Bill W

Yes, drs, hopefully there won't be any glitches in either of these two plans. 🫰

You know what they say about people who drink alone. It's either due to a lack of friends or they're alcoholics. "First a man takes a drink; then the drink takes a drink; then the drink takes a man".

Decorous comes from the Latin decorus ("seemly, fitting, proper, becoming"), which itself stems from decor ("beauty, grace, ornament"), linking it to words like decorate and decent. Its root is the Proto-Indo-European dek- meaning "to take, accept," with the sense of adding grace, leading to terms for appropriateness and adornment. Decorum also comes from the Latin decorus and means "behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety, etiquette". The earliest known use of the adjective decorous in English, according to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), is from the writing of Henry More, a philosopher, poet, and theologian in 1664. A slightly older sense of "decorous," meaning "fitting, appropriate," is now obsolete. The modern meaning, "characterized by or exhibiting decorum; proper," also dates from the mid-17th century. According to the OED, the noun "decorum", meaning "dignified propriety; appropriate and proper behavior or appearance", first appeared in English in the mid-1500s, with the earliest known evidence coming from the writings of Roger Ascham, a royal tutor, before 1568, initially referring to literary appropriateness and later evolving to mean polite behavior. Examples of "decorous" used in a sentence: "Yates draws a decorous curtain around the rest of the scene." "Among the criers were some of the least decorous people in the country." "In these coffee-houses, however, there generally prevails a very decorous stillness and silence." "The tone was decorous and reserved, a moving elegy delivered by someone who didn't know the deceased very well." "Without Stevenson, Sterne would probably have been a more decorous parish priest, but he would probably never have written Tristram Shandy or left any other memorial of his singular genius." Examples of "decorum" used in a sentence: "There was decorum in the countenance he wore." "We trust he will show the proper decorum for the occasion." "Your sense of ethics and social decorum is also strong as you strive to be your best. "She accepted his report, not without obvious sadness but with business-like decorum and no sign of tears." "The boy had a wild streak that overcame his sense of decorum too often and landed him in duels every other day.

I think we all hope that it's good news for Clint, but we'll have to wait before we hear back from him. That might possibly be on their next rafting adventure. 🤞

As you'll discover, Lee, this time I increased the font on the title line so there'd be no confusion this time.

One of these things is not like the others. One of these items just isn't the same. Seeing this is English and unlike other languages, all of our days of the week all contain "day". I'm sorry, but tomorrow hasn't come yet, and until it does, it's not a day. 🤣 😂 🥰

My sincerest apologies, guys. I had been up all night working on the next chapters, and when I was ready to post this my sleepy and failing eyesight caused me to mistake the 6 in 26 as an 8. Here is the correct chapter and I hope this makes up for my error.

Chapter 28 - Christmas Break Comes to an End After we finished eating breakfast on Monday morning, we called Devin’s dad at work and explained the situation about possibly insuring the package before shipping it with UPS. We wanted to know if he felt it would be worth the extra expense. "Yes, I think it would be a wise precaution. Not only have some UPS packages been damaged during transport in the past, but at least one UPS plane has crashed and burned before, along with its cargo.

Feckless comes from Scots dialect (1590s) combining the word "feck" (a shortened for of effect, meaning "value"', "vigor", or "worth") with the suffix "less" (meaning without), literally meaning "without effect" or "Without value". Popularized by writer Thomas Carlyle, it describes someone as ineffective, irresponsible, weak, or lacking initiative and character, essentially being "without effect or vigor". According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED),the word "feckless" was first used in English around 1586. The earliest evidence cited by the OED is from the writing of John Stewart, a Scottish courtier and writer. The Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle helped popularize the word. Examples of "feckless" used in a sentence: "Their shared affection for the warmhearted, feckless Martin is a further bond between them." "But when we actually get on TV, we are relatively feckless and ineffective." "She can't rely on her feckless son, who prefers to spend his time playing video games." "The Jets were feckless on offense last Monday night against the Browns." "The police were able to make an arrest because the feckless burglar had left his wallet at the scene of the robbery." "Because so many feckless parents are raising children these days, we shouldn’t be surprised at the number of irresponsible teenagers." "Phil is probably the most feckless worker at the company, but he’s so charming and lovable he’s somehow managed to work here for fifteen years." "Erin had come to accept the fact that her parents would always think that every boyfriend was a feckless loser, no matter how smart and successful he might be."

