The War of the Words

Source: Check this one out!

In 1951, a new word came into being and later was added to the dictionary:  Eek, which means “an expression of surprise”.  Why this word was worthy to be added makes no sense, no sense at all.

But what about this one: Eke?

Is it real?  What the heck does it mean?  Was it a 1951 wonder?

Actually, this is an ancient word.  From around 900 AD, “eke” came into being from a combination of languages. 

Germanic and Norse contributed auka.  Latin added the word augēr.  Old English mixed those into ēacian.  Finally Middle English created eek.

All the words in their different languages mean “to manage to support oneself, but barely.”  It also means “to enlarge, to increase, and to stretch resources.”

As long as humans have existed, all have been trying to eke out a living.  They were trying to stretch what they had just a little bit farther.  If they had not done so, surviving became a serious issue.

Eek wisely became EKE.  After all, who had ever heard of EEK?

Oddly enough, I have been trying to eke all my life, and I never knew it.  

"O" is for...

The dictionary is one of the favorite bound books in my house.  I have always randomly looked for interesting words.  That, of course, made me a bit of an oddity in rural environments.  I looked for the words with the most syllables, words with the fewest vowels, words that had a Latin base, etc.  But I never looked for the words that scared me the most.

Through intense research and years of child-experience, I have found the ONE word that absolutely sends chills through me.  It is the word, “OOPS!”  Its close cousin is “OH, NO!”, and a first cousin-once-removed is “UH-OH!”

                                                                                                                            

I can feel you all nodding, because you understand.  Anytime someone says either of those words, and it is heard from another room, a variety of images pop up.  An old vase inherited from a great-grandmother, who received it from Queen Victoria?  On the floor in pieces, and your cat saunters away.  The Hans Solo limited edition something-or-other?  The four-year old boy leaves in a blur, as he runs out the room, a leg in each hand.  The fantastic Italian veal something that you spent a fortune of time and money on, and which you are taking to a very important dinner in five minutes right after you change your clothes?  Spilled all over the living room carpet, by some one who thought he/she would help you by loading it in the car, since you are fifteen minutes late and he/she is really pissed off at you for taking so long.

Or, how about this?  You just spent a few hours on a re-write of a re-write, creating a query letter to the publisher, who expressed extreme interest in your writing.  You hear the famous “OOPS!” and rush in to find your coffee spilled over the keyboard, sparks flying, and the computer crashing, while your teary-eyed child/grandchild/spouse/casual friend/beloved friend/neighbor  looks blankly up at you.

Oh, yes.  Forget about names of monsters, diseases, horrific imagined events.  On the everyday level, where we usually operate, the scariest word of all is “OOPS!”

 Many thanks to Arlee Bird and his awesome crew of fellow bloggers.  Please go to the following to check out other posts!

http://tossingitout.blogspot.com