Word Watching ~

NAMBY-PAMBY ~ Generally, we think of a namby-pamby person as being weak, lacking drive but have you thought about the origin of this phrase? It is interesting ~ In the Dictionary of Quotations by Bergen Evans, find this quotation: "Let the verse the subject fit, Little subject, little wit. Namby-Pamby is your guide." ~ Henry Carey (1729) ~ Henry Carey who invented Namby-Pamby was a minor poet. Ambrose Phillips, Henry Carey and Alexander Pope all wrote pastorals. The public preferred the insipid verses of Philips whom Carey dubbed Namby-Pamby. The nickname struck the popular fancy and stays in our speech long after Carey and Philips have been forgotten. Dictionary of Quotations, Bergen Evans, Bonanza Books, Crown Publishers, Inc. U.S. (Editor's note: One long rambling paragraph above is the result of blogspot's sometimes-annoying little quirks.)

"In the highest civilization the book is still the highest delight."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882) Letters and Social Aims, "Quotation and Originality" American philosopher best known for Transcendentalism.

Boy with Book

(Almost out from under the snow)

Canadian Springtime ~ Melting Snow and Sunshine

Earth Day

Tonight between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. city skylines and rural landscapes will be in darkness. Power will be out. Or will it? The percentage of power saved last year during Earth Day was less than the previous year. Has the public lost interest in Earth Day? The World Wildlife Fund optimistically predicts that 400 Canadian cities will participate this year, up from 300 last year. Raising awareness for climate change and conservation is every one's responsibility. Let's turn off the power wherever we can ~ it is only for one hour.

For Large Print, please click 3X on poster.

"All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking."

~ Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 - 1900)

"In every walk with nature one receives more than he seeks."

~ John Muir, Scottish-born, American naturalist (1838 - 1914)

Photo: Bruce Trail, Caledon, ON, Lorna

Smile for Today:

William Allen White, the editor of the Emporia Gazette, Kansas, described his war against his staff's over-use of the word 'very' this way:

If you feel you must write 'very', write 'damn'. So, when the urge for emphasis is on him the reporter writes, 'It was a damn fine victory. I am damn tired but damn well ~ and damn excited.' Then because it is the Emporia Gazette, the sub-editor deletes the profanity and the quotation reads. 'It was a fine victory. I am tired but well ~ and excited.' That's how the Gazette attains its restrained, simple and forceful style.

Restrained, simple and forceful.

Writer's Guide and Index to English
Joan Harkness, Wise and Witty Observations of a Word Watcher, Andre Deutsch Ltd. 1998.