To swish something (a rejection slip perhaps) is to move it through the air, so that it makes a sound. Helpfully my dictionary describes the noise produced as 'a swishing sound'. You can also swish things away - horses swish tails to dissaude flies from bothering them, scythes can swish the long grass into neat rows of drying hay. Swish is also another term for something … Continue reading Wednesday word of the week – Swish

A tribulation is a great affliction or oppression, or the cause of that. The occupants of many abbeys suffered tribulations during the reformation ordered by Henry VIII. It's a good thing I looked it up before using it anywhere as I'd always imagined it meant a minor source of annoyance. Perhaps I was associating it with trivial? Did you … Continue reading Wednesday word of the week – Tribulation

To rootle is to dig with a snout, to poke about or search. Whilst you're doing it you're rootling and afterwards you'll have rootled. Somewhere I have a photo of pigs rootling, but when I rootled through my hard drive I got distracted, so here are some steps instead. Do you know where they are? Have you climbed them? What were you looking … Continue reading Wednesday word of the week – Rootle

Estimation is the process or result of making an estimate, an opinion or judgement of worth, or an old term for esteem. By my estimation it's time for another plug for my books. You'd all go up in my estimation if you bought one 😉 (perhaps one of these which are currently reduced to 99p / 99c)  Same applies if … Continue reading Wednesday word of the week – Estimation

The word keep has a variety of meanings. To keep is to retain or preserve – I keep food fresh by keeping it in the fridge. Or it can mean detain or prevent – Don't let reading this blog keep you from writing. Or to guard or protect – keep yourself safe on the internet by keeping your passwords secret. It's also part of a castle! There are other … Continue reading Wednesday word of the week – Keep

Tantamount, which is almost always followed by 'to' means equivalent. Clicking on my blog is tantamount to agreeing to see more of my photos!

Staffage is the visual arts equivalent of minor characters in a novel. They're animals or people in the background. Part of the scene, but not the subject. As I can't draw, I'm attempting to illustrate this through photos of a crow. In one he's the central character, the subject - in the other he's really just staffage. … Continue reading Wednesday word of the week – Staffage

A hobbledehoy is a clumsy or awkward youth. I was one of them a loooong time ago, though I don't recall being referred to as such. Is there a term for a similar adult? If so, that'll be me now.

To misremember is to remember incorrectly or imperfectly, or to forget. I misremember if I've shown you these pictures before ...