It’s Wednesday and that means it’s time to learn some new words! Wondrous Words Wednesday, hosted by Kathy at Bermuda Onion, is a meme which encourages us to share words we have learned while reading. The words I share will sometimes be completely new to me, and other times they will be words I am familiar with, and maybe even use correctly, but when I think about how to explain the meaning, I’m lost — I have to look it up. It’s all about expanding my vocabulary!
memsahib - (Indian dated) a married white or upper-class woman (often used as a respectful form of address by nonwhites).
“You are the memsahib. This is what’s proper.”
snaffle - a simple bit, typically a jointed one, used with a single set of reins.
“His head’s been a little low. I thought I’d try the chain snaffle.”
klaxon - an electric horn or similar loud warning device.
“Before my father could say anything more, the silly klaxon punched through the air over the hill..”
gymkhana - a day event comprising races and other competitions between horse riders or car drivers.
“Welsh Guard triumphed at Eldoret, Melton Pie took the Christmas Handicap, and our own Pegasus won gold at three gymkhanas running.”
murram - a form of laterite (clayey material)used for road surfaces in tropical Africa.
“Ruta came out of the hangar and stood beside Tom, and I waved to them both, taxiing the Moth to the end of the murram strip, where I pointed her nose at the implacable hills and opened the throttle.”
What new-to-you words have you discovered this week?
Interesting words.
ReplyDeleteI knew klaxon but the rest are new to me.
ReplyDeleteI have heard of a snaffle bit and klaxon, but the others were unknown. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteWow, 5 words ive never heard of. :) Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI read Circling the Sun just last month and never found any of those new-to-me words. That's (for me) the problem with "reading" by audiobook. My ear doesn't pick up unfamiliar words the way my eyes do. Now I want to know what you thought of the book.
ReplyDelete