Word Wednesday.

Prick

Noun.

1: a mark or shallow hole made by a pointed instrument.

2a: a pointed instrument or weapon b: a sharp projecting organ or part.

3: an instance of pricking or the sensation of being pricked: as a: a nagging or sharp feeling of remorse, regret, or sorrow b: a slight sharply localized discomfort <the prick of a needle>.

4: usually vulgar: penis.

5: usually vulgar: a spiteful or contemptible man often having some authority.

[Origin: Middle English prikke, from Old English prica; akin to Middle Dutch pric prick.]

(before 12th Century).

“Stone shook his head. “Rapid’s not going to be the Wild West for too much longer, girls.” I could tell Madame was included in that “girls,” and it put my back up. She had years and miles on Dyer Stone, and brains to boot. But he had a prick, and inherited money, and a prick. I guess that gave him the right to lord it over her. – Karen Memory, Elizabeth Bear.

The Healing Arts: Anxiety, Frustration, Repressed Hostility.

I think Boris Artzybasheff was one of the greatest artists ever. His artistic explorations of emotional and mental states were, and are, absolutely stunning. He had a great gift for being able to draw and express such states perfectly. All of them instantly recognizable, so much so they come as a bit of a shock. Have a look here for more amazing art by Mr. Artzybasheff. Click for full size.

Anxiety, Frustration, Repressed Hostility. Boris Artzybasheff, 1947, published in Life Magazine. Subject: Psychiatry, Emotions, Mental Health.

Anxiety, Frustration, Repressed Hostility. Boris Artzybasheff, 1947, published in Life Magazine. Subject: Psychiatry, Emotions, Mental Health.

The Healing Arts: Charles Wright’s Champaign Driving Away Real Pain.

Click for full size.

Charles Wright's Champaign Driving Away Real Pain. Theodore Lane, Aquatint coloured, ca. 1824-26. Inscription: Wine Cures the Gout, the Colic and the Phthisic, Wine it is to all men the very Best of Physic. Subject: Charles Wright, Alcoholic Beverages, Wine, Gout, Cholic, Asthma.

Charles Wright’s Champaign Driving Away Real Pain. Theodore Lane, Aquatint coloured, ca. 1824-26. Inscription: Wine Cures the Gout, the Colic and the Phthisic, Wine it is to all men the very Best of Physic. Subject: Charles Wright, Alcoholic Beverages, Wine, Gout, Cholic, Asthma.

Word Wednesday.

Canting

Adjective: affectedly pious or righteous <a canting moralist> [Origin: 5Cant.]

(1663)

1Cant

Adjective dialectal, England: Lively, Lusty. [Origin: Middle English, probably from Middle Low German kant.]

(14th Century)

²Cant

Transitive verb.

1: to give a cant or oblique edge to: bevel.

2: to set at an angle: Tilt.

3: Chiefly British: to throw with a lurch.

Intransitive verb.

1: to pitch to one side: lean.

2: slope.

[Origin: ³Cant]

(Circa 1543)

³Cant

Noun.

1: Obsolete: corner, niche.

2: an external angle (as of a building).

3: a log with one or more squared sides.

4a: an oblique or slanting surface b: inclination, slope.

[Origin: Middle English cant side, probably from Middle Dutch or Middle French dialect; Middle Dutch, edge, corner, from Middle French dialectal (Picard), from Latin canthus, cantus iron tire, perhaps of Celtic origin; akin to Welsh cant rim; perhaps akin to Greek kanthos corner of the eye.]

(1603)

4Cant

Adjective.

1: having canted corners or sides.

2: inclined.

(1663)

5Cant

Intransitive verb.

1: to talk or beg in a whining or singsong manner.

2: to speak in cant or jargon.

3: to talk hypocritically.

[Origin: perhaps from Middle French dialect (Norman-Picard) canter to tell, literally, to sing from Latin cantare.]

(1567)

6Cant

Noun.

1: affected singsong or whining speech.

2a: the private language of the underworld. b: obsolete: the phraseology peculiar to a religious class or sect. c: jargon.

3: a set or stock phrase.

4: the expression or repetition of conventional or trite opinions or sentiments; especially: the insincere use of pious words.

(1640)

“You could certainly call it that,” said Cornish. “Pompous, canting old hypocrite!” he went on. “Everybody’s got it in for him. Throws his weight about, ultra sanctimonious, and neck deep in graft for years past!” – The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side, Agatha Christie.