Twee

Writer's write for the love of language.  Well, I did anyway.  I keep seeing a word popping up I was unfamiliar with.  You know, one of those au courant words, like bespoke - overused and a little tiresome.  Anyway, I looked up twee.  I was even shocked it was in my tattered 1970's version of Webster's, (notice the twee little flowers I found pressed in my dictionary).

Twee, an adjective, means childish, clever, dainty, elegant, cute or sweet. Yet, I am seeing it used not only as an adjective, but as a proper noun and even plural.  

Twees, it seems, like thrift store cardigans, cats, Ira Glass of NPR fame.  Portlandia is uber twee, and how about the greatest post war existentialist, Charlie Brown of Peanuts fame.  

Twees are diarists and tend to form attachments to their beloved records, books and even movies.  An iconic band, Neutral Milk Hotel is twee and Zooey Deschanel is supposedly the Oprah of Twee.  So, I surmise Twees are the new nerds.  Guess we are all a little Twee.

It all leaves me scratching my head. Twee - tweeer - tweeest? Twee - twang - twung? 

My summation - huh?

Forgotten English

VERBARIAN - an inventor or coiner of words.

I used to make up words for the kids. I could always make a grumpy teen aged girl smile when I'd lean over and whisper a made up word in her ear. Mung. I would say the word and draw the syllables out. Faht, said in a regal tone. That one always worked on child number two. I saw a book by Benjamin Franklin in Border's once titled FART PROUDLY. Then there is Goby, pronounced gobbie, meaning large or huge. And on and on.

You'll notice today I have no pic. That is because my #*!! Hughes satellite system is on the fritz again. Yes, I do cuss once in a while. Anyway, I just paid $125. 2 weeks ago for a service call and now they have to come out again. Of course, it's not the "same problem" so I have to pay again. Monday will be the earliest they can come. Sometimes it doesn't pay to live in the country. When I go to Tulsa, the internet connection is instantaneous. Here, I can go do some chores while I wait to upload etc. Okay, I got that out of my system. Do any of you have any questions? I'll make Thursday a question and answer day.

So, today class, I'll tell you a wee bit about William Shakespeare. In his plays, old Bill coined hundreds of expressions, such as: eventful (from As You Like It), be-all and end-all(Macbeth). How about laughable(The Merchant of Venice), or hobnob(Twelfth Night). Gnarled (Measure for Measure), flawed (King Lear) and no, he didn't know me. Negotiate (Much Ado About Nothing), pageantry (Pericles) and lastly quarrelsome (The Taming of the Shrew). Old Bill probably even invented verbarian.