A.Word.A.Day -- AWADmail Issue 1211

A.Word.A.Day

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AWADmail Issue 1211

A Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day and Other Tidbits about Words and Language

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From: Jarrett Gonzales (jarrettsgonzales gmail.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--evangelical

Also, from Emily Dickinson:

“Faith” is a fine invention
For Gentlemen who see!
But Microscopes are prudent
In an Emergency!

Jarrett Gonzales, Tokyo, Japan

From: Elliott Berger (eberger compuserve.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--evangelical

Great gedankenexperiment. I am constantly struck by the uselessness of prayer. The absurdity of seeking god’s benevolence is especially clear every time a tornado or hurricane demolishes a church.

Did god do that because that congregation did not pray sincerely enough, or because god is malevolent and vengeful (certainly true if you study the Bible), or because we live on a planet that is a killing machine?

When you consider the earthquakes, floods, fires, droughts, tornadoes, tsunamis, heat domes, plagues, diseases, epidemics, etc., not to mention asteroid impacts, colliding planets and moons, and the sun extinguishing itself in the next five billion years, what other conclusion can you draw but that our universe is random and dangerous?

Elliott Berger, Indianapolis, Indiana

From: Michael Sivertz (sivertz bnl.gov)
Subject: Robert Ingersoll’s quotation

“The hands that help are better far / Than lips that pray.”

Your quote of Robert Ingersoll’s poem reminded me of the all-too-frequent response to sociopathic gun violence: “thoughts and prayers” when a little legislation would go a long way to solve the problem.

Michael Sivertz, Upton, New York

From: Cheryl English (cenglish blackcatpottery.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--evangelical

It is all too often used as a substitute for actions, but prayer is no more than lip service.

Cheryl M. English, Wayne County, Michigan

From: Glenn Glazer (glenn.glazer gmail.com)
Subject: evangelical

In the software world, people are hired as tech evangelists to go and spread the adoption of a technology. Steve Jobs was probably the most famous example.

Glenn Glazer, Felton, California

From: Elizabeth Block (elizabethblock netzero.net)
Subject: Evangelical

My cat Fizz was an evangelist. If he met someone on the street who was not a cat lover, he would convert them.

Elizabeth Block, Toronto, Canada

From: Mark Oldenburg (moldenburg uls.edu)
Subject: Evangelical

Please do not continue the theft of this valuable and important word by wings of the church which do not deserve it. Lutherans have been using “evangelical” since the 16th century to describe those who believe that God establishes a relationship with one by free grace, without waiting for the person to become worthy of being loved. Recently, it has been stolen by judgmental, self-congratulatory people who, at best, base their relationship with God on their own decisions.

If you allow such misuse, you must allow “patriot” to refer to someone who violates the Constitution and attacks Congress violently and “liberation” to refer to the imposition of tariffs.

Mark Oldenburg, Biglerville, Pennsylvania

From: Steve Baker (qasystems.steve gmail.com)
Subject: epiphany

In the tradition of Sheridan’s Mrs. Malaprop, my family uses “I had an apostrophe” to describe an epiphany.

Steve Baker, Greenville, South Carolina

From: Dave Shelles (writesdave gmail.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--sacrificial lamb

In high school and college sports, when a school is found in violation of the rules, the head coach blames an assistant coach “acting outside of my knowledge” who then gets the ax.

Dave Shelles, Acworth, Georgia

From: Terry Stone (cgs7952 bellsouth.net)
Subject: Space Age Sacrificial Lamb

As a child growing up in the 1960s watching the original Star Trek series, we quickly noticed that all of the nameless crew members in red shirts were going to meet their doom. Since then, when the family is together taking in a movie or television episode, the first one of us to realize that a particular character is about to go down shouts, “Red shirt!” Our little game (where laughter almost always ensues) signals our disappointment because it means the plot has become far too obvious.

Terry Stone, Goldendale, Washington

From: Tom Montgomery (tommont82 outlook.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--sacrificial lamb

This brought a memory roaring back. Scene: University of Washington School of Law, 1987. Torts class, first year. Professor Cornelius J. Peck was every bit the terror Paper Chase’s Professor Kingsfield was, except that Professor Peck was real.

