MOXVOX

I found this list of ‘100 of the most beautiful english words’ via Tumblr. It was compiled by Robert Beard. I am undecided as to whether I agree with his list…but with his 40 years experience in the field leaves me slightly intimidated to even begin debate. So! yes ok, nice list…beautiful words, hope to incorporate them more in my everyday life for a more fulfilling experience, blah blah blah…but wait!

According to Monkey Typist there are only 15 (yeah the blue ones) that are of old english origin…the rest are borrowed. Oh English, thou art one magnificent bastard!!

Ailurophile A cat-lover.

Assemblage A gathering.

Becoming Attractive.

Beleaguer To exhaust with attacks.

Brood To think alone.

Bucolic In a lovely rural setting.

Bungalow A small, cozy cottage.

Chatoyant Like a cat’s eye.

Comely Attractive.

Conflate To blend together.

Cynosure A focal point of admiration.

Dalliance A brief love affair.

Demesne Dominion, territory.

Demure Shy and reserved.

Denouement The resolution of a mystery.

Desuetude Disuse.

Desultory Slow, sluggish.

Diaphanous Filmy.

Dissemble Deceive.

Dulcet Sweet, sugary.

Ebullience Bubbling enthusiasm.

Effervescent Bubbly.

Efflorescence Flowering, blooming.

Elision Dropping a sound or syllable in a word.

Elixir A good potion.

Eloquence Beauty and persuasion in speech.

Embrocation Rubbing on a lotion.

Emollient A softener.

Ephemeral Short-lived.

Epiphany A sudden revelation.

Erstwhile At one time, for a time.

Ethereal Gaseous, invisible but detectable.

Evanescent Vanishing quickly, lasting a very short time.

Evocative Suggestive.

Fetching Pretty.

Felicity Pleasantness.

Forbearance Withholding response to provocation.

Fugacious Fleeting.

Furtive Shifty, sneaky.

Gambol To skip or leap about joyfully.

Glamour Beauty.

Gossamer The finest piece of thread, a spider’s silk.

Halcyon Happy, sunny, care-free.

Harbinger Messenger with news of the future.

Imbrication Overlapping and forming a regular pattern.

Imbroglio An altercation or complicated situation.

Imbue To infuse, instill.

Incipient Beginning, in an early stage.

Ineffable Unutterable, inexpressible.

Ingénue A naïve young woman.

Inglenook A cozy nook by the hearth.

Insouciance Blithe nonchalance.

Inure To become jaded.

Labyrinthine Twisting and turning.

Lagniappe A special kind of gift.

Lagoon A small gulf or inlet.

Languor Listlessness, inactivity.

Lassitude Weariness, listlessness.

Leisure Free time.

Lilt To move musically or lively.

Lissome Slender and graceful.

Lithe Slender and flexible.

Love Deep affection.

Mellifluous Sweet sounding.

Moiety One of two equal parts.

Mondegreen A slip of the ear.

Murmurous Murmuring.

Nemesis An unconquerable archenemy.

Offing The sea between the horizon and the offshore.

Onomatopoeia A word that sounds like its meaning.

Opulent Lush, luxuriant.

Palimpsest A manuscript written over earlier ones.

Panacea A solution for all problems

Panoply A complete set.

Pastiche An art work combining materials from various sources.

Penumbra A half-shadow.

Petrichor The smell of earth after rain.

Plethora A large quantity.

Propinquity An inclination.

Pyrrhic Successful with heavy losses.

Quintessential Most essential.

Ratatouille A spicy French stew.

Ravel To knit or unknit.

Redolent Fragrant.

Riparian By the bank of a stream.

Ripple A very small wave.

Scintilla A spark or very small thing.

Sempiternal Eternal.

Seraglio Rich, luxurious oriental palace or harem.

Serendipity Finding something nice while looking for something else.

Summery Light, delicate or warm and sunny.

Sumptuous Lush, luxurious. Surreptitious Secretive, sneaky.

Susquehanna A river in Pennsylvania.

Susurrous Whispering, hissing.

Talisman A good luck charm.

Tintinnabulation Tinkling.

Umbrella Protection from sun or rain.

Untoward Unseemly, inappropriate.

Vestigial In trace amounts.

Wafture Waving.

Wherewithal The means.

Woebegone Sorrowful, downcast.

Oh and if you read this far…just so you know Serendipity and Mellifluous have always been two of my favourites.

I just added this maze to THE LIST of things to do. Created by Isabelle de Beaufort and Bernard Ramus, who have been constructing mazes for over 10 years Find more info here (in french).This particular maze is based on the Medieval plan of  Toulouse. It is in Cordes-sur-Ciel, France. The abandoned cottage at the centre of the maze symbolises the legendary dragon which apparently lurked underneath the streets of Toulouse.

I wonder if it has something to do with this sculpture of Saint Margaret.

Saint Margaret (aka Marina) an Early Christian martyr, endured many painful ordeals she before her eventual death during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (r. 284–305). She was apparently swallowed by the devil in the guise of a dragon and after making the sign of the cross, the saint burst unharmed from its body. The sculpture itself dates from around 1475 and is a great example of the Languedoc style of the late 15th century, which Toulouse was the centre of during this time. Although this sculpture quite obviously depicts t the victory of Good vs Evil. I want to know about the dragon!!!

Why is it said to be under the streets of Toulouse? And is this to be taken literally or in a more symbolic sense? I mean it is a legend after all. Googling Dragon of Toulouse reveals plenty of references to the word dragon. But is it the dragon.

(wow I kind of feel like I have created my own labyrinth to get lost in here)

Anyway I digress…

If I had a property of substantial size I would indeed construct a maze, just to get lost in it.

Amazingly detailed stencil art from Evoltaste.com of Berlin. Awesome, awesome, awesome!! I am currently in awe of this guys stencilling. I love the detail and the way in which he makes boxes of all kinds into buildings. I came across this work after seeing a post a friend had made on Facebook. Check out his flickr photostream here. Below is the finished piece.

Check out these awesome cloaks by Lindsey Thornburg

I just discovered this amazing project by artists Lenka Clayton & Michael Crowe

In April 2009, they sent 467 personal, handwritten letters to every household of Cushendall. In the hope of prompting neighbourly discussion and curiousity. It made it to the news and you can watch the video.Each and every memeber of the small irish village received their letter on the same day. Nice!

Mysterious Letters

I don’t know if this is entirely in theme with my blog or not….wait…it’s my blog and I can post whatever I want…(slap) Ok…this week there has been alot of Starwars awesomeness floating aound the interwebs. Here are my absolute favs.

Over at Cakehead loves Evil I found some rare on and off set photographs. It’s great to see the apparent fun that was had whilst filming. Check them out!

The insane collection of Danny Choo!! I am soo in love with that coffee table….WOW!! Check out his collection in all it’s entirety here

Ok, so I may not be able to afford the rare photos of Leia or Han…the Falcon glass prism coffee table will have to wait….but I can haz these……

Available from Kotobukiya in late 2009/early 2010. Lightsabers merge with Japanese culture and “Chop Sabers” emerge! Suitable for eating sushi or defending the galaxy, the Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader lightsabers measure over 9” long, with the blades cast in translucent material. The smaller “children’s size” Yoda saber measures approximately 8” long. They also come with translucent Star Wars chopstick rests.

AWESOME!! (yes I am screaming!!)