Language sure is fun. Just in the last couple of days I’ve heard new words, new to me at least, which seemed obvious after I heard them.
Velvis: A term for a velvet Elvis. I thought to myself, how stupid not to have thought of that. How perfect.
Fourgy: A term for an orgy between four people, particularly two couples.
Probably many of you have heard these terms but they were new to me. Sometimes I’m amazed at how much creativity is left in language.
Another thing, cool to me at least, is the publication of Bits of the Dead, a collection of flash fiction zombie stories from Coscom Entertainment. My story “Once Upon a Time with the Dead” appears therein. It begins: “Alkali dust under the white blaze of the Mexican sun. Riders are coming. To a village standing idle on a ghostly quiet day.”
Some of the more famous authors in the book include Piers Anthony and Nancy Kilpatrick. It's available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon, of course.
Last night, Lana and I watched The Spiderwick Chronicles and we both thought it was good. I think I liked it better than she did. At first I didn’t really care for the primary kid character, and I never did really come to like him, but the story itself was fairly compelling and the special effects were great. There was a lot of action for what is essentially a kid’s movie.
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I'd heard the term Velvis, but not Fourgy.
ReplyDeleteFourgy reminds me of "daily chain" out ot the eighties, but I think a daisy chain is more involved; certainly involves more people.
ReplyDeleteAh, how people lose their brains!
Charles, congrats on the book coming out! It looks cool and I'll definitely pick up a copy.
ReplyDeleteJust got an old copy of Kyrik in the mail... looking forward to starting in on it!
forgot to finish my comment... I've never heard either of those words before either, but they both seem pretty common-sense. Wonder why it took so long for someone to invent them.
ReplyDeleteHeff, Velvis is great. When we were in Orlando one time we saw a bunch of Elvis impersonators getting out of a limo and Lana coined, "A limo of Elvi" for a group of Elvises, on the spot. Pretty funny.
ReplyDeleteIvan, brains are a terrible thing to waste. Or something like that.
Greg, I envy you Kyrik. I wouldn't mind reading it for the first time. Hope you enjoy. And thanks.
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ReplyDeleteVelvis, LOL!
ReplyDeleteThe Trailer Of Love
Thanks. Always good to add new words to the ol' vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteHa! Good point. "Velvis" and "fourgy" both seem like words that always existed. They just needed someone to point them out.
ReplyDeletenew to me too, charles...
ReplyDeletegrats on the pub
will have to check out the flick, but i'll likely not like the kid either....
Velvis--too perfect. Fourgy sounds like something furry with a fungus. Which, given the participants, could be totally accurate.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the publication. I enjoyed your opening lines.
Wil, agreed. Damn near perfect.
ReplyDeleteTravis Erwin, but where will you find to use them?
Lisa, yes, amazing.
Laughingwolf, thanks. I'm guessing only kids will like that kid.
Britta Coleman, ain't it though. Lol.
I slammed my velvis in a car door once and tore it...
ReplyDeleteJust doesn't sound right, does it?!
English is a fascinating language. Constantly evolving, it surprises even those of us who are in the business (or at least avocation) of wordsmithing. I learned a couple of new ones today, too by reading wikipedia articles.
ReplyDeleteIjust read what Lana said. We could have fun with groups of things.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if she coined it, but Laurel K. Hamilton uses a kiss of vampires. And I've heard the term a murder of crows. Those at least make a certain sense. But a pod of whales? And what would we call a group of Martian colonists? A podkayne? (Showing my age there.) And how about a gathering of Hollywood's elite? A galaxy? (I rather like that one. Probably been used before, though.)
I can honestly say I've never heard of Velvis or a fourgy. Sounds like one of those would be a fun thing to have.
ReplyDeleteYou so rock, baby. Congrats on the story!
ReplyDeleteI'll add my congratulations to the list! Well done!
ReplyDeleteNow I'm going to return to my own wriativity.
A bunch of writers should be a "nib". A nib of writers . . . :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the story, Charles!
Steve Malley, I carry my Velvis with me every where I go.
ReplyDeleteWrittenwyrd, a "Podkayne" of Martians is a great one. I have a book that lists such group terms, like a "parliment of Owls."
X-dell, one of them yeah.
Lana, that's you who rock.
Tom Evans, good try. Not sure that one's as catchy as Velvis, though. Lol.
Scott Oden, I thought a group of writers might be more like a "whine of writer." Or a "Pen of writers."
Fun how language evolves over time. Are these in the dictionary yet? Somebody check! (Impatiently sips coffee, taps foot, regards watch...
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Charles!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder!-- I've been wanting to see The Spiderwick Chronicles for some time now.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Jason and I will have to have a dinner/movie night with our girls tonight (we eat picnic-style in the family room while watching a movie)...
:)
Congratulations on the story in the anthology!
ReplyDeleteGreat new words. Can't wait for an opportunity to use them. Congrats on the book, too!
ReplyDeleteHere's my suggested new term: a babble of bloggers.
Benjibopper, I don't believe they are. Velvis should be for sure.
ReplyDeleteBernita, thankee.
Aine, I thought it was definitely worthwhile. Thanks for stopping by.
Paul, thanks. I appreciate that.
Shauna, thanks. a Babble of bloggers sounds perfect. Excellent idea. ;)
Velvis...I kind of like that.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll find a gas station well stocked with various pieces of Velvis. I'll be sure to pack a twenty.
Very good news to hear about your story. :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your pub credit, Charles! It sounds like you're in very good company. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the new terms. I will try to work velvis and fourgy into the same vignette sometime. Or better yet, a poem! Shouldn't be too hard. ;)
Jason, you know I've never owned a Velvis. My brother in law had a velvet bullfighter once, though and I kind of liked that.
ReplyDeleteBernardl, yes it's kind of a nice little collection.
Sarah Hina, thanks. I'd like to see that, working the two terms into a poem or flash piece. LOL.
Chicklet has started reading the Chronicles... which reminds me, I have to go and get her the next book.
ReplyDeleteVelvis... hehehe!
Anndi, they look interesting. I may have to try a few of them.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the book! I haven't seen Spiderwick yet (shame on me) but my kids like it.
ReplyDeleteSQT, I'll forgive you.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard these terms. Love "Velvis".
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the book publishing.
Shauna Roberts (commenter) - sorry but have a look here. I wrote about a collective term for bloggers in Feb this year and settled on... "babble"! lol
Or maybe we should be a boggle of blabbers... ;0)