MikeL

umbelliferous [Definition: bearing umbels (masses of flowers springing from a single center)]

owlery

iatrophobia (Definition: fear of going to the doctor)

labeorphily (Definition: collection and study of beer bottle labels)

I agree. It's not the editor's place to take charge of the story. It's not helpful for the the author to reject any and all recommendations. They have to work together. Perfect grammar is not required to have a good story, but highly irregular grammar will doom a story to oblivion.

Not my grandchildren...not this year. http://www.youtube.c...t&v=HCWp_pdkxM4

Someone asked me elsewhere why one egg in the above picture is not standing on end. I left it horizontal so viewers would know the other egg was actually upright and this was not some sort of photographic trick. You might say it's part of the control group.

lygophobia (Definition: fear of darkness)

radappertization (Definition: treatment of food with ionizing radiation to kill bacteria)

velarium (Definition: awning over an auditorium)

illaudable (Definition: not praiseworthy)

It will work anywhere in the world, but I'm not sure about tomorrow. Good luck.

zenzizenzizenzic (Definition: eighth power of a number)

stercoricolous (Definition: living in dung or filth)

Try it again tomorrow; then let us know if it's a myth.

ostreoid (Definition: oyster-like)

It fits.

Happy vernal equinox, everyone! If you didn't know, that's the first day of spring. It arrives on March 20 at 12:14 am CDT (05:14 UTC). Looking for a unique way to celebrate? Why not do something you can't do any other day of the year? Stand an egg on end. That's right. It's the one day you can stand a raw egg on end on the kitchen counter. Even the most impatient of people can do it. Amaze your friends. Amaze yourself. After that excitement, what more will you do to celebrate?

Editing can add a lot to a story, but a story has to have a lot going for it before editing if it is to be successful. The author has the primary responsibility. His imagination and creativity are the first and most important factors in producing a good story. If his is a good story, good editing can enhance it to some extent. Some authors don't really appreciate what an editor can do for the story. I've known some to respond negatively to suggested changes in wording...even to spelling corrections...as if they felt the editor was trying to take over the story. Some authors don't seem to care much for the language. English has a lot of rules and rules are there to be broken seems to be the attitude of some. It's been a lot of fun helping several authors with their work, but everyone involved has to understand that producing a story is a team effort and the author is the team leader. Before I agree to edit or proofread for an author, I read a sample of his work. If it's very poorly written, I will decline the opportunity every time. Some authors have great imaginations and are highly creative, but are seriously lacking in language skills. Are editors hard to come by? I think they are for some, but a good author, who takes pride in his work and wants to make a contribution to the GA community and to the language, will never have to go begging.

smegmatic (Definition: like soap; cleansing)

edentate (Definition: toothless; without teeth; pertaining to aardvarks and sloths)

Neat, simple, beautiful. Just like the weather.

atmatertera (Definition: great-grandfather's grandmother's sister)