Or fear!

It looks like 2025 was a productive year, so congratulations to everyone that helped make this another great year at Gay Authors! Now, we just have to match or build on these accomplishments in 2026.

Lilt, “a rhythmic swing or cadence; a light and merry song or song or tune,” comes from Middle English lilten or lulten (14th century), meaning "to sound an alarm" or "lift up (one's voice"), possibly related to Dutch/German lullen ("to lull") and Norwegian lilla ("to sing"), suggesting an imitative origin for its musical, rhythmic sense of a light, cheerful tune or speech cadence, likely stemming from onomatopoeia. It entered English in the 14th century, with the "singing" sense emerging later (18th century). According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the first uses of "lilt" in English depend on whether it is used as a noun or a verb. As a verb, the earliest known use of "lilt" is from around 1400 in the poem Pearl. The original meaning was "to lift up (one's voice)" or "to sound an alarm". As a noun, the earliest known use is from 1728, found in the writings of the Scottish poet Allan Ramsay. The initial noun sense was for a "lilting song" or a rhythmic cadence. Other related forms also appeared in the Middle English period, such as "lilting-horn" (around 1384). Examples of "lilt" in a sentence: "There was a charming lilt to her voice." "it's a tune with a catchy lilt" "A gentle lilt greeted me and offered to help." "His voice has a jazzy lilt and the swagger of that era." "Just listen to the meter of his lilt, the melody of it." "And Adam Cork's music is full of the blarney of Celtic lilt." "It has a lilt, like gentle waves washing ashore."

I haven't read any of the Prompt Team Genre Event yet, but hope to, although I may not be able to get to it until after the New Year. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season at this time of year when there are so many overlapping celebrations. And may the New Year bring brightness, good health, prosperity, and a prodding muse to everyone here on GA. It's also nice to see that Steve, @wildone, made it out of Ikea alive and well.

Sounds a little like Ikea meets Hansel and Gretel.

Just like the chorus of the song Ella Fitzgerald used to sing: I'm wild again Beguiled again A simpering, whimpering child again Bewitched, bothered and bewildered am I And answering @ReaderPaul's question: Yes, I did notice that be and wilder form the word. As my previous post stated, in the 1600s the verb wilder was added to the prefix be- to make the word. Yes, I do make up some of the sentences I post, and others I sometimes alter to give them more meaning. For example: Today I found: Everyone seemed utterly bewildered. That sentence and added... "after seeing strange lights in the sky." and there have been many other that I've done that to.

Quote Myr was bewildered as to why the Word of the Day didn't post at it usual time today. So was I. I've been waiting around for four hours waiting for it to pop up.

The word bewildered comes from the verb bewilder, meaning "to confuse thoroughly", originating in the 17th century from the archaic verb wilder (a verb meaning to lead someone astray or lure them into the woods, derived from wilderness, 1600s) and the prefix be- (thoroughly), ultimately stemming from Old English wilde (something uncultivated or untamed, wild) and deor (untamed animal, beast). Literally, it meant to get lost in the wilderness, and it evolved to describe complete mental confusion, as if lost in a trackless forest. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the adjective "bewildered" first appeared in English in the late 1600s, with the earliest recorded evidence from 1685, used by the notable poet and critic John Dryden in a translation, evolving from the verb "bewilder" meaning to lead astray into the wilds, to confuse or perplex. Examples of "bewildered" used in a sentence: "Arriving in a strange city at night, I felt alone and bewildered." "I came out of the movie a bit bewildered, but I enjoyed it." "Everyone seemed utterly bewildered after seeing strange lights in the sky." "Instead of handing me the phone, my stepmom gave me a bewildered look." "He endured the questioning at the hearing with a calm, sometimes bewildered expression." "When the soldier woke up after being frozen for sixty years, he was bewildered by all the changes in the world." "Whenever the puppy looked in the mirror, he was bewildered by his reflection and kept barking at the other dog."

