A.Word.A.Day -- AWADmail Issue 1214

A.Word.A.Day

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AWADmail Issue 1214

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

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From: Joachim van Dijk (joachim.van.dijk gmail.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--arboricide

Sadly it happened recently in the city of Frankfurt in Germany. Two tall plane trees on a main square were poisoned with glyphosate. Someone drilled a hole in the trunks and poured the herbicide in.

The 60-year-old trees died and had to be felled. The perpetrator hasn’t been found. More here.

Joachim van Dijk, Wiesbaden, Germany

From: Mina Jo Payson (minandave charter.net)
Subject: Arboricide

We committed arboricide on a sycamore in our yard. We live in a government-planned neighborhood from the late 40s where the trees were planted by tape measure, so every yard had one and some were planted on property lines so everyone had shade. Anyone who has had a sycamore knows that they leave a mess all year long. From annoying pollen in the spring to huge leaves in the fall that aren’t good for mulching gardens with seed pods in between, each with its own cycle. We have since planted a flame maple that is much prettier and doesn’t make such a mess. Now if our neighbor across the street would just get rid of his tree that shares its mess with the rest of the neighbors.

Mina Jo Payson, Richland, Washington

From: Lars Erup (lerup videotron.ca)
Subject: Arboricide

A much talked-about recent example of arboricide is the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree in England.

Lars Erup, Saint Lazare, Canada

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From: Terry Stone (cgs7952 bellsouth.net)
Subject: Arboricide

The loss of trees is so jarring to me that I’m certain I can recall every incident over my 70 years. A neighbor cut down another neighbor’s beech (out of spite) in a contentious property dispute, which caused the victims of that cruelty to weep when they discovered it. My own son took down a 300-year-old, ninety-foot-tall black walnut tree because the heavy husks dented his vehicles. He almost immediately regretted the loss of the canopy shade and bird life, much of which had nests in the very specimen he cut, and his house became an oven in the summer because of the lost shade.

I wept when my father removed an ancient Oregon white oak (for firewood!) from the property of a family friend who wanted it cleared for farming. My grandmother cried in anger and grief when she came home from work one day to find my grandfather had cut down a 180-foot tall Ponderosa pine that had graced the view of her pasture. The pine had stood over 200 years, yet he thought its roots were being undermined by a river (they weren’t) and it needed to come down.

My Christmas was ruined a few years ago when a mindless thief came onto my land and cut down a stately noble fir I had been protecting and nurturing for ten years because he wanted it for the holidays. I did get a bit of quiet revenge, however. Four years on, a new and healthier and more beautiful tree has sprouted out of the stump he left! Given a chance, trees will find a way.

The most devastating loss, however, came near our home in Alabama, where we live in a neighborhood of acre-sized parcels that was planned around the hardwood mix of trees that existed before houses were built. Most, as a result, were thoughtfully spared the woodsman’s chainsaw and the bulldozer’s blade. It makes for a lovely, peaceful place to live. A mile away from us was a pristine, four-hundred-acre, deep and dense hardwood and pine forest, full of mature native trees, perhaps fifty different species, that we enjoyed for the first 20 years we lived there. It greeted us every time we drove out of our development, and harbored many amazing denizens that we’d often see or hear as we passed by.

Then, one day, it was simply all gone, ripped out of the ground and shoved into enormous burn piles by an army of the developer’s heavy equipment. They then quickly threw up hundreds of cheaply built and identical garden homes with little green space around them -- certainly not a single tree -- to be sold at exorbitant prices to credulous buyers. Our own hardwood forest was inundated for months by creatures large and small, some unique to the area, trying to find refuge from the devastating loss of their own habitat. It was -- and still is 20 years later -- a gut-punch to exit our neighborhood and drive by the moonscape that rolls nearly to the horizon, created for the sake of a few dollars. The builders gave it an historic-sounding name, but all of us in the neighborhood christened the development “The Strip Mine” -- and still call it that today. The current occupants are oblivious.

