apse

apse - noun - a projecting part of a building (as a church) that is usually semicircular in plan and vaulted.

Apse is NOT a groupe of Apes! Just thought I'd point that out. Anyway, this architecutral structure was a common method of holding up the roof on the end of a building, or, less frequently, both ends. The fetish with round vaulted roof structures was more one of function, the vaults all supported each other, and the roundness created a feeling of being open. They also let in more light more uniformly than the vaults down the length of the aisle of the building.

squib

squib - n. - a short humorous or satiric writing or speech, a short news item; a small firecracker in which the powder burns with a fizz; a small electric or pyrotechnic device used to ignite a charge

Another fun Harry Potter word. I've been surprised when looking things up that she (J.K. Rowling) uses in her books because even though they sound bizarre a lot of her ideas are based on real things. This one, however, is not. A squib in her books is someone born of magical parents but doesn't have any magicial abilities of their own.

Sorry I disappeared for a short while. I'm back.

marry

marry - interj - Short form of "By the Virgin Mary." A mild oath, used as an exclamation of surprise or emphasis.

"Marry, will Kavanagh's Shakespeare obsession never cease?"

I've just finished reading for the second time Shakespeare's most despised play, Titus Andronicus. You remember splatter movies; well TA is a splatter play.

A reasonable guess for Shakespeare's source might be the Greek legend of Tereus, Procne, and Philomela, as recounted in Ovid's (Publius Ovidius Naso) Metamorposes. Tereus took a shine to his wife Procne's sister Philomela, raped Philomela, and, to conceal his crime, cut out her tongue and moved her in with the rest of his slaves. The resourceful Philomela wove a tapestry in which she identified her molester. When Procne saw the tapestry, she murdered her and Tereus's son, Itys, and fed her husband some choice cuts taken from the body. This legend seems almost restrained compared to what Shakespeare did with it. I don't know how much Shakespeare you've read, Natalie, but I'd hold off on this one for a while. (By the way, have either of you seen the movie version from a few years back with Anthony Hopkins as Titus?)

(The illustration reproduces - badly - Peter Paul Rubens's painting of Procne confronting Tereus with their son's head.)

basilica

basilica - noun - an oblong building ending in a semicircular apse used in ancient Rome especially for a court of justice and place of public assembly; an early Christian church building consisting of nave and aisles with clerestory and a large high transept from which an apse projects.

A fascinating structure to say the least. Especially how they were constructed. Creating one of these vaulted buildings was no mean feat in ancient Rome, yet we see them all over the place. They were quite the fad thing to do in ancient architecture.

folio

folio - n - A large sheet of paper folded once to make two leaves, or four pages, of a book or manuscript; a volume having pages of the largest size (about 15 inches), formerly made from such a sheet.

Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in smaller (quarto) editions during his lifetime, but these were what today would be considered pirated editions. Moreover, Shakespeare did not have any say in these publications, so their quality is erratic to say the least. His complete plays were first published in 1623, in what is now known as the First Folio; others were to follow. These different editions are why there were - and still are - Shakespeare scholars; the burning question continues to be, "What did Shakespeare actually write, and what was finally performed. To give just one example out of many possible, there's a soliloquy in Hamlet that begins, "Oh, that this too too solid flesh would melt. . ." One edition I've seen renders that as, "Oh, that this too too sullied flesh would melt. . ." The story continues, offering yet another proof that Shakespeare was not just for his time, but for the ages.

denizen

denizen - noun - a dweller; an inhabitant

recusant

recusant - n - Refusing to submit, comply, etc.; obstinate in refusal; refusing to attend services in the Church of England.

Virtually nothing is known of Shakespeare's early life. There's a baptismal record, bans posted for his marriage to Anne Hathaway, birth records for three children (Susanna and the twins Hamnet and Judith), and little but rumor until his name pops up in London in 1592 (There's substantial evidence that he'd already been there for a few years though). Today's word comes up because there is a generally discredited notion that he may have been a recusant Catholic.

swamped

swamped - adj - sunk by being filled with water; rendered powerless, especially by an excessive amount or profusion of something

broil

broil - n - A rowdy argument; a brawl.

