To tell you the truth, there are only eight words in this book I have used in conversations. The others I need to work on. Over the months ahead I’m going to challenge myself to learn one or two words at a time and, somehow, use them in real conversations. Here are the first two words I want to master:

1.  abjure: “I have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men.”  - Leonardo da Vinci

 Abjure is a verb meaning to solemnly renounce a belief, cause, or claim.

2.  coterie:  ”It is not that our legislators are ill-behaved by nature but in due course, thanks to the coterie that surrounds most of them, they are on a massive ego trip.”  - An anonymous official quoted by journalist Umanand Jaiswal in The Telegraph.

Coterie is a small group of people with shared interests or tastes, especially one that is exclusive of other people.

Wondrous Words Wednesday is not a snooty coterie.  It’s a weekly meme open to all who share a love of words. Visit Kathy at Bermuda Onion for more..

1.  fulsome: M. Blondin, however, was positively fulsome in his attentions.

Fulsome is an adjective meaning complimentary or flattering to an excessive degree.

2. empressement: M. Blondin conducted the client to it with every appearance of empressement.

Empressement means animated eagerness or friendliness.

3.  noisome:  The young man was now smoking a somewhat noisome pipe.

Noisome means having an extremely offensive smell. It also means disagreeable, unpleasant, harmful, and noxious.

4.  dahabiyeh:  ”After all, with you, Madame, money is no object. Why did you not engage in your own private dahabiyeh?” (said Poirot)

I could not find the word dahabiyeh in the dictionary, but I did find dahabeah. I believe the second word’s definition is the one that fits the story/context. It means a passenger boat used on the Nile.

Thank you Ms. Christie for teaching me these new 1930s words. And, thanks to Kathy at Bermuda Onion for sponsoring our weekly tribute to new words.

The word is durian and here is how it was used in the book:

No one has offered

to share

what I smell: sardines, dried durian,

salted eggs, toasted sesame.

The word durian was not in my dictionary, so I checked Wikipedia. There I found the nicest explanation and several great pictures. I learned that durian is a fruit grown on beautiful trees in Asia, primarily southeast Asia. “It is oval, spiny, and contains a creamy pulp. Despite it’s fetid smell, it is highly esteemed for its flavor.”

Uses for durian seem to be for a variety of sweets: candy, cookies, ice cream, and so forth. There are also some traditions regarding this fruit. Some consider it a medicine, and others say it is bad to eat it with coffee or alcohol. Still others consider it an aphrodisiac and state certain rules for it’s use. To read more, visit Wikipedia here: durian

I’m curious – Has anyone seen a durian or had experience with it?

 For more Wondrous Words Wednesday, visit Kathy at Bermuda Onion.

Adam by Brian Bassett

Proboscis sounded familiar but it didn’t come to mind right away. I didn’t detect any clues from the context so I had to look it up. Turns out proboscis is  the nose of a mammal, especially when it is long and mobile, such as the trunk of an elephant or the snout of a tapir.

Wondrous Words Wednesday is sponsored by Kathy at Bermuda Onion. Visit Kathy for more new words or to play along,

1.  tiffin: “The gentlemen, much to Miss Charming’s palpable elation, did conclude their billiards and join the ladies for tiffin and tea, charades and gossip.

I thought tiffin might be a muffin or scone, but it turns out it means a light meal.

2.  effulgent: Well, the colonel was effulgent and Mr. Nobley was polite – but wasn’t there a knowing look that passed between them?

Effulgent means shining brightly; radiant.

3.  pelisse: “The proprietress opened the wardrobe and revealed . . . four day dresses, a ball gown in white and lace, two short ‘spencer’ jackets, a brown fitted overcoat called a ‘pelisse,’ two bonnets, a bright red shawl, and a pile of chemises, . . . ”

Although the sentence defined pelisse, I couldn’t visualize a delicate word like pelisse as a heavy overcoat. The dictionary says it is a woman’s cloak with armholes or sleeves, reaching to the ankles, but I think this picture helps me understand better.

Photo Credit Here

Wondrous Words Wednesday is hosted by Kathy at Bermuda Onion. Visit her to play along or see more new words.

I’ve told you before how much I love to travel by train but, I should tell you, there is one exception to the fun: This leg of the trip is mostly a sleeping trip which means hardly anyone sleeps. By the time we got home we were very tired. Needless to say, I still feel sleep-deprived. It will take a few days to get back to normal.

Today is the day I usually share new words I’ve discovered in my reading. Since I’ve read very little the last three weeks I’m going to share some of the words leftover from a previous book. These words are left over from Perfect Christmas Day:

1. cack-handed: Unless your nearest  and dearest are criminally cack-handed, don’t be afraid to assign jobs – most people like to be helpful at Christmas.

Cack-handed is British slang for clumsy, without manual dexterity

2. bain-marie: “McGee’s tip about cooking a souffle in a bain-marie to moderate the bottom oven temperature is also a good one, the souffle seems creamier somehow.”

Bain-marie is a French term for a cooking technique also known as a water bath. I’ve also called it “using a double boiler”. It consists of placing a container (pan, bowl, soufflé dish, etc.) of food in a large, shallow pan of warm water, which surrounds the food with gentle heat.

3.  aubergine: “I love her idea of wrapping the whole thing in slices of grilled aubergine to give the appearance of a terrine . . . ”

Aubergine is a French word for eggplant.

