egypt, my mind is filled with hieroglyphic and sarcophagus images. Touring the tombs of Tutankhamun, Seti 1, Seti 2, Ramses 2 and Nefertari, I was astounded by the beauty, artistry, vibrant colors, carvings and intricate work done by these ancient people.…
Features, June 2019
Word of the Month: Curry
David Zapatka Having spent the past week in Myanmar and India eating fabulous cuisine off the cruise ship, curry dishes are fresh on my mind. I’ve long loved Indian cuisine and all those many curry flavors. I’m impressed by how many different types of curry and varying spices there are. What I’ve learned is curry…
Features, April 2019
Word of the Month
Bowdlerization David Zapatka Reading one of my favorite magazines recently, I came across an article titled “The Real Frankenstein and Its Author” by John Lauritsen. 2018 was the bicentennial of Frankenstein, the most famous work of English Romanticism. It was published anonymously on January 1, 1818. To commemorate the anniversary of its first publication, events…
Features, March 2019
Word of the Month: Deuce
David Zapatka Watching the Australian Open Tennis Championships reminded me of the strange way tennis is scored. Zero is announced as love. Theory is that love arose from the French word for “egg,” l’oeuf, because a zero on a scoreboard resembles an egg; a clever but unsubstantiated claim. One point is called 15, two…
Features, February 2019
Word of the Month: Skedaddle
David Zapatka Reader Kim Park read about “smithereens” in a previous column and had this comment and suggestion for this month’s issue. “I loved your WOTM column on smithereens! It threw me back to my youth and reminded me of what my mother used to say when she thought I wasn’t getting ready quickly…
Features, December 2018
Word of the Month: Patronymic
David Zapatka At the urging of friend Betz Wyllie, I’ve acted on my intrigue with genealogy. Betz is a genealogical whiz and offered to help with my family history. In what seemed to be a relatively short period of time but certainly a ton of work for Betz, she produced about 200 names for…
Features, November 2018
Word of the Month: Bonhomie
David Zapatka While speaking with friends from out of town at a recent bridge tournament, I heard this description of a mutual friend who was not present. “It’s so refreshing to have a man of his character in our game. He exudes a fresh and easy bonhomie.” Being unfamiliar with the word “bonhomie,” I…
Features, October 2018
Word of the month: Synesthesia
David Zapatka Reader Yasmin John-Thorpe of Quail Creek writes, “I am a Canadian snowbird who spends my winter months at Quail Creek. I’ve only just received my mailed copy of the August Crossing which features your ‘Word of the Month’ – Synesthesia. I wanted to share with you my association with this phenomenon. My niece’s…
Features, September 2018
Word of the Month: Fluorescence
David Zapatka I was reading in the Costco magazine about Marvel Studios movies and how they have become so popular when I ran across the word “zeitgeist.” The article read, “10 years ago, Marvel truly exploded into the zeitgeist when the Marvel Cinematic Universe launched with Iron Man.” Zeitgeist – noun zeit·geist ˈtsīt-ˌgīst, ˈzīt- 1. the…