Words of the week – 45

The child had an epicene beauty that her father feared would be lost with the onset of menarche. She sat playing at the spinet, a jovial tune, while he adjusted the andirons to better improve the flames. The girl’s mother had refused to come down to dinner tonight due to her contraction of a unsightly stye upon her right eye. Her husband determined that in the morning he would look for a more aseptic supplier of beauty products for her ladyship. But for tonight, he could enjoy a long coloquy with his brother-in-law over his peripatetic tour of the continent. He was especially looking forward to showing him his painting of the alpenglow mornings he had observed in the spring Alps. He intended to gift the picture to the man, in thanks for his assistance in shipping his painting appurtenances to him. John was gratifyingly pleased with such a munificent gift and shared a number of amusing apothegms regarding travelling in Italy. He even found himself laughing along at John’s raillery of his painting praxis. The firelight danced on the quillon of the sword mounted over the fireplace. He waited for Sophie to retire before sharing with him the stories of the appalling antimiscegenation he had observed in one village. Where the local Baron had taken as his mistress, and fathered a number of children with, a black woman from the far south. How he had been forced to dine in this vile pair, on ptarmigan on less, in order to see the famous moraine on the corner of their property. John was so shocked that he almost thought he would have to reach for her Ladyship’s viniagrette (of smelling salts) to revive him. He reflected as he readied himself for bed that night that maybe it was time to slow his peripatetic wanderings and take closer care of his family.

Definitions

Praxis – practical application of any branch of learning OR custom or established practice

Antimiscegenation – against mixing or blending – especially mixed marriages

Menarche – onset of menstruation – a girl’s first period

Stye – pink eye – bacterial infection of the eye or lid

Ptarmigan – a species of grouse

Moraine – accumulation f rocks and debris deposited by a glacier

Coloquy – conversation or dialogue (also a written discourse)

Alpenglow – rosy / reddish glow seen at sunset/rise on mountai summits – especially snow-covered on the opposite side to the sun

Epicene – indeterminate sex (androgenous) or asexual. Also regardless of sex

Aseptic – free of disease causing microbes

Peripatetic – constantly travelling OR tending to walk about

Apothegm – short, witty instructive saying (aphorism or maxim)

Appurtenance – in addition to OR equipment of a specific task (gear)

Munificent – very generous, lavish

Viniagrette – can also mean the box for smelling salts

Raillery – good-natured banter or ridicule

Quillon – guard of a sword

Andiron (fire dog) – utensil for supporting wood in a fireplace

Spinet – instrument like a piano