Stifle Verb: To prevent something from happening, being expressed, or continuing. Example one: “She barely stifled a yawn as he droned on.” Example two: “The parliament stifled dissent by jailing the opposition.” I joined a school of fish in Palau for a photo opportunity.
Elide Verb: To suppress or alter a sound, a word or other fact. Example one: “in the word “ain’t” we elide the r and the o sounds from are not.” Example two: “while singing the praise of government action the press elided the consequence of the new dependency.” The photo is again from Palau in 2015. A large friendly fish the name of which I have forgotten. In this description I elided the fact that the fish was begging to be fed.
Jetsam Noun: Unwanted material or goods that have been thrown overboard from a vessel. Often to lighten the ship during a storm. Example: “To try and save the ship they heaved the cannon overboard creating a large jetsam field.” So to answer last weeks riddle: flotsam is accidental and jetsam is deliberate. Photo is of a Japanese cannon from WWII rusting away in Palau. Taken in 2015.
Flotsam Noun: The wreckage of a ship or its cargo found floating on the sea or washed up on the shore. Example: “The flotsam from the sunken ship was approaching the windward shore.” Flotsam differs from jetsam. Next weeks WSS will explain. The photo is of an early Brittlebush bloom on Piestewa Peak.
Kismet Noun: Fate, Luck, Destiny Example: “My kismet was strong and I succeeded.” Kismet is often associated with Yiddish but it’s origin is Arabic via Turkic. Photo is of another Inukshuk, this one built in the lee of Piestewa Peak.
Leitmotif Noun: A leitmotif is a “short, recurring musical phrase” associated with a particular person, place, or idea. Leitmotif is also used in movies to create a sense continuity. Example: “In the TV show Law and Order the piano chord leitmotif always precedes a court session.” Another of the February sunsets in Phoenix.
Homonym Noun: Words that have the same spelling or pronunciation but different meanings. Example one: “A pair of pears.” Example two: “The hot (stolen) jewelry looked hot (very nice) in the hot (temperature) sun.” One of the most commonly mistaken homonyms is: there, they’re and their. The photo with the printing demonstrates my new skill set.
Senescence Noun: The natural changes in a cells ability to reproduce. Aging is one form of senescence. Example: “Wrinkles are a form of age related senescence in all humans.” The photo is a detail of the mural by Thomas Breeze Marcus at S’edav Va’aki Museum. If you look at the white bracelet it appears to be three dimensional. It is not. It’s just the way Breeze did the shading behind it. Very cool. See the entire mural here.
Omniscient Adjective: Knowing everything. Example: “To the third graders the tour guide appeared omniscient.” Photo is of a very small Inukshuk I built while at a beautiful vineyard in Sebastapol, CA for a wine tasting.
Vituperation Noun: Bitter and abusive language. Example: “Vituperation generally does not improve communication.” Photo is of the Russian River north of Healdsburg, CA