Category Archives: Word of the Day Haiku

March 11, 2016

Friday’s Word of the Day Haiku

By Kat Myrman

 
Happy Friday! Today’s Dictionary.com Word of the Day is Psittacism. Originating around 1895, it is Latin for “parrot”.  Polly may “want a cracker” but is it a cracker he really wants or just attention?

Though we may not use this word today, we are all familiar with a plethora of examples…those annoying platitudes that rattle around in our head. Think catch phrase, cliche, slogan or talking points and you get the the picture. It’s what we say when we don’t know what to say. Manipulative masters use psittacisms to sway, entice or elicit fear. How often have we heard the phrase, “if you repeat a lie often enough it becomes true.” 

Most of us can rattle off a psittacism or two, but the wise will challenge, debate or expound on these rote assumptions. Oft repeated psittacisms can shut down intelligent debate. 

“It was all for the best.” Well, I suppose that depends on one’s definition of “best”.

“Wait an hour after eating before getting into the water.” Why? Who knows? And yet, when at the seashore many of us will think twice before taking a dip right after lunch!

“They’re coming after your guns…” Hasn’t happened yet…and likely won’t, but many people continue to cling to this talking point, hunkering down in fear of the impending “they”.

I know I’ve been guilty of psittacisms when I repeat something I’ve heard just to fill space. It’s all just meaningless noise! True communication requires thoughtfulness and open dialogue. 

You can’t speak your mind if you’re using a script! ~ kat 2016

Have a great weekend! May it be filled with great conversation and enlightening insights!

a few Haiku…

Some psittacisms
like a Mother’s do”s and don’t’s,
haunt the guilty.

Smug bible thumpers
drone vapid psittacisms…
Actions speak louder.

Catchy talking points,
When fools use psittacisms,
There is no debate!

kat – 11 March 2016

17 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Essays, Haiku, Random Thoughts and Musings, Word of the Day Haiku

March 6, 2016

Dictionary Word of the Day Haiku Challenge 2

By Kat Myrman

Hey peeps! I know the words this week were crazy…words like rupestrine or florilegium or rodomontade (wow!)

But gee, I was hoping someone would take the challenge! At any rate, we have Friday! And I actually did have company on Friday! Shout out to my friend Kathryn from anotherfoodieblogger! Give her awesome blog a peek! 😊

AND…an UPDATE! We have Thursday as well thanks to Priceless Joy (PJ) from beautifulwords. Be sure to visit her other blog/challenge, Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers challenge and give it a try!

Here’s…a look back at THURSDAY and Friday!

Thursday’s Word: Florilegium from dictionary.com – a collection of literary pieces; anthology.

florilegium
is in my new library
my heart is content

PJ (Priceless Joy) @ beautifulwords

Friday’s Word: Factotum from dictionary.com – a person, as a handyman or servant, employed to do all kinds of workaround the house; any employee or official having many different responsibilities.

They cook, clean, parent
unsung, unpaid factotums
also called “Mothers”!

Admins do-it-all!
They are office factotums
“Duties as assigned.”

When something breaks down
call a handy factotum
a hero with tools

kat @ likemercurycolliding

If you’re not busy
Can you help me out on this?
I am Factotum

Kathryn @ anotherfoodieblogger
(Kathryn posted her Haiku in the comments in my post)

If you would like to join us this week, here are the rules! Come join us. It’s exciting and best of all fun! 😊

Word of the Day Haiku Challenge

1. Pick a day that works for you. Once you pick your day, stick to it. This is what makes it fun and quite a challenge.

2. Choose an online dictionary that features a word of the day. I use dictionary.com but there are others. Pick your go-to dictionary.

3. Create a Haiku using the word of the day. In this challenge, no synonyms allowed.

4. A Haiku is a three line poem with the syllable structures 3-5-3 or 5-7-5.

5. (Optional) If you want, you may also post a expanded history of the word, your thoughts about the word, or some unusual facts about the word of the day.

6. Post a link to your Haiku in the comments so I can find you.

7. I’ll post the weekly roll call list on Sunday. So you have until Saturday at midnight (EST) to post your haiku.

8. Have fun!

18 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Haiku, Poetry, Word of the Day Haiku

March 4, 2016

Friday’s Word of the Day Haiku – Factotum

By Kat Myrman

factotum

Happy Friday to you! Today’s Word of the Day from Dictionary.com is “Factotum.” The expanded definition is:

  1. any employee or official having many different responsibilities.
  2. a person, as a handyman or servant, employed to do all kinds of work around the house.
Origin of factotum
Factotum has roots in the Latin facere meaning “to make; do” and tōtus meaning “all.” It entered English in the mid-1500s.

Vocabulary.com offers a more expanded description:

“If you’re running late and still need to iron your clothes and make breakfast, but can’t find your shoes, you may wish you had a factotum, or a servant who does a variety of odd job for their employer.

Factotum sounds like the two words “fact” and “totem” spliced together, but this curious noun originally come from the Latin words that mean “do” and “everything.” In current times, since servants aren’t typical anymore, we might call someone who has a paid job like this a jack-of-all-trades or possibly a personal assistant.”

Having been a stay-at-home mom for a number of years as well as performing my current day job as an Executive Administrative Assistant, this is a word that really resonates with me. How have I not heard it before?

