Now I know what some of you might be thinking, "Oh goodness, this is going to be really long if he's actually admitting it's wordy in the title." However, you'd be wrong. Oh I'm not saying it won't be long, perhaps it will, but certainly no longer than my typical blog entry. No, this entry is in fact about Words.

I love words! They're one of my all time favourite things to utter. The thing about words and expression though, is that if you look at their usual meaning versus their literal meaning an amusing disparity often arises. Take the example of the phrase "looking forward to".

"Looking forward to" would logically simply mean thinking about a time in the future when the event in question is going to be taking place. However, in common parlance the meaning exclusively implies that this event will be good. I'm "looking forward to" getting paid, I'm "looking forward to" reading that next chapter! But surely not everything that one "looks forward to" is good. I mean I'm all in favour of positive thinking, but sometimes you can't help but think about something bad or unpleasant which is going to happen. Thus, why can't you be "looking forward" to your colonoscopy? Or perhaps you're on death row. "yes, I'm really quite looking forward to my execuction. In fact it's practically all I can think about!" Or perhaps you've ticked off someone big and nasty. "Oh no, he's going to give you an awful beating when he finds out." "yeah I know, I'm really looking forward to it."

Then there's "the way". The prepositions you use with "the way"are of vital importance. No one wants to be "in the way", but it's not so bad to be "on your way". You can tell all sorts of interesting things "from the way" someone says something. Oh and "by the way" make sure to yield to the person who has the "right of way". Now what's that about anyway? I've always found it a little insulting. I mean say I'm on my way to the hospital, sure my way is of the utmost importance, yet some doik (my own word ) might be cruising around and still have "the right of way". . What a mysterious thing "the way" is! I guess the only way to tell what someone means is to listen to the way in which they say it.

Speaking of "finding myself" I must say that's got to be one of my favourite idioms! It sounds so joyous. Like you're having some sort of outer body experience and your essence flits into a new room only to discover your body! "ohhh I found myself!". Of course it doesn't have to be positive. Sometimes people "find themselves" in all sorts of cruddy situations. "Yes, I suddenly found myself with a broken arm", "well if you hadn't left yourself and gone gallivanting off perhaps your arm wouldn't have been broken!" I mean you've got to watch yourself . Of course "your self" rather sounds like a seperate entity altogether, still you, but not quite. That's why so many people talk to "themselves" (which I'm sure should be theirselves but who am I to quibble). And what if I say "yes, I did that myself", it sounds as though I'm addressing me. "Yes, I did that for you, my friend." "yes, I did that for you, my self" (probably took a pain pill for that arm ) And what if you're "by yourself"?? Does this happen in the moment after you "find yourself" and before you can "get yourself together". "Why yes, I was right by myself when it happened, I saw the whole thing, that bus with the right of way broke my self's arm."

On the subject of idioms we mustn't forget "minding your business". EVERYONE has business these days. It doesn't matter who you are; you've got business! Six year olds have business. Their parents often remind them of it, "go and mind your business while daddy and I talk"...hmmm can you say child labour lawsuit? Of course everyone uses "their business" to try to make them look innocent. "I was just standing there, minding my own business, when the next thing I knew..." Why even my cats have business. I was cooking the other night (you know minding my own business ) when Timmy came in and started whining for scraps. So of course I said to him, "Timmy, you just go and mind your own business." Personally I think he and Lucky are in business together. I mean he's a nice cat, but he's kind of lacking in social skills. Lucky on the other hand! Now she's got the social skills, so I'm sure she handles all the P.R. for their business.

Then there's the way in which we express states of being. I mean who among us hasn't been "in a hurry"? It's quite an image, I always imagine the afflicted person standing there, minding their own business of course, when all of a sudden this dreadful, whirling "hurry" comes out of nowhere and engulfs them. Yes, this person is now "in a hurry". This can be a very powerful and physical experience (one it seems few people look forward to). The person's face may become flushed, their brow furrowed and sweaty, sentences take on an urgent, choppy nature. Alas, this tragic happenstance can occur at anytime. Why you might just be casually checking your watch when the next thing you know .....BAM! you discover you're in a hurry. Now often times people will try to help the person that's become ensnared in the hurry. They may urge them to fight it and "take it easy", or "calm down". This is never appreciated by the person in the hurry. No, once someone "finds themselves" in a hurry the best thing you can do is step back and let it spin itself out, lest you too get sucked in too.

Sleeping is another thing for which people need auxiliary words in order to express. For instance people fall asleep. They never "fall a rest" though. "My you look relaxed." , "yep, fell a rest." Of course being "asleep" is a contradiction in terms. The prefix "a" means "without", as in "amoral" or "asymmetrical". So it seems like if you were "asleep" you'd be wide awake. "awake"?? HUH? To be wakeful is to be alert and conscious, to be without wake must mean....well to be asleep. :wacko: "I was so tired last night I "fell awake" only to be "aslept" by the alarm this morning....I hit snooze and the next thing I knew I was in a hurry."

Which brings us to another case in point (see I have this point, I'm as shocked as you are, and this is a "case" which fits nicely into my point ). The words for which you know the meanings and thus naturally assume, also knowing the way in which the English language works, that you can form completely new, logical words. But you can't! Take "disgruntled" for instance. That is indeed a fun word! It makes sense too, a "gruntle" sounds like something you'd make when pleased. It's guttural, it sounds like it could be quite pleasant. So I'm sure it's quite a shame when you find yourself with bad gruntles, when in fact you become "disgruntled". Funny though, no matter how pleased you are you just can't go around saying, "gosh! I'm just so 'eugruntled' " Several years ago I was having a conversation with a friend.

"Dis", that's an interesting little prefix. It's a clever thing. It's joined ranks with the likes of "sub"; it's become a word in it's own right. Nowadays in colloquial speech it's nothing to hear someone offer the admonition, "Don't 'dis' me!". It even makes sense, "dis" is bad, to "dis someone" would be to send bad their way (notice the sneaky and pervasive little way creeping back into the conversation) Yet again you can't just go with your gut interpretation in every case. You'd think if I became a nasty, disrespectful (my respect having become bad), malevolent member of GA well then surely I'd have become "dismembered" .....Hmmm I guess it really depends on whom I'm nasty and disrespectful towards