The working vocabulary of the average 14-year-old has declined in the last 50 years from 25,000 words to 10,000. Language reflects the depth of our human experience. Because we think in words, are we losing the capacity to say what we feel?
Like, whatever.
Throughout history, men have managed to tag their names to countless gizmos and gadgets as well as species, medical procedures, landmarks, and doodads, claiming the lion’s share of eponyms for themselves.
An eponym, as you probably guessed, refers to a person after which a particular something is named.
Think Bunsen burner, Douglas fir, Kafkaesque, and, well …
Terry Steinmetz says: Interesting facts. Thanks for the chance to look up these and more!
Eileen Stone says: So interesting!!! And I LOVE the illustrations you have provided! Thank You!
Winnie Nielsen says: These are so cool! I had no idea about how these everyday items were named. The Granny Smith Apple especially intrigues me because that variety is everywhere and one of the most popular apples available all year long. The illustrations are great as well. Always something fun to learn on RaisinJane!
Call me bewildered, bamboozled, and flat-out flummoxed!
Carol sent me a little word quiz this morning that left me scratching my noggin.
She hinted that the answer was one that should come easily to any true-blue farmgirl,
but the fact is …
it had us both hoodwinked.
So, let’s see if you can guess:
What English plural word does not contain any of the same letters as its singular equivalent?
Think on it as you ponder my lush pasture below, and then meander down the page to find the answer.
Elizabeth says: The only names I could come up with were, chick & rooster. I would have never thought of kine either. Sally O’Malley looks like she may be thinking, “Oh no! I’m so gonna look fat in that picture”. Too cute.
Winnie Nielsen says: I have never heard of this term either but I love the way it sounds. Here is hoping that the bovine pregnancy of the kine is going well and on schedule for a normal delivery. Question? Do those chocolate milk producing girls have babies that give “Hershey kisses” ??
Oh my goodness! I actually knew the right word. I was aware of the word kine & knew it meant cattle. Amazing!
Barbara Grace says: Wow! The English language is amazing, and so is Sallie O’Malley.
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You should have seen her!
She was …
prickly
(but not peevish),
spiky
(yet not exactly sharp),
and thorny
(without a trace of temper).
I’m quite sure she had four tiny paws and a little black nose,
but she was curled up into a bristled ball such that I couldn’t tell one end from the other.
She was positively erinaceous!
Can you guess what she was?
Winnie Nielsen says: Miss Tiggy Winkle was a favorite of my children growing up. But, somehow thinking of her as being erinaceous takes away her charm of bustling around in that adorable work hat. Do hedgehogs get cold heads?
Ellen says: I love Mrs. Tiggy Winkle! My first Potter book. If you get a chance to go to the farm in the Lake District where she wrote and painted, you will be totally enthralled. She was such a champion of preserving the countryside and an excellent sheep farmer. I love her story.
How lovely! I had forgotten Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, not having read Beatrix Potter books for a long time (my little great-grand daughter is not qute up to reading-to age by G-gramma at only 1 month old, although her parents do read to her already).
And, of course, I’ll share the photo – lovely lovely creaturs Hedgehogs!
Eileen Stone says: Where is this farm in “The Lake District”? I would love to see it but don’t have any idea where “THIS” is.
MaryJane says: You put your question under the post “Quickly, she acted prickly.” No mention of “The Lake District” anywhere in it, so not sure what you’re asking?
Mary Beth Schwarz says: Miss Potter the movie was delightful indeed. I read several books about her and her art so I knew I would enjoy it. Her home in the Lake District of England looks quite cozy.
Thanks for the picture of the mother hedgehog and her babies. My yard does not have hedgehogs, but my friend in Oxford England has some and she shares their activities with me by e-mail.
No, I have never heard the term “erinaceous, but I will will e-mail it to my friend this afternoon. Thanks for this “new” word! Mary Beth
Hammer. Hammer. Hammer.
OUCH! What a ninnyhammer.
No, I don’t mean the actual hammer …
Yowzer! It really hurts!
Sorry—I’m having trouble staying on track.
Where is that ice pack I put in the freezer?
I might as well tell you (you’ve already guessed):
I “nailed” my thumb instead of the nail I was aiming for,
and that makes ME the
ninnyhammer.
Perhaps you’d prefer
ding-a-ling,
featherhead,
goose,
mooncalf,
(yes, I said mooncalf),
nincompoop,
turkey,
yo-yo …
Take your pick.
Any way you slice it
(hammer it?)
it still hurts.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; Michael Jastremski
Winnie Nielsen says: How do you find these words??? I love it. Great for trivia games too!!
Terry Steinmetz says: HELLO, BEAUTIFUL!
“I’ve boiled the water and fetched as many clean towels as I could find,” fretted the frantic fellow on the phone.
“I don’t know what more to do!”
The calm voice on the other end of the line hushed him gently.
“You can stop your nidgeting now,” she said, unruffled.
“I’ll be there in a moment.”
So …
Nidgeting?
That’s a new one on me!
Terry Steinmetz says: Thanks for the new word!
MaryJane says: You are most welcome, Terry! Thank YOU for all your wonderful comments.
Winnie Nielsen says: I don’t ever remember my nursing instructors talking about nidgeting during nurse training. That being said, the behaviors shown by moms and dads alike in the delivery room deserve a good term like nidgeting!
MaryJane says: I’m sure you’ve seen some fidgety nidgeters.
Carol Pack Urban says: I love her pinafore!
Electa Mathre says: As a mother of six and all babies birthed at home with my loving husband he never boiled water once! And never was in a “nidget”! Lol
And I love the hat and pinafore!
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
I love the black/white photo! It reminds me of looking at family photos from the 1950s.