My word of the week – mercurial

Posted in Word of the week, Words by Lifesmile Scribbler

This is a word which I find rolls of the tongue beautifully (aren’t those the best types?). The Oxford Dictionary definition is:

“Subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind.”

An example of its use would be: ‘her mercurial temperament‘. I’ve been pondering about whether this word applies to my own temperament, and I suppose it does. Perhaps that’s simply because I’m female; I can experience as good a mood swing as any. Both my mother and Olly would testify to that. Isn’t it strange how they just happen without you even realising or understanding why?

I wouldn’t say the word applied so much to my mind. I don’t often change my mind unpredictably; I struggle more with making a decision in the first place!

As much as I would love to say that I learnt this word from some educational book, that would be a lie. I learnt it from Prison Break. Sigh.

17Aug2014

My word of the week – lollygag

Posted in Word of the week, Words by Lifesmile Scribbler

This word is not half as bad as it might sound. It does not involve lollies, or gagging. In fact, a lot of you will lollygag, possibly on a daily basis. Many of you will be lollygagging right now. The Oxford Dictionary definition is:

“Spend time aimlessly; idle.”

I don’t profess to be an expert at many things, but lollygagging is an exception. So often I find myself spending a lot of time doing not a lot. It’s a problem which, understandably, has a direct effect on my productivity. The worst time of day for me is the evening. Once I’m home from work, the temptation of just draping myself over the sofa is often too great to resist, and once I’m draped, it is incredibly difficult to undrape. I whittle the time away catching up with the ~~Daily Mail~~ news, checking social media (six months ago I was a Twitter virgin, so the excitement of a retweet or favourite is still rather fresh), having Quiz Up battles with Olly and googling ‘pictures of animals in teacups’. In all seriousness, everyone should do that last one.

After sufficient lollygagging, I look at the time and realise I haven’t been for a run, the washing isn’t on and I should have started cooking dinner an hour ago.

A recent example of my lollygagging is watching this video of a tiny hamster in a tiny mansion. Don’t judge me.

3Aug2014

My word of the week – rigmarole

Posted in Word of the week, Words by Lifesmile Scribbler

This is one of those words which is fun to say. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as:

“A lengthy and complicated procedure.”

“A long, rambling story or statement.”

Ahh, the joys of going through the rigmarole of life. I see myself as a low-maintenance being who longs for things to be simple. But that’s never the way is it? Life is hard. Life is complicated. Life can be a real pain in the proverbial. And even when things are going well, there is always something round the corner to come and punch you in the face.

To avoid this post becoming a rigmarole, my advice is that when that happens, take the knock, get back up, and embrace the shiner! You are not defined by the things which happen to you, but by the way you deal with them.

Pretty deep for a sunny Sunday afternoon.

27Jul2014

My word of the week – snaffle

Posted in Word of the week, Words by Lifesmile Scribbler

This is one of my favourite words ever. The noun is pretty nondescript, but the verb is marvellous. The Oxford Dictionary meaning is to:

“Take (something) for oneself, typically quickly or without permission.”

I have definitely snaffled a lot of stuff in my lifetime. Items include: fools gold from the house which my parents eventually bought; a candle from C&N Cycles which had the police round my house (long story); copious amounts of food from a variety of places; and pretty much all of my sister’s Easter Eggs every year.

So basically, snaffle is a posh word for stealing. I should add that the stuff I snaffle these days is much more boring and definitely does not involve the police.