Arboricide, indeed.

Terry Stone, Goldendale, Washington

From: Greg Gerstner (gregorygerstner gmail.com)
Subject: Arboricide

An arborist for decades, I’ve seen trees “removed” because the owner didn’t want to rake leaves. Or they wanted more sun for turf grass. One older gentleman had a splendid large oak removed because of the leaves. And was irritable when questioned about it: “If you don’t take it down, somebody else will!” Somebody else did. But then he planted a bunch of trees in the same yard. Trees with leaves.

Another asked me to remove a large white pine in his front yard. State champion white pine. When asked why, “It’s dropping black stuff on my grass!”

“That’s from aphids. You can treat the tree with a systemic.”

“That might hurt my grass!”

Someone else cut down that magnificent tree. That gentleman is long gone and that tree could still be with us.

Some homeowners are just anal control freaks and can’t stand something of which they have little control. Some just fear trees, especially after a heavy storm comes through, but few will pay for an evaluation. Even fewer will go to any length to protect otherwise healthy trees on building sites, and construction damage will cause a preventable decline and eventual death.

Of course, these few examples (and I have witnessed hundreds) are just a drop in the bucket, and I’m sure your readers are all well aware of what amounts to global deforestation. The genus name for southern pine beetles is Dendroctonus. Tree murder. They have nothing on H. sapiens.

Greg Gerstner, Columbia, South Carolina

From: Henry M. Willis (hmw ssdslaw.com)
Subject: Arboricide

There’s a famous Irish poem, The Lament for Kilcash that laments the clearing of the forest on the Butler estate in Kilcash in the 18th century to pay the debts of the Earl of Ormonde.

Henry Willis, Los Angeles, California

From: Deidra Walpole (deidrawa gmail.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--arboricide

And 200-year-old historic trees have been chopped down by an arboriphobic maniac who is replacing them with the “Grand Splendor” of a ballroom.

Deidra Walpole, Ellensburg, Washington

From: Don Fearn (pooder charter.net)
Subject: arboricide

My folks had property with many trees and I had property with many trees and so it was necessary for me to commit arboricide with my chainsaw many times ... and it always hurt to do so. Such magnificent living beings, trees are.

There were times that I knew that I couldn’t do so safely so I had to hire professionals and that felt even worse.

Don Fearn, Rochester, Minnesota

From: John William Stevens (imbarrymore aol.com)
Subject: arboricide

In Austin, TX, some decades ago, an old, old oak tree called “The Treaty Oak” was poisoned. The tree had been the signing location of many treaties with Native Americans. Arborists tried to save it. Folks donated. Vigils were held. Alas ...
John William Stevens, Houston, Texas

From: Ann Lamb (alamb cyclomedical.com)
Subject: A name for the complaint

My neighbor’s having his landscaping crew remove my sassafras tree near the property line! He says it didn’t look thriving.

Ann Lamb, Knoxville, Tennessee

From: Margaret Breuer (mabreuer0519 gmail.com)
Subject: Arboricide

To Speak for the Trees by Diana Beresford-Kroeger is an interesting book about the author’s life studying trees. I recommend it. It gave me higher appreciation for trees.

Margaret Breuer, Sarasota, Florida

From: Jim Tang (mauijt aol.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--barbatulous

Good to know there’s a word for this condition, which affects me and my two brothers. The result of genetics (Chinese father, Scottish/Irish/English/Jewish mother), scraggly is the best we can do. In tandem with what can only be called a wimpstache, the only cure is a razor. To balance that out, though, all of us have avoided the male pattern baldness exhibited by my maternal grandfather. A reasonable trade, I think.

Jim Tang, Kula, Hawaii

From: Bob Richmond (rsrichmond gmail.com)
Subject: barbatulous

Only time I ever saw this word before is as the name of an aquarium fish, the European stone loach, presently Barbatula barbatula, originally Cobitis barbatulus, named by Linnaeus for its “little beard” of barbels, like a catfish has.

