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Deep Pencil - the musings of Morgan Bell

If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is there to hear it did it really make a sound? If i post a blog and nobody reads it was there really any point? You have entered the random thinking space of Morgan Bell . . . These are my musings . . . things about my life written off the top of my head . . . written in an informal disjointed style almost completely devoid of punctuation, this is where i flesh out writing ideas, discuss my life, and generally be self indulgent . . . it is also the bargain bin for articles which do not fit in with the film or arts themes of my other blogs . . . so have a wander around my mind, have a laugh, have a think, be nice, and humour me!

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Deep Pencil - August 2008

delightful words

August 19th 2008 11:48

I love how some descriptive words go in and out of fashion!

There are words that I hear in films sometimes that I know the meaning of but never use in conversation . . . I attribute this to my interest in period dramas (frilly costume movies, BBC TV mini-series, Jane Austen novels) . . . but I think it also has something to do with the books I read as a child that were set in what I think of as the "english boarding school" culture, written before my parents were born and depicting fantasy lands and adventures which were stuffed to the brim with exotic and enthusiastic descriptive words (think Enid Blyton, C.S.Lewis)

Little girls skipping through the woods while collecting flowers or mushrooms or truffles . . . sirs and madams . . . the strict headmaster or doting governess . . . there is so much language that seemed common then but rare today . . .

I think i will create a list!

Words we don’t use nearly enough:

stupendous

precocious

voracious

obsequious

castigate

marauding

splendid

peculiar

grandiose

capricious

pugnacious

garbled

succinct

esteem (as a verb eg "I esteem you")

passé

magnanimous

persnickety

picturesque

arbitrary

gnarled

124

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Posted By: Morgan Bell - Category: Tastes

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Comments

26 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Cheryl J

August 19th 2008 13:00

Funny Videos
Rhythmatism
Zentertainment
Budget Centsability

Love the words. I have to say I use voracious all the time. I also love the word nefarious, it sounds so dastardly...another good one!

I think tomorrow I'm going to use persnickety in a sentence just because it's such a fabulous old word

Comment by S.L.

August 19th 2008 13:23

The Political Brief

It seems the good old words have been replaced by words having roughly four letters and little real meaning. Thanks for reminding us that language can be much more interesting than it usually is, Morgan.

Comment by Morgan Bell

August 19th 2008 15:07

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hi Cheryl,
ooo nefarious and dastardly!
those were good ones!
even words from the 1970s, 80s and 90s seem to have come in and faded away . . . i guess it all goes in cycles . . . remember bodacious, bombastic, and bogus? haha

hi S.L,
i think our current language is alot less flowery and romantic, there are alot of generic staple words like excellent, wonderful, attractive, beautiful, gorgeous etc but how often do we refer to something as "tremendous" or "beguiling"?

thanks for the comments ladies!

Comment by Norm

August 20th 2008 00:17

Consumption Malfunction
Equal and Opposite
Arses and Elbows
Footy Power

If there's one word that I think, and I think quite often, that we don't use with any near the frequency, and we use it all too infrequently, that word, for it is indeed a word, would be a word, that I believe, at least, to say so much about the sort of person I aspire to be, and I am constantly aspiring and so much so that my perspiring is causing me endless problems holding anything even closely resembling gainful employment, let alone menial labouring for a pittance, and for what? a pittance, and that word would have to be succinct.

Comment by Norm

August 20th 2008 00:21

Consumption Malfunction
Equal and Opposite
Arses and Elbows
Footy Power

p.s.
i like your list!

Comment by alt_ed

August 20th 2008 04:00

Pop Culturer
Alted Opinion
ArtCombat

Stupendous list Morgan, you’re certainly one precocious individual! When did you develop this voracious appetite for language? Your passion is rather obsequious, and I don’t know if you mean to castigate your peers with this post; perhaps you were indeed marauding for a fight… its splendid all the same!

I do however find this post both peculiar and grandiose, with a pugnacious quality (somewhat capricious I fear).

Please bear with me, even though it may seem a garbled comment Morgan… I’ve just always found it difficult to remain succinct. I trust you will esteem my efforts nonetheless.

(this is so passé)

I trust you will remain magnanimous towards me, and don’t get to persnickety.

You’re blog is a very picturesque, so somewhat arbitrary design, lets hope it doesn’t get to gnarled with age.
Tata!

Comment by Morgan Bell

August 20th 2008 05:28

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hi Norm,
ahhh to be succint
we need to wash you in the city sin sink

hi alt_ed,
wow, nice working example!
i wonder if "pugnacious" is a reference to pug dogs? or vice versa?

thanks for the comments guys!

