Thursday, April 24, 2014

Yak or Yack

yak or yack
verb, intransitive. To talk at length about trivial or boring subjects.
Noun: A trivial or unduly persistent conversation.

After the plane levelled off, he began: he introduced himself to the teenager sitting beside him, then asked the youngster a series of questions about his interests and his school experiences. She considered some of the questions too personal for a casual exchange between strangers, but since she could not hear the responses, she hoped that the young man was exercising discretion.

Every response elicited a harangue from the man. She hoped he would tire of the effort of making conversation with a reluctant partner, but as the flight continued, he yacked on, seemingly oblivious to the teenager's hesitations, which were glaringly apparent to her. She wondered how an adult, with years or decades of social experience, could be so clueless, but she supposed that the man was simply trying to pass the time entertainingly.

It was no more entertaining for her than it was for the man's seat-mate. The timbre of his voice ensured that it penetrated the upholstery of the backrest that separated her from him, and probably carried to the passengers in front of her. It overwhelmed the drone of the plane's engines. She found herself unable to focus on the magazine article she had started reading after take-off. She placed the periodical in her lap and gazed out the window at a uniform gray field of clouds. No relief there. She normally enjoyed flying, but guessed that this flight would be an exception until they landed. Nothing seemed to discourage the pedant behind her. She would have been more annoyed had she not had the unfortunate teenager who was his target to pity.

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, April 10, 2014

Radiate

radiate
verb, transitive. To emit energy, especially light or heat, in the form of rays or waves. Of a person, to clearly emanate a strong feeling or quality through the expression or bearing. Of a feeling or quality, to emanate clearly from.
Verb, intransitive. To diverge or spread from or as if from a central point.
Also an adjective.

"Here's the abstract piece our teacher had us do," her mother said, extracting the watercolor from within the stack and holding it up.

Liz caught her breath as she gazed at it. Broad strokes of color, varying shades of blue, framed a rectangle of palest yellow.

"I haven't given it a title yet."

Liz shook her head. "You don't have to. You can just call it 'Untitled number one,' or maybe just 'Untitled,' since it's your first."

"She also told us that everyone who looks at it will interpret the image in his own way," her mother said.

"I agree. It's the front door of my house," Liz stated. Her mother turned from the painting and looked at Liz with raised eyebrows. Liz, too, looked away from the painting. She smiled.

She was thinking of how sometimes, on Saturday, no one in the family would remember to walk to the end of the driveway to see if any mail had been delivered. Sometimes, no one would remember about the mail until after sunset. The watercolor reminded her of the way the open door appeared as she made her way back to the house along the rutted lane, surrounded by oaks heavy with leaves that hung still in the peaceful air that sunset always brought--a pause in the wind that occurred between daylight and full darkness. The doorway radiated light as she approached, beckoning her with a reminder of the warmth and life that awaited within.

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.