[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
God save you, neighbours!

It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

Watching the news coverage from Colorado, it's easy to wonder whether or not it's time to start looking for an ark. (Who would worry about flooding a mile above sea level?) In honor of that, I give you today’s word:

submerge : sub•merge / səbˈmərj / (verb):


verb
- Cause to be under water.


Synonyms: flood - inundate – deluge – swamp


First seen in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra (written 1607 - 1608). The full text of the play may be found here.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
God save you, neighbours!

It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

Today is a day of remembrance and memorials in the US, a day that still gives many people pause, even twelve years later. With that in mind, I give you today’s word:

lonely : lone•ly / ˈlōnlē / (adjective) :

adjective
- Sad because one has no friends or company.
- Without companions; solitary


Synonyms: lonesome - solitary - lone - desolate - alone - secluded


First seen as a noun in Shakespeare's Coriolanus (written 1607 - 1608). The full text of the play may be found here.



special note: On the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I wrote this. Rather than repeat it, I just encourage those interested to take a moment and read it. Thank you.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
Friends, what cheer?

It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

The word for today is:

backing : back•ing /ˈbakiNG/ (noun) :

noun
- Support or help
- A layer of material that forms, protects, or strengthens the back of something


Synonyms: support - patronage - assistance

First seen in Shakespeare's King Henry IV, Part I (written 1597 - 1598). The full text of the play may be found here.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
God save you, neighbours!

It's time for another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

Today’s word is one that I would never have expected to find dates back to Shakespeare, as it seems to be a fairly modern word. Just goes to show you that even as a native speaker, we can still be surprised by our mother tongue. Without further ado, I give you today’s word:

epileptic : ep•i•lep•tic / ˌepəˈleptik / (adjective) (noun) :

adjective
- Of, relating to, or having epilepsy.


noun
- A person who has epilepsy.


Synonyms: convulsive – paroxysm – given to seizures


First seen in Shakespeare's King Lear (written 1605 - 1606). The full text of the play may be found here.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
Friends, what cheer?

It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

Today marks a rare astronomical occurrence – a blue moon. Astronomically speaking, a blue moon occurs when there are four full moons in the approximately three month span between the four seasonal quarters – the solstices and equinoctes. There are four full moons in between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox; the third of four is the blue moon. So, if you’ve ever said something would only happen “once in a blue moon”… ante up!

Fittingly, today’s word is:

moonbeam : moon•beam / ˈmo͞onˌbēm / (noun) :

noun
- A ray of moonlight.


Synonyms: moonlight – moonshine


First seen in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream (written 1595 - 1596). The full text of the play may be found here.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
God save you, neighbours!

It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

My apologies for missing my scheduled post last week; I was on vacation and I inadvertently ignored my calendar’s:

hint : hint / hint / (noun) (verb) :

noun
- A slight or indirect indication or suggestion.


verb
- Suggest or indicate something indirectly or covertly.



Synonyms as a noun: allusion - suggestion - intimation - tip - inkling - cue
Synonyms as a verb: imply - intimate - suggest - insinuate - allude



First seen as a noun in Shakespeare's Othello (written 1604 - 1605). The full text of the play may be found here.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
God save you, neighbours!

It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

I am in the middle of a run of Twelfth Night, the first Shakespeare I have worked on in several years, and it has reminded me of how much I love seeing the Bard’s words played upon the stage! These plays truly were meant to be watched, not read, and it has renewed my intention to try to work on at least one Shakespearean production per year. In honor of that, I give you today’s word:

arouse : a•rouse /ˌəˈrouz / (verb) :

verb
- Evoke or awaken (a feeling, emotion, or response).
- Excite or provoke (someone) to anger or strong emotions



Synonyms: rouse - wake - awake - awaken - excite - waken - provoke


First seen in Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part II (written 1590 - 1591). The full text of the play may be found here.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
Friends, what cheer?

It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

It’s tech week for our production of Twelfth Night, which means 4-6 hours of rehearsal each night on top of a full workday. This means that there is one thing for which I long most, and the same one thing which I’ll see the least of this week. The word for today is:

bedroom : bed•room /ˈbedˌro͞om/ (noun) :

noun
- A room for sleeping in
- Relating to sexual relations


Synonyms: bedchamber - chamber - dormitory

First seen in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream (written 1595 - 1596). The full text of the play may be found here.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
Friends, what cheer?

It's time for another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

My apologies for missing yesterday's post - it is no longer Wednesday anywhere in the world, I'm fairly certain, and at this point, any excuse I could make would be (the primary definition, in particular):

circumstantial : cir•cum•stan•tial /ˌsərkəmˈstanSHəl/ (adjective) :



adjective
- Pointing indirectly towards someone’s guilt, but not directly proving it.
- Of, relating to, or dependent upon circumstances.
- Of no primary significance; incidental.
- Complete and particular; full of detail.