Comment by RubySoho

August 20th 2008 06:05

Music Zone
Thought Zone

Marauding would have to be my favourite. Let's see if I can put it in a sentence: I am afraid of bears: they are giant, godless, marauding killing machines.

Comment by Morgan Bell

August 20th 2008 06:21

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BAHAHAHAhahaha
oh Ruby, you always know how to make me laugh!
apart from Colbert there is a scene in the film "Boys On The Side" where Whoopi Goldberg refers to Drew Barrymores abusive boyfriend as a marauding animal . . . its a really punchy memorable line because of the unusual language

Comment by Tracy

August 20th 2008 13:45

Movies and Life

I am going to weave persnickety into my working day tomorrow...

Comment by Morgan Bell

August 20th 2008 14:27

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hi Tracy,
haha i hope everyone starts using it again!
maybe we will hear "persnickety" on the nightly news sometime soon!

Comment by Michaelie

August 21st 2008 03:47

Flick Wit

I think everyone was far more camp back then. Now in our cynicism, we have less of the 'gay' banter. However, I do use pretty much all of those words. Must be the influence of all those English period dramas.

Michaelie

Comment by Morgan Bell

August 21st 2008 04:17

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hi Michaelie,
hey thats a really good point, perhaps we are more apprehensive about sounding too "gay" . . . its a shame we cant all have the vocab of oscar wilde! haha

oh and on another post Winston refered to me as "tenacious" so i would like to add that word to the list!

Comment by Chris Champion

August 21st 2008 05:28

moneywhither
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NewlyOld
The Blog of Lists

... and that word would have to be succinct.

Norm, I saw that coming

Morgan, lovely list. I dub thee philomathic (having a love of letters). Here are some personal favourites which, lamentably, have pretty much disappeared altogether: crapulous (drunk), neezled (a little bit drunk), womblety-cropt (how your head feels when hung over), spleenful (angry), contumely (contemptuousness), prayer-bones (the knees), callipygian (having nice buttocks), jink (quick, sudden movement), bagatelle (a mere trifle), fauxonry (fraud), switter (work in a confused manner; flounder).

Regards,
Chris

Comment by Morgan Bell

August 21st 2008 06:36

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hi Chris,
yeah it seemed a bit long-winded for Norm hey, there had to be a punchline somewhere!
that is a really cool list of words, most of which i had never heard before at all - thanks for sharing!
i say "faux" fairly often, as in "fake", i think it had a bit of a comeback in the 1990s when faux fur came into fashion, but "fauxonry" is entirely new to my ears (or eyeballs!)

Comment by Anonymous

August 21st 2008 07:08

Chris Champion, now there's a man who ain't afraid to Camp-It-Up!

Bravo Chris!! xx

Comment by Morgan Bell

August 21st 2008 07:23

Deep Pencil
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hi anonymous,
thanks for the enthusiasm!

Comment by Chris Champion

August 21st 2008 07:27

moneywhither
Vyoos
Zoomies
Bloggercises
NewlyOld
The Blog of Lists

Dear Anonymous,

Who art thou to stamp a camp label upon me? Reveal thyself, thou nameless name-caller. Hidden thus, thou art nought but a swittering bagatelle. Art thou neezled? I hope your womblety-cropt is severe. C'mon, reveal thyself! How else can we see if thou hast a callipygian bum?

C

Comment by Tracy

August 21st 2008 08:38

Movies and Life

I didn't manage to use the word today, so it's postponed until tomorrow!

Comment by Morgan Bell

August 21st 2008 14:20

Deep Pencil
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hi Chris,
it seems you have an anonymous admirer!
kudos on using all those cool words in sentences in your response!

hi Tracy,
ok well im going to need to know the context you use it in so i can snicker thinking of the persons expression when you say it to them!

Comment by Winston

August 21st 2008 14:33

Small Thoughts on Big Questions

Fun list Morgan. I use a good chunk of those words from time to time, but generally only when I write. If you toss too many of those around in casual conversation, people start to look at you a little funny.......I hate to be seen as loquacious!

Comment by Morgan Bell

August 21st 2008 15:02

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hi Winston,
toss them around like a verbal salad!
writing does allow us a little more poise, and a little more access to the online thesaurus!

Comment by Tracy

August 21st 2008 20:41

Movies and Life

I'm happy to report back, Morgan....

Byeee

Comment by Morgan Bell

August 24th 2008 03:36

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hi Tracy,
does that mean you did use it?

Comment by Tracy

August 25th 2008 10:44

Movies and Life

Oh dear, I had a fantastic weekend away with friends but did not use the word at all...

Persnickety just wasn't in my mind at all, what a crappy memory I have!!!

Comment by Morgan Bell

August 25th 2008 14:18

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i imagine its a little hard to work into conversation!

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