This is my second Literary Giveaway Blog hop and for the first, “The Natty Hat Comp”, the entrance fee was a favourite poem & I was amazed, enraptured and so darned happy with the amount of poetry I received that it took weeks of surgery just to unpin the grin and reattach my standard scowl. This time I thought I would try something different, although still keeping it in an area I’m interested in – the title for The Natty Hat Comp #2 - Favourite Word. Now this can be in any language (translate please), and any length, all I want is the favoured word and a short (or long) reason why. In the tradition of “The Natty Hat Comp” I will Start this off with my, or to be more accurate one of my, favourite words as I nearly went for my current favourite, which is, Discombobulate, meaning to “upset or confuse”, but no my all-time Favourite is – Autodidactic, meaning “having skills or knowledge acquired through one's own efforts without formal training”. I even know approximately when and where I first heard this word, I was about 16 years old and journeying home on a bus, with my latest read, which at the time was probably Phaedrus written by Plato. Anyway I’m on this bus reading, when this man sitting next to this women, asked me about the book & from this a conversation ensued, it turned out this man & the woman (his wife) were teachers and were amazed that this scruffy 16 year old lad was reading & to all intents and purpose understanding this book. “Autodidactic, that’s what you are” the man said, I not knowing what he meant, but liking the sound of it, nodded, just then my stop arrived. Off I got with this fantastic new word rolling around on my tongue – Or-toe-Die-Dak-Tic, Ort-O-Dye-Dac-Tik, Oar-To-Dia-Daq-Tiq, Autodidactic, till I arrived home, grabbed my battered old Oxford English and learnt a new word – Autodidactic, from Autodidact whose root is the Greek, autodidaktos, aut- + didaktos (Self + Taught). Now your go, you don’t need to follow me, unless you like what you see, all I want is your favourite word & a reason why and, in return, your name will get added into “The Natty Hat” and you if drawn out as a winner, will have the pick of one of two books.
Or
ThanksThe first is one of my favourite books it’s about love, poetry & procrastination, which I’ve posted on here. The second……well that is a book that will combine a couple of my favourite subjects but if you choose that route you’ll have to take a chance and hope I’ve picked well, but it’s a book that has me mesmerised discombobulated & which I adore. So pick one with your reply and take your chance.
Parrish.
Here is the link list to my fellow cohorts, compadres,collaborators, comrades and partners in crime, please check them out and pass on my regards – Oh and enjoy. Thanks again..
nopageleftbehind.blogspot.com inspringitisthedawn.com , elle-lit.blogspot.com
Thank You to everyone that took part in this, hopefully fun literary Blog-Hop, but we are now officially closed. I will post the winners names tomorrow evening, after I have informed them. Again Thanks To All.
51 comments:
interesting concept-I guess my favorite word or one of them might be "ate" (tagalog-spoken as at a)it means big sister but it sums up a whole family culture of respect in one word
What to choose, what word to choose...bibliophile? Rather predictable for me, perhaps...How about Murakami? Can one pick a proper noun? Love autodidactic which I first read in The Elegance of The Hedgehog.
I'll choose my favorite word to be courage as it is so essential to effective living. "Courage grows strong in a wound," a family saying from my mother's side.
As to the prize? I'd love to take my chances with the Secret Prize. Thanks, Parrish.
I remember coming across this word when I was quite young and the librarian had allowed me to select some books from the Adult racks in the library, although that was not really allowed.
But we had a fantastic lady librarian, and if she saw you were really into reading she would bend the rules for you (although she reserved the right to censor what you could take !)
The word - Pulchritude
I have been dying to use it in conversation ever since but have never managed to screw up the courage to do so.
Thanks for the giveaway.
Carol T
buddytho {at} gmail DOT com
At work some years ago, we went through a phase of challenges to insert odd words into conversation. One such was 'callipygous' meaning beautifully proportioned buttocks - a word that is nicer than its meaning. I got my point by pinning up a picture of George Clooney and opining on his bum.
However my real favourite words tend to be onomatopoeic, like gritty, and melifluous.
I'd love to win the Nicholson Baker. Thanks!
My fave word? Probably "hope". I am currently feeling quite hopeless with my future, so this is shining in my mind now :)
The Anthropologist sounds very very good! (But I wouldn´t mind getting some surprise, I like surprises :)
Lenna
I'll go with an oldie but a goodie. Schadenfreude: the act of taking joy in others' misfortune.
