Daily Lexicon

Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Landloper

n. a wanderer; a vagabond; a vagrant.

[Not to be confused with landlubber (one who gets queasy on a boat, a lover of land).]

Neighbor Jan has a visitor. A landloper, a swerwer (a drifter), has turned up at his door, with ill-fitting hand-me-down clothes, a bulky suitcase and a loud laugh.

--Dog Heart: A Memoir by Breyten Breytenbach

Monday, August 30, 2004

Rubbernecker

n. (1) an overly inquisitive person; (2) a tourist (esp. one on a guided tour).

To rubberneck:
vi. (1) To look about or survey with unsophisticated wonderment or curiosity; (2) go on tour (sightsee)

From the movie Secret Window starring Johnny Depp:

Ted: Maybe I should take a walk around the block.
Amy: Yes, that'd be good.
Mort (Depp): Aw heck, Ted, live a little - make it two. Rubbernecker.

Genesis of the Daily Lexicon

Some people collect stamps. Others collect insects, baseball cards, or even potato chips that resemble celebrities. I collect words, lots of them. Most of them I never have a chance to use. It's a shame really. I personally feel shame in not remembering them and shame globally for their limited use. On the blog, I hope to break the shame spiral for at least one of these.

RL.