Bob Richmond, Maryville, Tennessee

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

There is a flower familiarly known as Sweet William whose Latin name is Dianthus barbatus -- because of its ragged-edged petals.

Brenda J. Gannam, Brooklyn, New York

From: Ann Smiley (salutsmiley gmail.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--whoness

Let us not forget the wisdom of Dr. Seuss in Horton Hears A Who: “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

Ann Smiley, Middleton, Wisconsin

From: Dermot Grove-White (dermotgw gmail.com)
Subject: Whoness

A friend of mine once came to meet me and was all aglow. She’d been shopping and tried on a dress and the very flamboyant shop assistant had stood back and exclaimed with much excitement “Such isness!”

She agreed and bought the dress at once and for years continued to use the word ‘isness’ in many other situations.

Dermot Grove-White, Toronto, Canada

From: Jeffrey Turner (jturner alum.rpi.edu)
Subject: Gandhi quote

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
When I despair, I remember that all through history, the way of truth and love has always won. There have been murderers and tyrants, and for a time they can seem invincible. But in the end they always fall. Think of it, always. -Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 Oct 1869-1948)

About this quote, Wikiquote has this to say:

“This appears to have been originally written by John Briley in the screenplay for the movie, Gandhi (1982), spoken by Ben Kingsley, playing Gandhi. The earliest [partial] misattribution to Gandhi appears to be by Ronald Reagan in an address to the United Nations General Assembly on 24 September 1984 (also a misquotation, substituting the word fail for fall). John S. Dunne misattributes the first sentence in The Peace of the Present (1991) on p. 50, just after misattributing the same first two sentences that Reagan did. Dunne also misattributes the final part of the quotation in the same book on p. 34.”

Jeffrey Turner, Pittsfield, Massachusetts

From: Alex McCrae (ajmccrae277 gmail.com)
Subject: barbatulous and whoness

I arrived at this scenario kickstarted by NOTES for our word barbatulous, referencing the fact that most Amish, Hassidic-Jewish, Muslim men... and David Letterman, sport copious beards. Here, the bearded-ones appear to be giving the young man a hard time regarding his flimsy excuse for a beard, whilst George Bernard Shaw-esque bearded Dave Letterman comes to the lad’s defence, assuring him that his goatee rates as a bona fide beard.

Who’d have thunk that a nascent Canadian rock-band, The Guess Who, would score a 1970 mega-hit with their rockin’ tune, “American Woman”? While led vocalist/pianist Burton Cummings’ The Guess Who was making a name for themselves with fans well beyond their native Canada, The Who, lead by vocalist/guitarist Pete Townsend (and Roger Daltrey), their star rising fast, was being talked about in the same breath as The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.

Alex McCrae, Van Nuys, California

Anagrams


	This week’s theme: There is a word for it Arboricide Barbatulous Pseudonymuncle Whoness Pennyweighter	=	Hew down trees Uh, beard isn’t thick Write unusual alias/pretence for mere nobody Ipseity He who robs gems
			-Julian Lofts, Auckland, New Zealand (jalofts xtra.co.nz)
=	Obliterate trees, but curious...why?? Thin beard Pen name Your prime essence Thief, swindler who hawks goods	=	Destroy tree, rue it....slow burn i.e. thin chin hair A nobody’s web-room flak Essence He swaps true gem with dupe
	-Dharam Khalsa, Burlington, North Carolina (dharamkk2 gmail.com)		-Shyamal Mukherji, Mumbai, India (mukherjis hotmail.com)

Make your own anagrams and animations.