Well, it could have something to do with the fact that this is just another one of those historical words that doesn’t really apply in our modern culture…or does it? I can think of at least one application of this word that is true to it’s original meaning. I give you the modern “housewife”, “homemaker”, stay-at-home mom (or dad) who provides a variety of services, often for free. Though some will say that their rewards are intangible things like love, fulfillment and joy. But having lived the life, I can tell you that it is a paycheck that validates what we consider to be “work.”  At any rate, I will leave you with a trio of Haiku that hopefully make good use of this “new” old word.

And…it’s the weekend you know. Don’t work too hard!

They cook, clean, parent
unsung, unpaid factotums
also called “Mothers”!

Admins do-it-all!
They are office factotums
“Duties as assigned.”

When something breaks down
call a handy factotum
a hero with tools!

kat ~ 4 March 2016

Have a great weekend! And don’t forget, you too can join the Dictionary Word of the Day Haiku Challenge. Click HERE to learn more and play along. Some of the words this week were real doozies. I’m interested to see if anyone took the challenge!

 

18 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Essays, Haiku, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Word of the Day Haiku

February 28, 2016

Dictionary Word of the Day Haiku Challenge 1

By Kat Myrman

image

NEW! Word of the Day Haiku Challenge!

Some of you have expressed interest in participating in my weekly Word of the Day Haiku Challenge based on Dictionary.com’s Word of the Day. Back when I took the Blogging 101 Class this idea was born as a result of one of the assignments. I mentioned this new challenge in a “soft launch” on my Friday WOTD post (You can see it HERE.) PJ Priceless Joy gave it a go on Saturday! I would love to see a taker for each day of the week. Not only is it fun, but its a great way to learn new, interesting, and often rarely used words!

A (short) Week of Word of the Day Haiku

Friday

Internecine (Dictionary.com)
Polarized rivals
Engage in futile stances,
internecine wars
kat / like mercury colliding

Saturday

Natter (Dictionary.com)
bitter natter
I should not let it matter
It drives me insane.
Priceless Joy / Beautiful Words

Thanks PJ! Hopefully we will have company next week! 🙂

If you’d like to join us here are the rules:

Word of the Day Haiku Challenge

1. Pick a day that works for you. Once you pick your day, stick to it. This is what makes it fun and quite a challenge.

2. Choose an online dictionary that features a word of the day. I use dictionary.com but there are others. Pick your go-to dictionary.

3. Create a Haiku using the word of the day. In this challenge, no synonyms allowed.

4. A Haiku is a three line poem with the syllable structures 3-5-3 or 5-7-5.

5. (Optional) If you want, you may also post a expanded history of the word, your thoughts about the word, or some unusual facts about the word of the day.

6. Post a link to your Haiku in the comments so I can find you.

7. I’ll post the weekly roll call list on Sunday. So you have until Saturday at midnight (EST) to post your haiku.

8. Have fun!

I’m renaming this weekly post Word of the Day Haiku. Hope to have at least one haiku for each day of the week. I’m looking forward to reading your Word of the Day Haiku!

18 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Haiku, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Word of the Day Haiku

February 27, 2016

Word of the Day Haiku

By Kat Myrman

Happy Friday! Well, I almost made it. Friday’s Dictionary.com Word of the Day is Internecine. It originated in the Mid 17th century (in the sense ‘deadly, characterized by great slaughter’): from Latin internecinus, based on inter-‘among’ + necare ‘to kill’. (From the Oxford Dictionary)

Once again Friday’s word of the day relates well to our current political discourse in the US…or rather the lack thereof! 

We have become so polarized that the idea of compromise, of civil debate or the rational exchange of ideas, is all but impossible. Being passionate for a cause is certainly a noble thing, but one runs the risk of developing tunnel vision.

We need each other. We need our differences of opinions, beliefs and ideals. We need to be able to debate the issues that are important to us while respecting each others’s passions. Making room for others doesn’t limit us. It expands us. 

When it comes to Friday’s word of the day, internecine, it’s quite probable that nobody will win in the end  and we will simply  grow more and more distant and isolated. 

And so, the Haiku…

Polarized rivals
Engage in futile stances,
internecine wars

kat ~ 27 February 2016

NEW! Word of the Day Haiku Challenge!


If you’re interested, here’s a chance for you to have the exciting challenge of creating a Haiku based on a Dictionary word of the day. If enough of you are interested I will post it at the Commons. For your efforts I will do a weekly calendar roll call broken into each day with a link to your Haiku. Here are the rules:

Word of the Day Haiku Challenge

1. Pick a day that works for you. Once you pick your day, stick to it. This is what makes it fun and quite a challenge.

2. Choose an online dictionary that features a word of the day. I use dictionary.com but there are others. Pick your go-to dictionary.

3. Create a Haiku using the word of the day. In this challenge, no synonyms allowed.

4. A Haiku is a three line poem with the syllable structures 3-5-3 or 5-7-5.

5. (Optional) If you want, you may also post a expanded history of the word, your thoughts about the word, or some unusual facts about the word of the day.

6. Post a link to your Haiku in the comments so I can find you.

7. I’ll post the weekly roll call list on Sunday. So you have until Saturday at midnight (EST) to post your haiku.

8. Have fun!

I’m renaming this weekly post Word of the Day Haiku. Hope to have at least one haiku for each day of the week. I’m looking forward to reading your Word of the Day Haiku!

22 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Essays, Haiku, Poetry, Word of the Day Haiku