facile
adjective. Especially of a theory or argument, appearing neat and comprehensive only by ignoring the true complexities of an issue. Superficial. Of a person, having a superficial or simplistic knowledge or approach. Of success, especially in sports, easily achieved. Effortless. Acting or done in a quick, fluent, and easy manner.
He watched her approach after she finished her floor exercise. Compared to the tumbling runs she had just displayed, her springy jog appeared facile, though he knew better. From the front, the scars were invisible. Invisible, too, were the thousands of hours of rehabilitation and practice that had brought her to this moment.
She came to him and stopped.
"I can see that you're ready physically," he stated. "Mentally, I'm not sure. You froze and missed the low bar for no good reason the last time you competed. Do you think you've gotten past the fear?"
"I do." She looked away as she curled so she could rub the fading scar tissue that ran up the back of her lower leg from her heel, then went on: "Do you want to see my uneven-bars routine again? It was almost perfect the last time."
"I don't need to see it again. An audience and a panel of judges need to see it for the first time. I know you're ready to perform in front of me. I don't know if you're ready to perform in front of anyone else."
She looked unsure for the first time as she thought. The moment stretched as he watched the play of muscles around her mouth--the only hint of her inner conflicts and uncertainty.
"I do. Where are the entry forms for regionals? Let's go fill them out. I'm tired of this."
"You may fall again."
She glared at him. "If I fall, I fall."
Satisfied, he rose and led the way to his office.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Ease
ease
verb, transitive. To make something unpleasant, painful, or intense less serious or severe. To alleviate the mental or physical pain of something.
verb, intransitive. To become less serious or severe. To make something happen more easily, to facilitate. To move carefully, gradually, or gently. Also a noun.
She closed her eyes, hoping the pain would ease. If this became worse, or even continued, what was she going to do? She feared that the deep, unprecedented ache in one hip joint signalled the degradation of the cartilege there and presaged its impending failure. If that was what it meant, it would be a disaster. She was too young to be on Medicare and had lost her health insurance when she lost her job. Hip-replacement surgery was simply not possible at this time.
The pain diminished and she prepared to stand and test the joint. Tentatively, she scooted to the edge of the seat and gripped the armrests. Breathing deeply, she opened her eyes and saw that the cat was sitting on its haunches directly in front of her.
"Shoo. Go away," she told it, waving one hand in its direction. It uncoiled to all fours and craned its neck toward her fingers. Annoyed at being interrupted, she hesitated, then reached down and scratched the furry head. Good thing she had looked before she got up. Falling over the cat would have been a bad omen and could have exacerbated the problem with her hip joint. She continued rubbing and scratching the animal, exploring the crannies of the skull beneath its skin as she did. Funny how neither of us would be able to stand and move without these bones, she thought. Somehow, the cat's presence and her interaction with it was banishing her anxiety. Sometimes, she mused, the cat seemed to read her mind.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
verb, transitive. To make something unpleasant, painful, or intense less serious or severe. To alleviate the mental or physical pain of something.
verb, intransitive. To become less serious or severe. To make something happen more easily, to facilitate. To move carefully, gradually, or gently. Also a noun.
She closed her eyes, hoping the pain would ease. If this became worse, or even continued, what was she going to do? She feared that the deep, unprecedented ache in one hip joint signalled the degradation of the cartilege there and presaged its impending failure. If that was what it meant, it would be a disaster. She was too young to be on Medicare and had lost her health insurance when she lost her job. Hip-replacement surgery was simply not possible at this time.
The pain diminished and she prepared to stand and test the joint. Tentatively, she scooted to the edge of the seat and gripped the armrests. Breathing deeply, she opened her eyes and saw that the cat was sitting on its haunches directly in front of her.
"Shoo. Go away," she told it, waving one hand in its direction. It uncoiled to all fours and craned its neck toward her fingers. Annoyed at being interrupted, she hesitated, then reached down and scratched the furry head. Good thing she had looked before she got up. Falling over the cat would have been a bad omen and could have exacerbated the problem with her hip joint. She continued rubbing and scratching the animal, exploring the crannies of the skull beneath its skin as she did. Funny how neither of us would be able to stand and move without these bones, she thought. Somehow, the cat's presence and her interaction with it was banishing her anxiety. Sometimes, she mused, the cat seemed to read her mind.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Daemon
daemon
noun. In ancient Greek belief, a divinity or supernatural being of a nature between gods and humans. Archaic spelling of "demon". In computing, a background process that handles requests for services such as print spooling and file transfers, and is dormant when not required.
Kathy frowned at the message in her email inbox. She had no idea what the term in the "From" box meant. Pushing back her chair, she got up and headed to the computer room to ask the people who probably did know.
As she approached the door, she could see all three of them, engaged in conversation. Good: her chances of getting an explanation of that mystifying term were better if she addressed the question to all the experts in the company.
They turned toward her as she entered the room, pausing their conversation.
"I just got a message from the 'Mailer ...' uh ...." She frowned, unsure how to pronounce the second word in the phrase.
''Mailer Daemon?'' Nancy asked, reading Kathy's mind. She pronounced the second word as if it was spelled D-E-M-O-N.
Kathy smiled in relief. "Yes! What is that? What does it mean?"
