Writing Prescription Seventeen

"What a splendid book one could put together by narrating the life and adventures of a word. The events for which a word was used have undoubtedly left various imprints on it; depending on place it has awakened different notions; but does it not become grander still when considered in its trinity of soul, body, and movement?" Honore de Balzac

World Word Records

The most beautiful words in English:

Melody, velvet, gossamer, crystal, autumn, peace, tranquil, twilight, murmur, caress, mellifluous, whisper, silken, willow, mellow, lullaby, dawn, shimmer, silver, marigold, golden, dream, harmony, blossom, champagne, dusk, beloved, sleep, echo, magic, sorrow, love, mist, darling, laughter.

(From 'Beyond The Tingle Quotient' by Godfrey Smith)

Cynical dictionary definitions by Ambrose Bierce:

Bore: a person who talks when you wish him to listen.

History: an account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools.

Peace: in international affairs, a period of cheating between two periods of fighting.

"Then you should say what you mean," the March Hare went on. "I do," Alice hastily replied; "at least I mean what I say - that's the same thing, you know."

"Not the same thing a bit!" Said the Hatter. "Why, you might just as well say that 'I see what I eat' is the same thing as 'I eat what I see!'"

Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Cross the Rubicon, to take an irrevocable step. The RUBICON was the river dividing Italy and Cusalpine Gaul, and Julius Caesar's crossing of it was a declaration of war.

Phrases coined by Shakespeare:

Beggar all description: to be difficult or impossible to describe - Hamlet

There's the rub: there's the difficulty or obstacle. - Hamlet

Be cruel to be kind: to cause pain or distress that will ultimately do someone good. - Hamlet

The milk of human kindness: benevolent, goodwill. - Macbeth

The world's my oyster: indicates that the person in question has a wide range of opportunities in life. - Merry Wives of Winsor

Wear one's heart on one's sleeve: is to show one's emotions openly. - Othello

The green-eyed monster: jealousy or envy. - Othello

A foregone conclusion: is something that is completely predictable and certain to happen. - Othello

The winter of our discontent: from Richard III

A tower of strength: is a person who provides much-needed support, help, comfort, or encouragement, especially in difficult times. - Richard III

There is a method in his madness: suggests that the irrational behavior of the person in question is not without purpose. - Hamlet

The witching hour: the time when witches are believed to be active. - Hamlet

Other quotes from literature:

Add insult to injury (E. Moore); all hell breaks loose (J. Milton); all quiet on the western front (E. M. Remarque); do as I say, not as I do (J. Selden); funny peculiar or funny ha-ha (I. Hay); hope springs eternal (A. Pope); if at first you don't succeed, try, try again (W. E. Hickson); ignorance is bliss (T. Gray); no man is an island (J. Donne); pie in the sky (J. Hill); the plot thickens (G. Villiers); procrastination is the thief of time (E. Young); spare the rod and spoil the child (S. Butler).

Catchphrases from radio, television and movies:

'To boldly go where no man has gone before.' Star Trek, 1960s

'Phone home!' ET movie, 1982

'A martini, shaken, not stirred.' James Bond

'Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.' Gone with the wind, 1939

'Love means never having to say you're sorry.' Love Story, 1970

'May the force be with you.' Star Wars, 1977

Clever slips of the tongue:

Under the affluence of alcohol.

The answer is in the infirmary.

It's good to be back on terracotta.

She was riding on the pavilion of her boyfriend's motorbike.

Her husband has had a vivisection.

The government is totally incontinent.

Let's get down to brass facts.

The feeling is neutral.

You have to get things in prospectus.