WORD OF THE DAY:
mettle n 1a: vigor and strength of spirit or temperament b: staying quality: stamina 2: quality of temperament or disposition
Originally, "mettle" was simply a variant spelling of the word "metal" (which dates to at least the 14th century), and it was used in all of the same senses as its metallic relative. Over time, however, "mettle" came to be used mainly in the figurative sense referring to the quality of someone's character, eventually losing its literal sense altogether and becoming a distinct English word in its own right. "Metal" remained a term primarily used for those hard shiny substances such as steel or iron, but it also acquired a figurative use. Today, both words can mean "vigor and strength of spirit or temperament," but only "metal" is used for metallic substances.
Should I expand on this?! Today, I think I shall...
POEM OF THE DAY:
Rain
It so happens I'm tired of desire,
of the mouths of the thousand things endlessly calling,
of the tongues of lemons, the voices of men,
the taste of iron and salty linen.
It so happens I'm tired of the pulling,
the vigorous dance of the charming ego,
the songs of the kitchen, the boiling sonata,
bite of the tweezers, the plumbing's whine.
I'm tired of passion, counterfeit or otherwise,
tired of prices, of heft and of gain,
of the towering columns, the whole archipelago
of plummeting bridgework and dangerous vines.
I want to lie down and transmogrify sentences,
I want to dissolve on a cool, gray cloud.
When the sky bends down to pleasure the ground,
the rain is cool; it's dark and it rains.
--Sidney Wade(B. 1951)
naughtiness later
xoxo SG!
mettle n 1a: vigor and strength of spirit or temperament b: staying quality: stamina 2: quality of temperament or disposition
Originally, "mettle" was simply a variant spelling of the word "metal" (which dates to at least the 14th century), and it was used in all of the same senses as its metallic relative. Over time, however, "mettle" came to be used mainly in the figurative sense referring to the quality of someone's character, eventually losing its literal sense altogether and becoming a distinct English word in its own right. "Metal" remained a term primarily used for those hard shiny substances such as steel or iron, but it also acquired a figurative use. Today, both words can mean "vigor and strength of spirit or temperament," but only "metal" is used for metallic substances.
Should I expand on this?! Today, I think I shall...
POEM OF THE DAY:
Rain
It so happens I'm tired of desire,
of the mouths of the thousand things endlessly calling,
of the tongues of lemons, the voices of men,
the taste of iron and salty linen.
It so happens I'm tired of the pulling,
the vigorous dance of the charming ego,
the songs of the kitchen, the boiling sonata,
bite of the tweezers, the plumbing's whine.
I'm tired of passion, counterfeit or otherwise,
tired of prices, of heft and of gain,
of the towering columns, the whole archipelago
of plummeting bridgework and dangerous vines.
I want to lie down and transmogrify sentences,
I want to dissolve on a cool, gray cloud.
When the sky bends down to pleasure the ground,
the rain is cool; it's dark and it rains.
--Sidney Wade(B. 1951)
naughtiness later
xoxo SG!
VIEW 11 of 11 COMMENTS
...I think I kind of love you.
And I'm a dictionary nerd.