That’s it for this week’s new words. I’m off to take a short nap and then I’ll be back to my normal activities. Wondrous Words Wednesday is the creation of Kathy at Bermuda Onion. Click the button below to take you there,

This picture is the aftermath. Now Lou’s plan is to play with all her gifts; someone else can deal with organizing the mess.

I haven’t done too much reading this week so I have no new reading words. I do have one new spoken word for you. This time the word came from me – it’s my daughters who didn’t know the meaning. Perhaps you don’t either.

The word is ecumenical. Both daughters asked me my opinion of the minister following the Christmas Eve service. I said, “I like his ecumenical spirit.”

What I meant was that the minister was very open to including people of all faiths, all cultural and political walks of life. [The people in the congregation were a variety of races, nationalities, sexual preferences, and legal statuses. He stated several times how valuable that was to him.]

Technically, ecumenical means “representing a number of different Christian churches or the promoting of unity among the Christian church.” Since a church is really made up of it’s individual members, I think my use of the word is correct. Probably the use of the words all-inclusive would have been more accurate but, hey, it made us stop and think about the word ecumenical and the concept it represents.

Looking at new words is a weekly feature of Wondrous Words Wednesday. The creator and sponsor of this meme is Kathy at Bermuda Onion. Hit the button to visit her.

This week I read A Lone Star Christmas by William W. Johnstone. I love to read an occasional good book in the Western genre, although this one I couldn’t recommend.   I also read the author’s Sidewinders: Deadwood Gulch. Between the two books I found several new-to-me words:

1. fantods: “Can’t you get those jugheads moving a little faster, Chloride?” Mitch Davis, the guard on the seat beside him, asked. “This place gives me the fantods.”

Fantods is a noun meaning a state or attack of uneasiness or unreasonableness. I usually use the word “willies” but I like fantods better.

2. wizened: When they got there the wizened livery man said . . .

Wizened means shriveled or wrinkled with age.

3. withers: Thunder was a big, muscular, black horse who stood eighteen hands at the withers.

Withers refers to the highest part of a horse’s back, lying at the base of the neck above the shoulders. The height of a horse is measured to the withers.

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Wondrous Words Wednesday is the creation of Kathy at Bermuda Onion. Be sure to visit her for more new words and/or to play along with your own new words.

The book celebrates the author’s memories of a traditional British Christmas dinner. There were so many terms I was unfamiliar with. I’ll share just a few of them with you today.

1.  boudoir biscuits: “First of all, I have to pay homage to the trifle which will always be closest to my heart: my mum’s. Boudoir biscuits, soaked in sweet sherry and topped with a layer of tinned raspberries in juice . . .”

Boudoir biscuits are light and sweet sponge cakes roughly shaped like a large finger. In the US we call them ladyfingers.

2. Twiglets: ” . . . tells me her meat-loving boyfriend likes the recipe because ‘It tastes like Twiglets!’ I’m with him. Twiglets, for me, are the ghost of Christmas past and it’s a good time of year for nostalgia.”

Twiglets are a wheat-based crisp snack shaped like small twigs, originating in the United Kingdom. The taste of Twiglets has been compared to Marmite.

3.  Marmite is a spread. The British version of the product is a sticky, dark brown paste with a distinctive, powerful flavour, which is extremely salty and savoury. made from yeast extract, a by-product of beer brewing.

Ladyfingers I like, but these other two –  Twiglets and Marmite – I think I’d have to taste them first to be sure of my opinion. They don’t sound  promising. Has anyone tasted either of these products? What did you think?

I’ll save the rest of the words from this charming book for another Wondrous Words Wednesday post. This meme is sponsored by Kathy at Bermuda Onion. Be sure to visit her for more new words and/or to play along with new words you’ve discovered.

*Definition and photo credit: Wikipedia

If you’ve eaten crab anywhere along the Pacific coast (including Alaska) then you’ve probably eaten Dungeness crab. They’re the most common crabs from the ocean here. They tell me you get more meat from a Dungeness. They’re larger than their cousins, but they also pack a lot more meat inside their bodies.

People around here have devised lots of ways to celebrate the crab season. There are quite a few local festivals devoted to crab. Several of the Rotary clubs will sponsor fund-raisers in the next few months – with the Dungeness as the main attraction.

Cooking with crab at home is another popular activity. There are a number of special dishes devoted to crab. San Francisco is famous for it’s Cioppino. That’s a seafood-rich stew containing shrimp, fish, shell-fish, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and, of course, Dungeness crab. (A basic recipe is here: Fish & Seafood Cookery  Simple boiled or roasted crab with butter and lemon juice is also a favorite, as is using the leftovers for crab cakes.

I discovered an appetizer recipe that is a great way to use crab. It’s simple and healthy. It works to celebrate the Crab Season as well as those other two Holidays.

Crab Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon ketchup
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (homemade is best)
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon horseradish (more if you like it hotter)
• dash of tabasco or sriracha
• 1/2 pound crab meat, chopped
• 1 large cucumber, sliced into rounds or pita chips

Directions:

1. Mix together ketchup, mayo, chives, lemon juice and hot sauce.
2. Add the chopped crab and mix
3. Serve with cucumber rounds or pita chips. With cucumber rounds, it’s a carbo-free dip.

This makes about a cup and a half. Double or triple it if you’re serving a larger group. Enjoy.

This post is linked to Weekend Cooking, a weekly feature at Beth Fish Reads. Click the button below and it will take you there.