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One Word: Common
Looking over the list of words Iâm writing about, it strikes me how high a percentage are common words â not fancy, unfamiliar words of the literary-technical variety. Not always, of course. I just wrote about âepistemologyâ, an uncommon word meaning âthe study of how we know what we knowâ. Thatâs a word I almost…
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One Word: Crumb
Some words fascinate me on account of unusual or specialized ways they can be used. âCrumbâ is such a word. Singular, not plural. Iâm not especially interested in crumbs (plural), the little shards of bread, cake, pie crust, and the like that break off and make a mess that needs to be cleaned up so…
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One Word: Epistemology
Hereâs a word I almost never use: âepistemologyâ. And yet â I love it. That odd-sounding word represents one of the defining themes of my life. A theme that runs through all my books and writings. A theme that engages my thoughts, rivets my attention. That theme is a question: How do we know what…
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One Word: Twangled
Twangled â seriously? Yes, âtwangledâ is a real word. An odd, quirky, playful word, with a self-mocking tone that makes it fun to use (sparingly). No, I hadnât heard it before either. Hereâs how it came to my attention: Recently I posted a list of various ways my full name (âGary Leland Matthewsâ) could be…
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What’s More Practical Than Being Happy?
Nothing! This principle — the practicality of happiness — was first impressed upon me some years ago during a meeting of the Knoxville Bahaâi assembly. We had decided to send a gift as a token of appreciation to a wonderful lady who had provided heroic service to the community. An assembly member named Betty suggested…
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All the Candidatesâ Anagrams
Itâs that joyful season when anagram freaks (like me) dig deep to see what things we can spell by reshuffling letters in the names of leading candidates for President of the US of A. Break out your Scrabble blocks, and letâs begin. First, a note: When anagramming public figures, I shoot for humor â ideally…
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One Word: Turmeric
The word âturmericâ fascinates me. So, for that matter, does the actual spice — as distinct from the word. Hereâs the scoop: Turmeric powder ranges in color from bright yellow to deep orange. It has a pungent, gingery-peppery flavor and is a main component of curry. Because of its color, itâs sometimes called âIndian saffronâ.…
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One Word: Reunion
Reunion strikes me as possibly the most sublime of all English words. I love its sound. Even more, I love its meaning. Phonetically, reunion is a word that could be classified as “euphonious” or “mellifluous”. These are neat words, too: The first refers to sounds that please the ear; the second, to sounds that flow…
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The Gary Matthews Anagrams
Wordsmith.org quotes a supposed sage as saying, “All the life’s wisdom can be found in anagrams. Anagrams never lie.” Is this so? Can we really learn hidden truth by rearranging the letters of a name or phrase? I had to find out! For me, a natural place to start was with my dear departed mom. Her…
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Crock-pot Turkey: Best Ever!
For the juiciest, tastiest, tenderest turkey you’ll ever enjoy — bake it in a crock-pot! Here’s how. Cheri and I taught ourselves this trick, this past Thanksgiving. We acted on pure impulse. Nothing wrong with turkeys we’ve baked before, for ourselves and family. But we were in a mood for something more. We ransacked the Internet for turkey…
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Why We Must Welcome Syrian Refugees
Just wrote my congressman and Tennessee’s two senators about the current hysteria surrounding the acceptance and placement of Syrian refugees fleeing ISIL. (See full text below.) Short version: It’s our moral duty to give sanctuary to these innocent victims of terrorism. By turning our backs, we’d be doing the terrorists’ work for them and handing…
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Hoth’s Deadly Crystal Lattice Creature
If you’re a fan of Star Wars VÂ (The Empire Strikes Back), you’ll remember two featured creatures: the tauntaun, a snow lizard ridden by Luke Skywalker; and the wampa, a white-furred predator of amazing stealth and power. Both are denizens of the ice planet Hoth, a one-time Rebel outpost. You probably won’t remember the crystal lattice…