/steg-ə-NAW-grə-fee/. noun. Secret writing. Concealing a secret message within another visible (or otherwise perceivable) message. From the Greek steganos (covered) + the Latin suffix -graphy (written)
from Speak, Memory (Vladimir Nabokov)
Without any wind blowing, the sheer weight of a raindrop, shining in parasitic luxury on a cordate leaf, caused its tip to dip, and what looked like a globule of quicksilver performed a sudden glissando down the centre vein, and then, having shed its bright load, the relieved leaf unbent. Tip, leaf, dip, relief — the instant it all took to happen seemed to me not so much a fraction of time as a fissure in it, a missed heartbeat, which was refunded at once by a patter of rhymes: I say ‘patter’ intentionally, for when a gust of wind did come, the trees would briskly start to drip all together in as crude an imitation of the recent downpour as the stanza I was already muttering resembled the shock of wonder I had experienced when for a moment heart and leaf had been one.
—Vladimir Nabokov
—from Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited
frottage
frottage /FRAW-tawzh/. noun. Taking a rubbing from a textured surface, such as from a gravestone. Sexually touching or rubbing, while clothed, against someone. From French frotter (rub, scrub, scrape, caress).
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Links: April 22, 2018
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Some amazing engineering, ancient and most contemporary.
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My whole life is research into this → Sitting Too Much Can Change Your Brain & Impact Your Memory, A New Study Says
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Every once in a while, a crossword puzzle scratches an itch. A good, free bet: Will Nediger, who posts an original, “erudite, witty idie puzzle” every Monday.
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Lu Xinjian’s City DNA series: complex abstract art based on views from Google Earth using colors based on the city and national flags of each city.
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I knew Kit Kats were popular in Japan because I’ve tried some of their regional variations. But now I know why.
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Mayochup is a thing. I can’t wait for Mustaise or Mayotard.
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Of course an air conditioning company would create a fascinating look at 20 Incredible Ways Animals Keep Cool. And I learned the word (a)estivation.
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Today in 1922, novelist, poet and entomologist Vladimir Nabokov is born in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Though English was Nabokov’s second language he was one of its finest craftsman with a penchant for dazzling wordplay and verbal puzzles that reward multiple readings. I don’t think you can go wrong with Nabokov, but if my recommendation matters, Lolita (so underestimated and misunderstood) or Pale Fire are the best places to start.
Nothing Compares 2 U
Prince – Nothing Compares 2 U official video.
Terrible Books You Can’t Escape
10 Satirical Covers for the Terrible Books You Can’t Get Away From: Imaginary cover designs for the worst clichés in publishing.
“Very Good Boy” (Jez Burrows)
Very Good Boy
“Does your dog do any tricks?”
“He published his autobiography last autumn.”
Laura’s brow wrinkled.
“I beg your pardon?”
“He wrote a book on the history of Russian ballet, and he has a novel in the works too—a spy novel set in Berlin. He needed something both to challenge his skills and to regain his crown as the king of the thriller.”
She looked down at the chocolate-colored Labrador, and gave David a look of complete incomprehension.
“He’s the strong, silent type.”
The dog licked its paw.
“Down, boy, down.”
Sources: New Oxford American Dictionary, Collins COBUILD Primary Learner’s Dictionary, The American Heritage Dictionary, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
—Jez Burrows
—from Dictionary Stories: Short Fictions and Other Findings
—(a book composed entirely of example sentences from various dictionaries)
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