Thanks for stopping by to check on the new words I found this week.
I’ve been reading such wonderful books lately that it makes me glad reading is a favorite hobby. This past week I finished The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes and Walter’s Muse by Jean Davies Okimoto. (If you missed my reviews, click the title.) Each author was kind enough to give me one new word. Here they are:
From The Sense of an Ending:
1. distrait: She had a somewhat artistic air, though precisely how this expressed itself – colourful scarves, a distrait manner, the humming of opera arias, or all three – I couldn’t at this distance testify.
Distrait is an adjective used to describe someone who is absentminded or often distracted.
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From Walter’s Muse:
2. nattered: They hung on her every word, even when she nattered on and they couldn’t always follow her.
From the context it seemed as if nattered means to blab. According to my dictionary nattered means to talk casually, especially about unimportant matters. I love it and am going to consciously adopt the word in my speech and writing. Nattering is actually one of my favorite pastimes. It sounds so much better than saying she was blabbing on and on.
Wondrous Words Wednesday was created by Kathy at Bermuda Onion. Be sure to stop by her blog for more new words.
I natter on a bit at times too. We all do. It’s actually in quite common usage in Australia. I’m glad you’re going to take up nattering Margot. Distrait is another great work. I’m certainly looking forward to reading Sense of an Ending when I get to it.
Unfortunately, both those words could be applied to me!
I knew distrait (French word) but not at all “nattered”. Thanks Margot !
Nattered is a good word. Thanks!
I can natter too – as in Australia, it’s in common usage in Britain. How are you liking Sense of an Ending? I can’t decide whether to read it or not.
I think nattered is a British term – you certainly don’t hear it in the US. Distrait is new to me and it’s a word I can probably use quite often – especially if I’m talking about myself!
Hi Margot,
Nice reviews of both of these new-to-me books, totally different, yet both sound fantastic.
There are just so many good books out there waiting to be read, that I know I am only ever going to get to read a tiny percentage of them …. and by the time I do, they will probably be classed as ‘classics’!!!
I knew of both your words this week and whilst ‘distrait’ isn’t used on an everyday basis ‘nattering’ certainly is, and is one of my favourite hobbies! Why do you think that I started ‘blogging’ and ‘twittering’? I am frightened to even contemplate ‘facebooking’, or I would have to be dragged away from the computer LOL.
Thanks for a couple of great words and enjoy the rest of your week.
Both books sound really interesting Margot! I especially like nattered I will use that word! Thanks for stopping by my Post!
Nattered is a very nice word to natter about.
Nattered is a cute word! And I don’t think I’ve ever heard distrait before. Great words!
My words are here.
Great words. I don’t recall ever seeing distrait. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen nattered in British books. So cool that you got one word each out of two books that you enjoyed!
I can natter with the best of them! And I have read the word distrait, but totally had the wrong meaning for it in my head. (Sometimes it’s a good thing that I don’t try to use the words I think I know!)
I could easily classify myself as a natterer!!
love that word!