And @drpaladin creates a new word. I wonder if the OED will add it to their new word list for this year. 😃

The word haggard originates from Old French (hagard), meaning "wild" or "untamed", originally describing a hawk caught as an adult for falconry, and became a technical term for a wild-caught, adult hawk (a "haggard hawk"). It later evolved to describe a worn, gaunt, or exhausted look. As a surname, it can come from this French root, a Germanic word for "hedge" or "wood" implying something unenclosed or wild. (hag) or a nickname for a wild person or an occupational name for a falconer. It could have even come from Danish (Viking) as an Americanized form of Danish names like Ågård (farm by a stream). or from Gaelic roots from Mac-an-t-sagairt, meaning "son of the priest". Two famous individuals with the surname Haggard are: H. Rider Haggard, a famous 19th century author of adventure novels (e.g., "King Solomon's Mines"), and Merle Haggard, an influential American country music singer. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the first recorded use of "haggard" in English depends on whether it is used as a noun or an adjective. As a noun: The earliest known use is from the Middle English period (1150-1500), with the first evidence dating back to 1452. This initial use referred to a wild, untamed adult hawk captured for training, a technical term in falconry. Shakespeare's "Othello" uses the original falconry meaning, where Othello threatens to release a potentially unfaithful Desdemona like a wild hawk: "If I do prove her haggard...". As an adjective: The earliest known use is from the mid-1500s, with evidence from before 1566 in the writings of Richard Edwards, poet and playwright. The adjectival sense of "looking exhausted and unwell" developed later, around 1690s, influenced by the association with the word "hag". Examples of "haggard" used in a sentence: "They were haggard and thin but strong and well armed." "She was so tired and haggard looking, it hurt him to see her that way." "She is haggard, pale, and her hair is matted with blood." "Chris was the only one who didn't seem to look haggard and exhausted." "His hair was mussed, his features rather haggard." "The pilgrims were thin and haggard, their faces creased." "Chloe read my thoughts and judged my appearance, which was haggard and exhausted." "‘Yes, nurse,’ Dann replied meekly, grinning at her despite his pale, haggard look." "The two bandits, their haggard features grim with battle-blood, edged toward the tall warrior."

Steve's idea of pocket money is the money that he can take out of other people's pockets.

It's no wonder that Steve has to look for a new job after the office Christmas party and it's a miracle he is able to leave in one piece. And if he does this at other parties, I'm surprised he gets invited back.

Thanks, Lee. It will be interesting to see how much money they make from the baseball cards, as well as the coins and other items they found in the cave. Thank you for your support.

The word brazen comes from Old English bræsen , meaning "made of brass", linking directly to the word brass (from Pro-Germanic brasno). Its figurative sense of being bold, impudent, or shameless developed from the idea of a face that is hard like brass, unable to show shame, with the "brazen-faced" usage appearing in the 1570s. According to the OED, the adjective "brazen" (meaning "of brass") appears in Old English (before 1150), while the figurative senses ("hardened," "impudent") emerge later, with "brazen-faced" noted from the 1570s, and the verb "to brazen" (to act impudently) first appearing around the mid-1500s, with early use by Hugh Latimer before 1555. The figurative shift of the verb "to brazen it" (to face something impudently) emerged, suggesting a hard, unmoving, brass-like demeanor, was first used in the writings of G. Harvey in 1573. Examples of "brazen" used in a sentence: "It was a brazen attempt to rig the result." "Is he going to be this brazen, this bold all the time?" "He exhibited a brazen disregard from other people's feelings." "The brazen sounds of the city's brass bands were muted." "There was the brazen shooting of 79-year-old Jose Quirin." "In fact, many birds are quite skilled at bold and brazen theft."

Are you sure it was a nut and not something else?

The word luteous comes from the Latin lūteus (golden-yellow, orange-yellow), which itself derives from lūtum, the name of a plant (Dyer's Weld or Greenweed, Reseda lūteola) used for dyeing yellow. It describes a color that's a greenish-yellow, muddy yellow, or deep orange-yellow, akin to clay or egg yolk, and often used in botany and biology for specific shades of yellow, like dull egg-yellow in fungi. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the earliest known use of the adjective luteous in English is from the mid-1600s. More specifically in the In the writings of Thomas Blount, 1656, and in a translation by Richard Tomlinson, 1657. The OED indicates that this adjective is now considered obsolete, with its last recorded use around the mid-1700s. Examples of "luteous" in a sentence: "The artist captured the marshland's essence with strokes of pale green and luteous yellow." "His skin, aged and weathered, held a luteous tone, like old parchment." "The rare beetle's wings were a shimmering luteous hue, almost golden, but with a hint of moss." "As the fire died down, the embers glowed a deep, warm luteous color." "The insect's antennae were slender and luteous, tipped with black."