"It's a server program that routes undeliverable emails back to the sender. You need to read it and find out which message you sent was addressed wrongly."
Kathy nodded, thanked her, and headed back to her desk to solve the problem. She was glad those three were in that room, ready to answer her computer questions eight hours a day. She chuckled. That wasn't their job, but they never minded helping her out or educating her, and she was grateful.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), or from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
noun. In ancient Greek belief, a divinity or supernatural being of a nature between gods and humans. Archaic spelling of "demon". In computing, a background process that handles requests for services such as print spooling and file transfers, and is dormant when not required.
Kathy frowned at the message in her email inbox. She had no idea what the term in the "From" box meant. Pushing back her chair, she got up and headed to the computer room to ask the people who probably did know.
As she approached the door, she could see all three of them, engaged in conversation. Good: her chances of getting an explanation of that mystifying term were better if she addressed the question to all the experts in the company.
They turned toward her as she entered the room, pausing their conversation.
"I just got a message from the 'Mailer ...' uh ...." She frowned, unsure how to pronounce the second word in the phrase.
''Mailer Daemon?'' Nancy asked, reading Kathy's mind. She pronounced the second word as if it was spelled D-E-M-O-N.
Kathy smiled in relief. "Yes! What is that? What does it mean?"
"It's a server program that routes undeliverable emails back to the sender. You need to read it and find out which message you sent was addressed wrongly."
Kathy nodded, thanked her, and headed back to her desk to solve the problem. She was glad those three were in that room, ready to answer her computer questions eight hours a day. She chuckled. That wasn't their job, but they never minded helping her out or educating her, and she was grateful.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), or from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Cache
cache
noun. A collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place. A hidden or inaccessible storage place for valuables, provisions or ammunition. "Cache memory" in computing: An auxiliary memory from which high-speed retrieval is possible.
verb, transitive. To store away in hiding or for future use.
Raising the lantern to illuminate it, she gestured toward the brick wall with her free hand.
"The cache is behind there," she told Lee. "The brick's only a veneer."
Lee took his hands out of his pockets and rubbed them on his hips. "So, how do we get into it?"
Instead of replying, she placed the lantern on the packed-earth floor and walked to the wall. Starting at the ceiling, she counted bricks downward, then counted two from the left. With the blade of a pocketknife, she pried at the lower edge of the brick her count had stopped on until it swiveled upward. She reached into a recess behind it and turned a handle Lee could not see.
She braced herself and pulled. The seemingly-solid wall opened like a door. She propped it wide with a real brick, then picked up the lantern so she could shine its light on what lay behind the cache door: an array of assault rifles and boxes of ammunition.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
noun. A collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place. A hidden or inaccessible storage place for valuables, provisions or ammunition. "Cache memory" in computing: An auxiliary memory from which high-speed retrieval is possible.
verb, transitive. To store away in hiding or for future use.
Raising the lantern to illuminate it, she gestured toward the brick wall with her free hand.
"The cache is behind there," she told Lee. "The brick's only a veneer."
Lee took his hands out of his pockets and rubbed them on his hips. "So, how do we get into it?"
Instead of replying, she placed the lantern on the packed-earth floor and walked to the wall. Starting at the ceiling, she counted bricks downward, then counted two from the left. With the blade of a pocketknife, she pried at the lower edge of the brick her count had stopped on until it swiveled upward. She reached into a recess behind it and turned a handle Lee could not see.
She braced herself and pulled. The seemingly-solid wall opened like a door. She propped it wide with a real brick, then picked up the lantern so she could shine its light on what lay behind the cache door: an array of assault rifles and boxes of ammunition.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Backcast
backcast
noun. A backward swing of a fishing line preparatory to casting.
verb, intransitive. To make a backward swing, such as when preparing to cast a fishing line.
He always hated this moment: standing at the podium, looking at the auditorium full of heads and shoulders. Once the house lights dimmed, it was difficult to focus on an individual's face. That was his favorite public-speaking aid--to pretend he was delivering his lecture to one person. It helped to quiet his nervousness. He had noticed that when he could use that technique, he sometimes rose to brilliant rhetoric that surprised even him.
As the shuffling and whispering quieted, he saw an unexpected light a few rows back. It wasn't flame-yellow. It was the cool fluorescent illumination of someone's smart phone. It bathed its owner's face in a pale glow: a young woman. It would have to do.
Inhaling deeply, he focused on her downturned eyes, backcast mentally, then addressed her.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
noun. A backward swing of a fishing line preparatory to casting.
verb, intransitive. To make a backward swing, such as when preparing to cast a fishing line.
He always hated this moment: standing at the podium, looking at the auditorium full of heads and shoulders. Once the house lights dimmed, it was difficult to focus on an individual's face. That was his favorite public-speaking aid--to pretend he was delivering his lecture to one person. It helped to quiet his nervousness. He had noticed that when he could use that technique, he sometimes rose to brilliant rhetoric that surprised even him.
As the shuffling and whispering quieted, he saw an unexpected light a few rows back. It wasn't flame-yellow. It was the cool fluorescent illumination of someone's smart phone. It bathed its owner's face in a pale glow: a young woman. It would have to do.
Inhaling deeply, he focused on her downturned eyes, backcast mentally, then addressed her.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)