This figure of speech always reminds me of Jason Barry, and his brilliant turn as Valentine in MirrorMask.
Growing up in Seattle, I called it “kaddywompas.”
Living in Michigan, I learned “killikumwamee.”
Recently, a friend taught me “whopperjawed” for a new nonsense word meaning “askew.”
Anyone else have additions to the list?
degrassé
adj. entranced and unsettled by the vastness of the universe, experienced in a jolt of recognition that the night sky is not just a wallpaper but a deeply foreign ocean whose currents are steadily carrying off all other castaways, who share our predicament but are already well out of earshot—worlds and stars who would’ve been lost entirely except for the scrap of light they were able to fling out into the dark, a message in a bottle that’s only just now washing up on the Earth’s atmosphere, an invitation to a party that already ended a million years ago.
Somewhat unrelated: “Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows” sounds like a description of a Mountain Goats album, if not a title.
The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter–’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.
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Mark Twain (via quote-book) Oh, Sam. You could be an ass, but sometimes you were right on the money. |
