Good job

I have to say it. Even after all the lead-up, all the signs, and all the hoopla, I'm still surprised to be an uncle. There's a vague sense of accomplishment associated with that, despite a total contribution of zero effort on my part. The baby is beautiful. Her name is Peyton Briar Rybuck-Marshall. Here is a picture of her, and one with her parents, who look pretty impressed with themselves.

Fungoes

I found out that the word fulsome can have negative connotations today. I had previously thought that fulsome either meant excessive, or abundant. I was unaware of the possibility of negative connotations, and as the information was taken from the internet it was immediately suspect.

"To the Canadian Edition of the Oxford Dictionary!", I cried, and rushed to my bookshelf. Upon inspection of the hallowed contents of my reference tome, I found that it is indeed possible for fulsome to be interpreted as sarcastic in tone.

"Super", you say, "But what does this have to do with anything I care about?" Well, probably nothing. But that hasn't stopped me before, and it won't stop me now. As I was browsing, I noticed a word that I hadn't used or even heard before. Awesome! And so, ladies, gentlemen, hermaphrodites, I bring you a completely new feature on The Bringdown:

Word of the Day

fungible adjective precisely or acceptably replacing or replaceable by another item, mutually interchangeable, esp. of goods etc. contracted for, when a particular item is not specified.

Oh, you were looking for a fulsome woman? Well, not to worry sir, we're out of fulsome, but we do have some zaftig women. Oh yes sir, they're completely fungible.

Platysma

I know who I am now. I'm the stranger that walks in your life, and walks away. We talk, but you never really feel like you're listening. It's easy to be with me, and it's because I have a gift. I know how to be a stranger. Not just any stranger, but one that you enjoy meeting, one that makes you smile a bit, and maybe laugh if you're easy with people who make bad jokes. Like me.

You won't have to think a lot, I'm not that kind of unknown. I'll ask the questions you know answers to; Where are you going this evening?, What do you do?, and so on. A popularly used drug may come up, such as; alcohol, coffee, marijuana, or tobacco. It may be that I am partaking of said drug, and in such an instance will offer it to you.

If you're a woman, I will compliment you. If you're a man, I will ask if you've watched the latest sporting event.

I will bare my teeth, and you will think I'm smiling.

English grammar fun!

That's right. Fun.

The owner of a pub called The Tween and Twixt decided to commission a new sign. Upon viewing the new sign, he felt that something was a little off. While talking it over with the artist, the pub owner made the following request. "Can you make the spacing equal between Tween and and and and and Twixt?"

Did you know that that that that that boy used is incorrect?

James, while John had had "had", had had "had had". "Had had" had had the approval of the grammar teacher.

This post brought to you by the good people at zfilter and painintheenglish.