Limericks

arboricide

Arboricide’s surely a crime.
But way back in colonial time,
Little George, if you please,
Did chop down with great ease
A cherry tree, proud in its prime.
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

Though trees from next door block your view,
Arboricide’s NOT what to do.
It is really unkind,
And I think that you’ll find
Your neighbors are likely to sue.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

When finally my dog Morris died,
‘Twas the end of his arboricide.
Said the trees on my street,
“Free at last! Oh, how sweet
To set fear of his downpours aside!”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

barbatulous

A performer of uncertain age,
Barbatulous, always, on stage
Is wearing a dress.
She’s a man, as you’d guess.
Those drag shows are now all the rage.
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

He’s just a barbatulous lad,
Whose poor little beard looks quite bad.
And now the kid fears
It might take him years
Before he’ll resemble his dad.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

I went to the barber today
‘Cause there is a beard on the way.
Barbatulous, yes
But for me, it’s a mess
See, I am a woman! Oy veh!
-Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com)

Said young Donald, “Don’t call me barbatulous!
My beard’s nothing short of miraculous!
Why, against all the odds,
It’s much better than God’s!
His denial is utterly fatuous!”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

pseudonymuncle

An acquaintance of mine, call him Joe,
Writes bad novels, as far as I know.
He does not use his name.
Could that be out of shame?
He’s a strange pseudonymuncle, yo.
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

Pseudonymuncles posting online
All believe they’re obliged to opine.
I wish we were spared
The venom they’ve shared --
With less nonsense from them, we’d be fine.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

Though we limerick writers work miracles,
We must all soon become pseudonymuncles.
For while Donald’s still there
Finding humor unfair,
We must hide; the man hates neurotypicals.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

whoness

I encountered while out on a stroll
A young lady, both charming and droll.
It was not just her newness,
But mostly her whoness,
That transformed this inveterate troll.
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

He had met a young gal he adored.
So the whoness of her he explored.
He was happy to find
That she had a great mind --
With her he would never be bored.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

The whoness of somebody tells
How their whole personality jells.
How they think, how they act.
Are they brusque? Have they tact?
Will they wind up in nice homes? Or cells?
-Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com)

It’s said that all people should do this
To find the real source of their whoness:
The you who’s inside,
Stop trying to hide.
Just know yourself, then you’ll accrue bliss.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

In my dreams every night, Mila Kunis
Says that loving me’s part of her whoness.
Then Scarlett Johannson
Arrives, takes us dancin’,
And into our bed climbs to spoon us.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

pennyweighter

No run-of-the-mill petty thief
Was this guy, whose career was quite brief.
This inept pennyweighter
Was, much sooner than later,
Arrested to his sorry grief.
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

He’s sorry he ever did date her,
For she was a damned pennyweighter.
It turns out he was conned
By that beautiful blonde.
Now all he can say is, “I hate her!”
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

“That nun is a real pennyweighter,”
Said the Baroness Elsa von Schraeder.
“I’m a diamond, yet she
Wearing rags replaced me!
With that voice, though, I can’t seem to hate her.”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Puns

“We’ve put an end to their Boston H-arboricide!” shouted the gleeful environmentalists.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

“When I throw a barbatulous-y stinkin’ comedians, your network bosses listen!” the FCC chair taunted Jimmy Kimmel before he was brought back.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

“There was no pseudonymuncle Tom’s Cabin was written under my own name,” Harriet Beecher Stowe chided the critics.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

“Your stories aren’t exactly patriotic, so I can understand why you write under a pseudonymuncle Sam,” said the little Clemens boy.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

“You must learn to express your essential whoness,” said the owl self-help guru.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Al Capone laughed, “You think some copper will take me down someday? Whoness?”
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

“If my food doesn’t come soon, I won’t even tip you a pennyweighter!” said the angry diner.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Miss Moneypennyweighter her options, and decided dating James bond was a bad idea.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Even a purely moral act that has no hope of any immediate and visible political effect can gradually and indirectly, over time, gain in political significance. -Vaclav Havel, writer, Czech Republic president (5 Oct 1936-2011)

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