A Combination Tip, Resource and Anecdote. Oh! And a New Word (Maybe)!

Today's post is a combination of a tip, a resource, and (lo!) a great anecdote that livens up something as potentially drey as a new vocabulary word. It's from my often eclectic newsletter, which you can subscribe to by sending an e-mail with SUBSCRIBE in it to me at HoJoNews (at) aol.com.

Writing Related Vocabulary

I love Word of the Day from www.yourdictionary.com. An entry, the noun “Pasquinade,” is related to what we writers do so I though I’d pass it on to you. You may also want to sign up to get a new word in your e-mail box each day. I delete the ones I know and read the ones I don’t when I’m not super busy. Below is their take on the noun "pasquinade."

"Pronunciation: [pæs-kwên-'neyd]

"Definition: A piece of writing that ridicules a specific person and is posted in a public place; a public lampoon of a particular person.

"Usage: Like the pasquinade, a lampoon is a composition that uses literary devices such as metaphor, simile, and irony to attack someone. The difference between a pasquinade and a lampoon is that the pasquinade publically ridicules a person named, while the lampoon may be directed toward a group or otherwise protect individuals. A pasquinader is one who writes pasquinades; the act of doing so is pasquinading."

Dictionary.com will soon send the difference between lampoon and satire. You won't want to miss it! And here's the anecdote I promised you, this one the etymology of "pasquinade."

"French, from Italian "pasquinata," from "Pasquino." A statue representing Menelaus with the body of Patroclus stands in the Piazza di Pasquino, a small square near the Piazza Navona in Rome. Legend holds that Pasquino, a tailor in the Piazza, had a sharp wit and a reputation for lampooning, and sometimes he hung his most pointed observations from the statue in the square. The statue took on his name when others joined in Pasquino’s pastime, pinning their lampoons on the statue until, finally, the practice of publically lampooning others itself took on his name."

Thanks for all of this go to Dr. Language at YourDictionary.com

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.