The routine was established: He’d do a short intro about the case we were to read for that day, ask his first dagger interrogatory in his best Socratic-method style, then peering over his reading glasses, slowly scan the class seating chart for his victim for that entire period while 100 anxious students prayed he wouldn’t land on their photo.

We had a student with the last name Lamb. One day, his finger landed on a photo, “Miss ... (he always paused a bit while we all squirmed in our seats) Lamb.”

He looked up from the seating chart to find her, paused one beat, and added, “As in Sacrificial?”

Tom Montgomery, Bothell, Washington

From: Denise Thorn (denisethorn gmail.com)
Subject: parochial

Fed up with the attitude common in Londoners that nothing happening in the UK outside that city can possibly have any real significance or value, I started referring to this as metro-parochialism.

Denise Thorn, Grantown-on-Spey, Scotland

From: Ira Artman (ira.artman miacanalytics.com)
Subject: Catholic / parochial

I have always been amused by the difference in meaning between parochial and catholic, and the typical association of parochial schools with the Catholic Church.

Ira Artman, Metuchen, New Jersey

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From: Peter Engel (pengel newcut.com)
Subject: judgment day

You wrote: “I’m with Albert Camus who said, ‘Don’t wait for the last judgment. It takes place every day.’”

Years ago, I asked my boss when I was going to get a review. His response was, “You get one every day.”

Peter Engel, Newark, New York

From: John Ayer (firevexil gmail.com)
Subject: judgment day

Long ago I saw a cartoon of a monk on a city street, holding a sign saying, “Repent now! Avoid the rush on Doomsday!”

John Ayer, Norwich, Connecticut

From: Brenda J. Gannam (gannamconsulting earthlink.net)
Subject: judgment day

The Catholic clergy once sold indulgences -- forgiveness for a price. I always wondered if they had twofers, bogos, or volume discounts.

Brenda J. Gannam, Brooklyn, New York

From: Howard L. Kessler (andyjuil aol.com)
Subject: Reflecting on this week’s words

Not often do I comment here; however, this week’s topic is one I think about often. Like too many things, religion has no value at all unless someone is made to desire it. We are like flies. If a number of them are gathered on a piece of shit everyone nearby wants to have a part of it.

There are no proofs that there are any gods;
however, beyond a shadow of a doubt there are devils.
We know this because we encounter them every day.

I believe it’s the devils that create the gods,
for shields to hide behind,
and swords to attack others with.

And “god forbid” those who were attacked respond in kind.
The instigators cry “Why are they always assaulting us?”
Well, of course they would say that, they are devils after all.

HL Kessler

Howard Kessler, New York, New York

From: Alex McCrae (ajmccrae277 gmail.com)
Subject: epiphany

With the word “epiphany” my thoughts ventured into the realm of those rare groundbreaking, seemingly happy accidents that resulted in breakthrough revelations, like Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin, Archimedes’ “Eureka!” moment, or Ben Franklin’s electrified kite-flying epiphany. Here, I’ve tried to capture the instant (though apocryphal) when young Isaac Newton gets bonked on the noggin by a falling apple... a light-bulb moment when his theory of gravity comes into fruition.

Alex McCrae, Van Nuys, California

Anagrams


	This week’s theme: Words relating to religion Evangelical Epiphany Sacrificial lamb Parochial Judgment day	=	Converting, pastoral Insight I heed He can be scapegoat, pilloried, I’m fall guy eh Jerkwater Yawm al-Din (Islamic)
			-Julian Lofts, Auckland, New Zealand (jalofts xtra.co.nz)
=	Highly pious gig Revelation, brainchild Keep the scapegoat in jail! Narrow-minded Farewell times, a cataclysm	=	Energetic, bullish re: a tenet Major flash discovery (with million $ pile) I, a patsy A hick place Waging armageddon
	-Dharam Khalsa, Burlington, North Carolina (dharamkk2 gmail.com)		-Shyamal Mukherji, Mumbai, India (mukherjis hotmail.com)

Make your own anagrams and animations.

