7.21.2009

Frank's Brother

Frank McCourt has gone to meet his Maker and even though Susan didn't like any of his books ('Tis true)
she wishes him well in his new endeavor.

Susan much prefers Frank's brother, Malachy the author of 'A Monk Swimming'. Malachy makes Susan laugh and uses words like spifflicated, querulousness, concomitantly, promulgating, desultory and avoirdupois. Susan knows what promulgating means because it was part of a couplet in a junior high school bathroom stall and has stuck with her for three decades. Some of the other words Susan has seen around the neighborhood but she really doesn't know them and two are flat out strangers.

Let's make friends with some new words, shall we?

SPIFFLICATED
1920s slang for drunk
Damaged beyond repair

QUERULOUSNESS
A related form of QUERULOUS; inclined to find fault,
often complaining

CONCOMITANTLY
Occurring simultaneously, accompanying,
existing with something else often in a lesser way

PROMULGATING
Announcing, making known

DESULTORY
Lacking in consistency or visible order, disconnected

AVOIRDUPOIS
Excess body weight