I'm hoping to be feeling this when the All Blacks massacre France in the RWC Final next week ;)
I've got two favourite words for you! My personal favourite is gigolo, not for what it means, but I just like the way it sounds and feels in the mouth... it's just good. Then my mum's favourite word is rancid, but only if you say it properly- say it like raaaaaancid. It's pretty fun.
My favourite word is 'discrepancy' ever since my best friend used it in her A-level physics exam. Really, how can you come up with such vocabulary under pressure? I've since tried to use it at every opportunity.
And I'd like my name to be put down for The Anthologist please!
Hi Mel, as a committed (should be) family man I like that word & its meaning, thanks.
PS. you haven't stated which you'd like.
Ciao Bellezza, I think that's appropriate for all of us. I'm liking your mums saying & can see how it would be helpful.
Hi Buudyt, whilst writing my post, my daughter reminded me of another word I love, which I try to work into things - aardvark, purely on the way it sounds nothing else.
Hello Gaskella,still play this game, check the above comment, also love mellifluous.
Hi Lenna, here's hoping that for whatever reason hope is more needed now, soon changes and you realise what it is you need. thanks for commenting.
Hi Tony, let's hope this doesn't backfire. weltschmerz is another great one.
Translucent. I can just visualize this beautiful word. The Nobel lit prize committee recently put it to good use.
Please count me in for the "?". I love the mystery.
Hmmmmm. I think my favourite word is 'pamplemousse', it means grapefruit in french. I'm not sure why I have chosen it, it just makes me laugh, it is hard to imagine a grapefruit when you say it. I also like the french word for peanuts, 'cacahuete'. I know there are plenty of English words I could have chosen.... Anyway, moving on, I would like to be surprised so please send me your secret book. My email is cerievans1[at]gmail[dot]com. Thanks!
Favourite word - tough choice - thathi meaning father, lamaya meaning child (can be used if said child is 30 years old also!!!!).
As for the giveaway I will go with your second choice! I like the unknown.
mystica123athotmaildotcom
Parrish Lantern-I will be happy with the mystery pic!
One of my favorite words recently is Bibliobibuli. It was coined by H.L. Mencken who said ""There are people who read too much: the bibliobibuli". I don't know that I agree but I think the word has a great sound. I also wonder what made him come up with this word!
A word that I have always loved is Palpebrate. As an adjective it means to have eyelids and the verb is to blink or win repeatedly, close your eyes briefly. Again I love the sound of this word and it kind of resembles what it means!
This is a fun giveaway! Thank you!
Choosing between the 2 books is difficult but I've wanted to read The Anthologist so I'm going with Nicholson Baker!
Aimala127(at)gmail(dot)com
Hey, Parrish!
I'm not entering the giveaway, but I always like your little spin on things so I wanted to jump in with my favorite words. They are:
Despondent: "In low spirits from loss of hope or courage."
Sardonic: "Grimly mocking or cynical."
The first is a favorite because I heard it for the first time in a song by one of my favorite artists and it just felt good (ironic, considering its meaning).
The second is a favorite because my favorite literary characters always seem to be the Sardonic type, and I get that way at times too.. :)
I couldn't make up my mind between "sehnsucht" and "blümerant", even though your suggestion "Weltschmerz" is another really good one.
Blümerant is dying out which is a real shame. It comes from the French "bleu mourant" and means "slightly sick", in a dizzy, tipsy sense. I find it quite a positive word.
My book choice would be the surprise, please. I don't think I have ever read a discombobulating book.
Hi, Laura, yeah raaaanceeed sounds like what it means, loving that.
Hi Sakura, the word even sounds like it's being disparaging you can imagine it as tho it were some strict schoolteacher type.
Hello Rise, It's how stained glass should sound.
Hi Ceri, that's a fantastic word, just been imagining Inspector Clouseau, saying it.
Hello Mystica, thanks for your words, I will be testing them out on my daughter :~)
Hi Amy, great word and the meaning I love, here's a quote
"There are people who read too much: the bibliobibuli. I know some who are constantly drunk on books, as other men are drunk on whiskey or religion. They wander through this most diverting and stimulating of worlds in a haze, seeing nothing and hearing nothing."
Although i can't see a problem here, sounds like an ideal state to me.