Synonyms: incidental – presumptive – conjectural – indirect – detailed – specific - particular


First seen in Shakespeare's As You Like It (written 1599 - 1600). The full text of the play may be found here.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
Friends, what cheer?

It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

On this day in 1925, the infamous “Monkey Trial” began in Dayton, Tennessee, USA. John Thomas Scopes, a high school science teacher, was accused of teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution, in violation of a recent state law making it a crime to "teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals." William Jennings Bryan assisted in the prosecution, and Clarence Darrow agreed to represent the defence on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union. During the trial, the presiding judge ordered that the proceedings should be moved out onto the courthouse lawn amidst fears that the weight of the several thousand spectators to the trial might cause the courthouse floor to collapse. Darrow played to the crowd, humiliating Bryan and then, in a highly unorthodox move, asked the jury in his closing argument to return a guilty verdict so that the case could be appealed. Scopes was found guilty and given the minimum sentence of a $100 fine. In 1927, the verdict was overturned by the Tennessee Supreme Court on a technicality, but the core issue of the constitutionality of such a law remained unresolved until 1968, when the US Supreme Court overturned a similar Arkansas law, citing First Amendment rights to free speech.

When looking back at Darrow’s performance in the courtroom (and outside it), one might even say he catered to his audience. In honour of that, the word for today is:


cater : ca•ter /ˈkātər/ (verb) :



verb
- Provide (food, drink, entertainment), typically at social events and in a professional capacity.
- Provide what is needed or required, often in a specialised or niche fashion.


Synonyms: provide – supply – treat – indulge – serve



First seen in Shakespeare's As You Like It (written 1599 - 1600). The full text of the play may be found here.

If you’d like to read more about the “Monkey Trial,” you can do so here .
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
Well met, friends!

It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

My apologies for missing my last scheduled post; reality was not cooperating with me last week at all.


I find myself this week in “America’s Hometown” of Plymouth, MA. Most famous as the site of the Pilgrim settlement of Plimouth, and America’s first Thanksgiving celebration in the autumn of 1620, Plymouth also goes all-out celebrating American independence on the 4th of July. The preparations have been ongoing for weeks, and between tomorrow’s road race, parade, pops concert, and fireworks display, the Plymouth waterfront is guaranteed to be:


deafening : deaf•en•ing / ˈdefəniNG / (adjective) :


adjective
- (of a noise) So loud as to make it impossible to hear anything else.


Synonyms: earsplitting - noisy - cacophonic


First seen in Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part II (written 1597 - 1598). The full text of the play may be found here.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
Friends, what cheer?

It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

I have a fairly high-powered and demanding job, and for the most part, I have a great team of people working with me. Every so often, though, the proverbial s#*t hits the fan and all hell breaks loose. When that happens, I have to hope that the department manager can defuse the situation and mitigate damage, or at least have the good sense to bring in the “big guns” (eg, me) in time to do so. And for the most part, they do. But over the past week I have been running damage control and clean up on something that is solely the result of someone’s failure to do their job correctly, and I am on the brink of being driven completely round the twist. So, rather than give in to the urge to begin making people redundant (OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!), I will simply give vent to a small measure of my feelings with today’s word:

worthless : worth•less / ˈwərTHlis / (adjective) :

adjective
- Having no real value or use.
- (of a person) Having no good qualities; deserving contempt.


Synonyms: valueless - useless - trashy - paltry - good-for-nothing

First seen in Shakespeare's King Henry VI, Part III (written 1590 - 1591). The full text of the play may be found here.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
Friends, what cheer?

It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

The word for today is another Hamlet gem, and something I think this new theatre production is going to have me doing a lot of:

rant : rant /rant/ (noun) (verb) :



noun
- A period of ranting; a tirade.

verb
- Speak or shout at length in a wild, impassioned way



Synonyms as a verb: rave – harangue – spout – bluster – bellow – cry – declaim

Synonyms as a noun: tirade – rhetoric – diatribe – bluster



First seen as a verb in Shakespeare's Hamlet (written 1600 - 1601). The full text of the play may be found here.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
God save you, neighbours!

It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

I have been re-reading Hamlet recently, as I’m working on a play that draws many references from Shakespeare’s text, and I was reminded of this little gem. Without further ado, I give you today’s word:

barefaced : bare•faced /ˈbe(ə)rˌfāst / (adjective) :

adjective
- Shameless; undisguised.
- Having an uncovered face, so as to be exposed or vulnerable to something.



Synonyms: impudent - shameless - brazen - insolent - cheeky


First seen in Shakespeare's Hamlet (written 1600 - 1601). The full text of the play may be found here.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
God save you, neighbours!