Limericks

Evangelical

For the sport he’d just learned he went mad;
Evangelical fervor he had.
And now every day
You’ll find him at play --
On the pickleball court he’s not bad.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

My landlady’s taken this guy in
Who’s constantly prayin’ and sighin’.
“There’s a church quite near here;
Evangelical, dear,”
Said she, “and there might be a tie-in!”
-Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com)

His voter base, part evangelical,
Knows Trump as a man not angelical.
But closing their eyes,
They believe in his lies
And his morals so twisted, they’re helical.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

Said Ghislaine, “Jeff and Donald? Angelical!
They ALL were -- the whole list alphabetical!
The most saintly of men
Like young girls now and then;
Not Mike Pence, though. He’s too evangelical.”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

epiphany

My proposal to wed you’ve declined
With words that were mostly unkind.
But then an epiphany!
A ring made by Tiffany
Might help you to change your damn mind.
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

I’ve had an epiphany now,
And that’s why I cried, “Holy cow!”
It’s all become clear:
We’re finished, my dear,
I hereby am bidding you “Ciao!”
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

“About Dad I just had an epiphany;
He’s a liar and bully,” said Tiffany.
Answered Donald, “What hype!
But she isn’t my type;
It’s Ivanka I’d date,” he said flippantly.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

sacrificial lamb

In a lot of political schemes
There’s a lamb sacrificial, it seems.
One person is named;
For all things he’s blamed --
Then he’s mocked in some merciless memes.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

“Wait a sec. Me, A lamb sacrificial?”
Said Isaac. “From God, that’s official?
For child abuse,
Dad, there’s no good excuse;
You could face a proceeding judicial.”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

parochial

A critic, who thought he was smart,
Asserted with all of his heart
This parochial view:
That anything new
Couldn’t possibly ever be Art.
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

She had gone to parochial school,
Where the nuns were quite strict as a rule.
But she has to admit
That she learned quite a bit,
And her beautiful cursive is cool.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

Trump’s views are parochial, true.
For he has quite a narrow, dark view.
His only solution:
Revenge, retribution,
And being an autocrat, too.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

“About science my views are parochial;
Getting measles is cause to be jovial,”
Said RFK. What!?
He’s the kind of a nut
Who needs meds in a setting custodial.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

judgment day

If you want to avoid judgment day
And make crimes you have done go away,
Take some lessons from Trump.
(All those judges you’ll stump.)
Just delay and delay and delay.
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

Miss Maxwell, I’m sorry to say,
For bad acts did not really pay.
Her crimes will compel
That she ends up in hell,
When she faces her own judgment day!
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

Judgment day’s when the time finally comes
That one’s deeds are all tallied as sums.
Forgiveness earns one,
But revenge? That gets none.
Trump’s a zero, like all of his chums.
-Steve Cabito, Santa Rosa, California (stevecabito gmail.com)

Said Donald when came Judgment Day,
“Everybody get out of my way!
OK God, what’s the deal?
How much dough need I steal?
Let me in, and big bucks I will pay.”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Puns

“All felines matter. Evangelical cats deserve poems about them,” insisted T.S. Eliot.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

“The key to this art form is having a really p-epiphany,” said the belly dance instructor.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Said the maple to a smaller tree in its shadow, “Your growth rate isn’t up to parochial you’ll need to bend towards the sun.”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

“Don’t be sacrificial lamb-aste the dying of the light,” wrote Dylan Thomas, but crumpled the paper and started over.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

He had many sports cars, and had to give one up. He mourned his sacrificial lamb-borghini for the rest of his days.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

Lacking any previous background in flowers or flower shows, the Trump-appointed judgment day-sies when he said roses.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Patriotism is proud of a country’s virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their own specific virtues. The pride of nationalism, however, trumpets its country’s virtues and denies its deficiencies, while it is contemptuous toward the virtues of other countries. It wants to be, and proclaims itself to be, “the greatest”, but greatness is not required of a country; only goodness is. -Sydney J. Harris, journalist and author (14 Sep 1917-1986)

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