Hi Adam, Grimly mocking or cynical, and they say it like it's a bad thing it's enough to make one despondent.PS If you change your mind about entering just leave a comment.
I really don't need to explain my favourite word. Millions will simply understand. It is .... c-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e (preferably from the fridge!)
And I like a mystery too. So I'll take the surprise book should my name come out of the natty hat.
While The Anthologist actually sounds pretty interesting, I like the mystery of the unknown, so I'm going with the surprise book.
Thanks for this giveaway:)
My favourite word would have to be:
"catawampus"
It means: askew; awry. Positioned diagonally; catercornered.
Example: "We took a shortcut and walked catawampus across the field".
Thanks for the great giveaway:)
Sarah
sarah.setar@gmail.com
I love alliterative words, or words you can feel like "lush". Thank you for the awesome giveaway! edysicecreamlover18@gmailDOTcom
My (most recent) favourite word is coquette, meaning a flirt. The reason that I like this word is that I've seen it written in a few novels recently, and every time I read it, without fail, I confuse it with the word courgette. The sentence: "Anna was a coquette" develops a whole new meaning and has got a few giggles from me as I realise my confusion!
Please enter me in the giveaway and surprise me with your mystery choice!
Many thanks,
Katie
Katiebaxter{at}hotmailDOTcoDOTuk
Parrish, the secret chocolate lover was me. No idea how I managed to post an anonymous comment. But I did say, I liked a mystery.
Great idea, Gary!
My favorite word is "ubiquitous". It means present everywhere. I like it for being all over the place, I like it for the Q which we don't have often in Dutch words so it's a bit mysterious. I like it because you don't start the word with a vowel at all, it's misleading for Dutch people: you say you-bick-wi-tus.
I'd love to see what the mystery book is.
Thanks for the giveaway and for being part of the blog hop.
Not that I take pleasure in another's misfortune, but schadenfreude would be a favorite word of mine that just rolls off the tongue.
Don't consider this an entry please as I'm awash with books at the moment!
I love both the words "serendipity" and "paradox" as both help define truth for me.
I would love to win any book you like, but I honestly (serendipitously, paradoxically) love to win the Natty Hat.
My favourite should have to be a German word (and I don't even know how to spell it properly): Schlabe. It means drool!
Thanks for the giveaway! I'd like to win your mystery book!
darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com
One of my favorites is the word persnickety because I like the way it sounds. It sounds so...persnickety! lol
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com
Oops! I forgot to tell you that I would like the surprize book. Thanks!
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com
Hi Rikki, liking that word, it's a great one to sneak into a conversation.
Hi Anonymous aka lizzySiddal, chocolate 70% cocoa solids is fine by me.
Hello,IdentitySeeker, catawampus sounds like a great word.
Hi Krystal Larson,I love alliteration, you can have great fun with it.
Hi Katie, that brought a smile to my face.
Hi Judith, great choice in words & I learnt something new about the Dutch language, thanks.
Hi Tom, It's a great word isn't it.
Hi Deb, It's a great hat, wish I owned it, the last comp' I used one of my own, this time was looking for new hats & came across this, but they had none left, so just used the pic.PS liking the words.
Hello Darlene, even Droooool is a great word.
Hi mamabunny13, fantastic sounding word.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious because I love the way it rolls off the tongue and reminds me of my childhood which is now re-living itself with my own children.
Whoops, forgot my addy:
@mumoffunkids
Publishers Weekly says that "a desire to learn about verse will certainly make the novel more accessible and interesting", so I'm in, because that's exactly where I am now...
As for my favourite word: currently, it's GOOGLE. It sort of flutters in the back of my throat...and it answers all my questions. What more could you ask?
well, it depends on which language. In my mothertongue, italian, my favourite word is 'accoccolato' which means curled up but has also the sound of 'coccola' a sweet term to refer to the act of being hugged.
In English I like the word 'phallologocentrism' which my Lit professor taught us during classes.
aliasgirl at libero dot it
My favorite word is NUDNIK - it's Yiddish/Hebrew for a pest of a person, a pain in he neck, tedious & boring.
Please surprise me.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
My favourite word is 'books'. Hehe! I'd love to have the surprise gift. Thanks!
aikychien at yahoo dot com
My favorite word would probably be succulent. I love the way it sounds with the hiss at the beginning and the way my tongue rolls at the end. Very delicious word I must say.