Here's another entry in my Shakespeare glossary. Think of Montagues and Capulets in the sunny streets of Verona, or Plug Uglies and Bowery Boys in the grimy streets of New York City.

Aside to Jeff and Natalie: Am I here all alone? I've been talking to myself for years, but I'd really welcome hearing from the rest of our small, select circle.

engulf

engulf - verb - to swallow up or overwhelm by or as if by overflowing and enclosing

archaic

archaic - adj - Of, relating to, or characteristic of a much earlier, often more primitive period, especially one that develops into a classic stage of civilization.

I'm still plugging Shakespeare.

One of the obstacles to a modern reader's enjoyment of Shakespeare is his language, which is generously peppered with obsolete or archaic words. For an example of the former, there's "sirrah," which I used yesterday. For an example of the latter, there's "fond," which in Shakespeare's time meant "foolish." That's why most editions of his works are heavily footnoted. It's hard to enjoy a play when you must constantly be glancing at the bottom of a page (or a facing page) to get a definition, but there's a simple solution: read more Shakespeare, and you'll find yourself growing accustomed to his Elizabethan English. How say you?

profusion

abundance; a great quantity or amount; lavish spending; extravagance

sirrah

sirrah - n - Formerly a contemptuous term of address to a man or boy; often used in anger.

And often used by Shakespeare's characters.

Inspired by Jeff, I have begun reading - or rereading - William Shakespeare's (1562-1614) complete works. I'm working my way from earliest to latest plays, after which I'll dive into the sonnets and poems.

It's not clear in most cases when exactly Shakespeare wrote a given play, but the best educated guesses indicate the first were The Comedy of Errors, Love's Labors Lost, and 2 Henry VI, so I started with 1 Henry VI, and will continue with the second and third parts before moving on to the early comedies.

Jeff, you once suggested a readers blog. Would Shakespeare be suitable?

inane

inane - adj - Lacking sense or substance.

Like this guy here.

I'll admit I laugh at the latest Bushisms, but I also cringe when I hear him speak. Bush had hardly begun his first term when some wit correctly stated that "It's sad when the President of France and the King of Jordan speak better English than the President of the United States." To what do we attribute this disorder? It's not lack of brainpower. Steve Sailer has persuasively argued that Bush's IQ is in the neighborhood of 125. He has also argued, equally persuasively, that Bush is the most intellectually lazy man ever to occupy the White House.

chary

chary - adj - wary; cautious; not giving or expending freely, sparing

chiliasm

chiliasm - n - The doctrine stating that Jesus will reign on Earth for 1,000 years.

Are either of you chiliasts? It's not part of my theology, but I'd be interested in gaining some insight into this belief.

I know I'm behind on my words. I'll catch up next week. Sorry!

arrogate

arrogate - verb - to claim or seize without right or justification; to appropriate; to claim on behalf of another; to ascribe

This raises the question about Jacob, did he arrogate Esau's blessing? My take is yes.

geocentric

geocentric - adj - Relating to, measured from, or with respect to the center of the earth; Having the Earth as a center.

The solar system and the "fixed stars" were believed to orbit geocentrically, meaning that they revolved around the Earth. The main proponent of this view was Ptolemy (Claudius Ptolemaius) of Alexandria (c. 90 - c. 168, see illustration), who expounded on the geocentric theory in his Almagest, one of the greatest intellectual works in history - it's only failing being that it's wrong. Polish canon Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) was the first to put forth the heliocentric theory, viz., that the Earth and other planets revolved around the sun in his book De Revolutionis Orbium Coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Bodies). That was a step in the right direction, but Copernicus and later Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) believed that the planetary orbits were circular. It was Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) who finally demonstrated that the orbits were elliptical.

eremite

eremite - noun - a hermit, especially a religious recluse

I'll defer to John to discuss this word. For what ever reason though, this word is too close to termite for me not to have some humorous moments with it.