The Ramblings of a Dictionary Nerd
Originally published August 4, 2013
Our son, Philip, called me a Word Nerd the other day. I love words and increasing my collection and understanding of them is enjoyable. There is an orange paperback Handy College Dictionary fourth edition lying next to my laptop, and I use the Merriam-Webster online dictionary daily to find the best word and the most complete meaning of a word to use when I write. I write assessments, goals, objectives, case notes, and reports for my job. On occasion, I write an article for my husband’s blog, and I am attempting to write a novella. (I forbid anyone to read it for it is my creative way to download, and to keep an old mind working as sharply as possible.) When I had extra time last week, I tracked down the word supercalifragilisticexpialidocious; an interesting little research sidebar. So, you think I have gone off the deep end? Perhaps, but I will go out with a rich vocabulary.
Confusing and/or impressing people with fancy or impressive words is not the intent of wanting a strong vocabulary. The point to developing and using a strong vocabulary is to be able to choose words with greater precision. It makes communication simpler, not the opposite as some think. Studying words also helps me in my study of the Word.
Take for example the word grip. Out of curiosity, I used the online dictionary to give me wonderful meanings of that commonly used word. I played tennis back in the day and was always being instructed on how to improve my grip. Everyone who played the game with me always assured me that if I strengthened my grip, my ability to control the ball would improve. There are idioms which use the word grip such as: get a grip, come to grips, and lose your grip, in the grip of something. I have lost count of the times I have been told to “Get a grip.”
A firm, tenacious hold to gain or maintain control or mastery was one rendition I preferred. Immediately, I cross-referenced the word tenacious and by doing so, the meaning of the word grip was expanded. Tenacious: not easily pulled apart, persistent, determined, unfaltering, unrelenting. Grip means to take hold with a determined, unfaltering hold in order to gain or maintain control/mastery of a situation, person, or thing. With more investigation, I learned that grip and tenacious had both positive and negative connotations. Grip also has the softer meanings to embrace, clasp, cling, or cradle, and tenacious can mean bull-headed, unregenerate, and stiff-necked. So, an expanded rendition of grip can be a firm, tenacious hold, or a bull-headed clinging to a person, situation, or thing in order to gain or maintain control or mastery.
Why do we grip people, situations, or things so tightly? Is it an attempt to gain or maintain control? Is it fear that something less or inferior will replace what is being held onto so tightly, or even worse, lost forever? Is it a reluctance to say good-bye to the past and a resistance to embrace the future? Is it for security or an emotional safety net? If my questions were on a checklist, I would be checking yes to all of the above.
Gripping the past, hanging on tenaciously to it, does it change the present? Can it affect the future? Yes. It keeps daily growth and spiritual transformation from happening, affects present and future relationships with family, friends, and even casual acquaintances, and hinders new and deeper experiences from being enjoyed. It can be a raw form of rejection.
Even holding onto the good things of the past too tightly can affect personal growth and positive change. How many times have we heard the phrase, “We’ve always done it this way,” because someone at the church or in the family doesn’t want to experience change?
We are told in God’s Word to hold and to also let go. The Apostle Paul tells us to hold onto right thinking and strong doctrine, to hold on to what is good with the promised result of deeper sanctification. I did a quick, not exhaustive, word search of cling, and hold. It was interesting to me that in some of the references I read for the word hold, it was in regard to supporting something. Now, doesn’t that give a perspective on how we can grip someone or something? Rather than hanging on in order to gain or maintain control, we can tenaciously support that person, or organization. Support…do I feel another itch to look up a commonly used word and see what new perspective I can get?
Just like the circuitous storyline in the children’s book If You Give a Mouse A Cookie : When I now hear the word grip, my mind will flash back to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary; and when I go to the online dictionary I will get curious and will look up words. Hmmmmm… And if I look up words I will want to read their definitions. I will even look up the word definition and discover that it’s a statement of the meaning of a word, exemplification, elucidation, clarification, rendering, vignette…….
Ok, Susan, “Get a grip.”
Susan Dohse: Fitly Spoken
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).
I have this verse underlined in red in my New Scofield Reference Bible, copywrited in 1967. Wayne, my husband of 36 years, now deceased, gave me the Bible for my birthday in 1976. Why I underlined in red I do not remember, probably because the only pen handy was one that I used to grade papers; and of course, teachers use red ink to grade papers. But it is underlined because I found it significant, poignant, and a much needed reminder to speak words that are fitly spoken.
I have trouble speaking fit words. Hateful words, sarcastic words, impatient words, nagging words (as Yule Brenner in a favorite musical of mine, The King and I, artfully said, “Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera”), come more easily from my mouth. I was taught a precious lesson this week from one of my preschoolers on the subject of words fitly spoken—the right words at the right time.
For many of you, reading children’s books are no longer part of your day because your little ones are grown and out of the nest. Because of the nature of my job, that being an Early Intervention Specialist (a fancy name for a teacher of special needs preschoolers); I get to read and enjoy those simple stories on a daily basis. I would like to encourage you to step back into time and read The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. It is a children’s book that is chock full of theology and life applications. I traditionally read this book aloud to my preschoolers during the first week of school.
Coming to school for the very first time as a three, four, or five year old can cause anxiety. That anxiety manifests itself in a variety of ways such as, crying, clinging to a parent, hiding under tables, or refusing to participate. B is a four year old who suffered separation anxiety every day during that first week of school. His anxiety manifested itself by crying, clinging to his mother, and after mother left, refusing to participate in any activities.
The first day I read the story of the kissing hand just as is. The second day I read it again and left out words, and frequently asked, “What happened next?” to encourage recall of information. The third day I encouraged the students to participate by pretending to be the main character, Chester, the raccoon. After many verbal prompts I had the attention of all thirteen wigglers, and was half way through the story when four year old B got out of his seat and stood beside my chair. I sighed, and wanted to say, “Go back and sit down.” But instead I asked,” What do you need, B?” He wiggled his finger indicating he wanted to tell me something privately. I leaned over. He kissed the palm of his hand and pressed it against my cheek and whispered, “I love you, Mrs. Susan.” “I love you too.” I whispered back.
B said fitly spoken words that were apples of gold in my picture of silver. Now, in order to get the full meaning of what B said and did, you must read The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.
During the 45 minute drive home from school I reflected upon the verse and began thinking of other fitly spoken words recorded in the master textbook, Scripture. My first recall was of the shepherds telling Mary all the things which had come to pass and how she pondered them in her heart. I thought of Jesus and his conversation with Nicodemus under the cover of night and how our Savior’s fitly spoken words recorded in John chapter three are still used when we witness and evangelize. We use Paul’s fitly spoken words to Timothy, his “son,” when he encouraged him. Scripture presents us with a limitless source of fitly spoken words, the right words spoken at the right time. As we daily take up our crosses and follow Christ, let us also take the fitly spoken Word and use it to speak fitly spoken words to those around us.
Doing so will not be self righteous acts to gain favor with God, but will become as apples of gold in pictures of silver. That is a divine promise.
susan
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
leave a comment