Hi nickandkatherine, great call, with my daughter it was Spike Milligans, On the Ning Nang Nong.
Hello Debbie, sounds an ideal selection, it has a great sound and reponds to your questions.
Hello Reading mind, love the sound & mouth-feel of coccola.
Hi Marybelle, Nudnik, great word, my favourite Yiddish/Hebrew, is Yenta, which originally meant Troublesome, scandalmongering women, although nowadays seems to denote a matchmaker.
Hello Aik, hehe, yes good word.
I learned Autodidact when I read the book The Day I Became an Autodidact by Kendall Daily. Your story is better.
Let's see for my favorite word today, I'll choose sojourn, which somehow manages to convey restfulness and adventure in the same word.
Hmm I had to think about this. I like the sound of 'inexplicable' though I have no idea why. I also enjoy onomatopoeia - words that describe sounds (or the source of the sound), like zap and squish
Fun question Parrish!
Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out
Quixotic
1.
( sometimes initial capital letter ) resembling or befitting Don Quixote.
2.
extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable.
3.
impulsive and often rashly unpredictable.
I've always like this word. When I was a kid I wanted to learn a word a day from the dictionary and that's how I came across it. I think it can describe me well sometimes.
quixoticdreamer(at)hotmail(dot)com
My current favorite word is plethora.I'm not sure why I like it but I just do:)
Janhvi
justjanhvi at gmail dot com
My favorite word is "serendipity" - I love the way it trips off the tongue and I love to think that my life is full of moments of serendipity!
I'd love the surprise one!
junegirl26 at hotmail dot com
i like the page you have up me i read up 4 week or more
i love these blog my twtter is full
holy cow
desithelbonde@msn.com
Curmudgeon is my favorite word for a feisty, crusty, and ill-tempered elderly man.
nicolesender(at)yahoo(dot)com
My favorite word is "fraught" because it is so descriptive of a psychological state - sometimes we are over laden as opposed to over burdened.
I am going to be daring and enter for ?
Hi Parrish
How about a poetic word?
Fanaa(h).
This is an Urdu word which means annihiliation of the self when in love with God/ Beloved.
If i be so lucky to win, well just surprise me.
neerrr(at)gmail(dot)com
As always, a fun giveaway! Well, discombobulate is one of my favorites as well. My current fav word is odalisque. I have a perfume by that name and recently found out that although it is French/Turkish in origin, we English speakers can use it as well. It means chambermaid.It also described a female slave in an Ottoman seraglio who was also an assistant or apprentice to concubines or wives. An odalisque could rise to become a concubine. What amazes me are all the words we have to describe all the diiferent words that women can sexually relate to men. Of course, the same cannot be said of the opposite.
I opt for the mystery book. Thanks for the giveaway.
HI Lena, It's definitely an edible word.
Hello Joy, you can almost see the chaise longue when you say the word.
Hi ShellyRae, I'm the same with Aardvark, no reason, just like the way the word sounds.
Hi BrittanyGale, I love Quixotic & its root.
Hi Janhvi, it's a great word.
Hi Marci, also love serendipitous.
Thanks for your comment,desitheblonde.
Hi nicole, that's my ambition to be a feisty cantankerous,Curmudgeonly old man.
Hi pburt, good word and reason.
Hi neer, thanks for that love learning new words & love the meaning behind yours.
Hi Kinna, great word & back story with it. thanks.
I was sitting here thinking about what word I could use and it hit me. AGHAST! Why did I pick this word? Well it goes back to when I worked night shift and was sitting around chatting with my friend. I can't remember her story, but I remember her using aghast. I was like...uhh what? Not exactly a word I would hear from her so it has just always stuck with me.
I think I'll go with "?" because who doesn't love a surprise?
Sally
infinitedreams50(at)aol(dot)com
Hooray for the natty hat!
I'd go with caustic because it's so descriptive and just fits its definition: biting, cutting.
A more positive favorite word would be luminous, which also embodies its meaning: bright, light, lucid, radiant.
I'm taking myself out of the running for the book, though I'm rather curious to see what the surprise pick will be!
THANK YOU, to all that took part & I hope you enjoyed thinking of your favourite word & possibly reminiscing about the reason behind it.
The Natty Hat Comp' #2 The Sequel is now closed.My assistant will pick a winner from the Hat & I will inform then. Thanks.
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