It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!


I've been fighting with my internet connection all day, as we've had severe thunderstorms and downpours alternating with bright, gorgeous sunshine. Luckily, I'm able to post now while it's still Wednesday local time, LOL! Looking at the forecast over the next couple of days, it looks like the sun is going to win out, and I intend to bask in its:

radiance : ra•di•ance / ˈrādēəns/ (noun) :

noun
-light or heat as emitted or reflected by something.
-great joy or love, apparent in someone’s expression or bearing.


Synonyms brilliance – luster – lustre


First seen in Shakespeare's All’s Well That Ends Well (written 1602 - 1603). The full text of the play may be found here.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
God save you, neighbours!

It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

There’s a lot of scandals and horrific events going on in the world today, and the mainstream media seems to lap it up! Every channel has their own pundits and talking heads lining up to talk about who allegedly did what to whom, why, what it meant, and why they think we should care.

There’s a reason I don’t actually WATCH the news anymore.

In any case, a conversation I had with a friend last night on media bias has inspired today’s word:

accused : ac•cused /əˈkyo͞ozd / (noun) :

noun
-a person or group of people who are charged with or on trial for a crime.


Synonyms defendant – indictee – suspect


Poster’s note: as in, accused; not guilty until proven so.


First seen as a noun in Shakespeare's Richard II (written 1595 - 1596). The full text of the play may be found here.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
Well met, friends!

It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

As this week marks the baby shower for dear friends who are awaiting the arrival of a much-anticipated first child, I thought it only apropos that the word for today be:

blanket : blan•ket /ˈblaNGkit/ (noun) (adjective) (verb) :



noun
- A large piece of woolen or similar material used as a bed covering or other covering for warmth

adjective
- Covering all cases or instances; total and inclusive

verb
- Cover completely with a thick layer of something



Synonyms as a noun: rug - cover - wrap - coverlet

Synonyms as an adjective: general - common - broad - universal - overall

Synonyms as a verb: cover



First seen in Shakespeare's King Lear (written 1605 - 1606). The full text of the play may be found here. Interestingly, Shakespeare uses it as both a verb and a noun in the course of the play.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
Friends, what cheer?

It's Wednesday Thursday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

I apologise for missing yesterday - the day started off well, but things at work blew up around midday and the rest of the day just went downhill from there. As I posted in my twitter feed, "How can so much go so wrong so quickly?" Still, I must admit that missing my scheduled day means I am:

blushing : blush•ing /bləSHˈiNG/ (adjective) (verb) :



adjective
- Having a red face from embarrassment or shame or agitation or emotional upset.
- Modest or bashful.

verb
- Becoming red in the face, especially from modesty, embarrassment, or shame; flushing.
- Becoming red or rosy.
- Feeling embarrassed or ashamed.


Synonyms as a verb: flushing – reddening – blooming

Synonyms as an adjective: flushing – red-faced – flustered – ruddy – bashful – modest – roseate



First seen in Shakespeare's King Henry VI, Part III (written 1590 - 1591). The full text of the play may be found here.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
Neighbours, what cheer?

It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

I’m away at a conference for work, but here’s hoping that the “future posting date” feature will work this time around!! Today’s word is:

impartial : im•par•tial /imˈpärSHəl/ (adjective) :

adjective
- Treating all rivals or disputants equally; fair and just.



Synonyms: unbiased - even-handed - equitable - fair - dispassionate


First seen in Shakespeare's King Henry IV, Part II (written 1597 - 1598). The full text of the play may be found here.
[identity profile] uniquepov.livejournal.com
Friends, what cheer?

It's Wednesday again, which means another installment of Shakespearean Imagination!

On this day in 1916, the Easter Rebellion, an armed uprising against British rule in Ireland, began under the leadership of Patrick Pearse. In less than a week, the British had responded in force and crushed the rebellion, eventually executing fifteen nationalist supporters (including Pearse) for their roles in the uprising. The Easter Rebellion is often referred to as a key turning point in the fight for Irish independence, although it would take another five years before the Irish Free State was declared, encompassing twenty-six of Ireland’s thirty-two counties, and it would not be until 1949 that Ireland became an independent republic.

Many of us remember the guerilla tactics of the Irish Republican Army pre-2005 (certainly last week’s events in Boston brought back memories of such events as the Hyde Park bombing in 1982).

Regardless of one’s politics or stance on these issues, one might say that such tactics are a modern-day version of the:

bandit : band•it /ˈbandit/ (noun) :


noun
- A robber or outlaw belonging to a gang and typically operating in an isolated or lawless area.
- An enemy aircraft.


Synonyms: brigand - robber - gangster - outlaw - highwayman



First seen in Shakespeare's King Henry VI, Part II (written 1590 - 1591). The full text of the play may be found here.

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