Dressing up is inevitably a substitute for good ideas. It is no coincidence that technically inept business types are known as "suits."

Paul Graham, September 2004

Osculation – noun (humorous)

Kissing.

ORIGIN – from Latin osculari ‘to kiss’

I was in Courtmacsherry a few weeks ago. The weather was lovely and I went for a walk through the village to the beach. The life boat was out in the water so I took a few pictures of it. It really looks striking in the water with its bright orange and blue colours.

Nothing has a stronger influence psychologically on their environment and especially on their children than the unlived life of the parent.

Carl Jung
Swiss psychologist (1875 - 1961)

You Should Own a Beagle

Low maintenance, very friendly, and sturdy.

Namby-pamby – adjective

Weak and ineffectual.

ORIGIN – from the name of Ambrose Philips, an English writer ridiculed for his bad poetry.

The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.

William Shakespeare, "As You Like It", Act 5 scene 1
Greatest English dramatist & poet (1564 - 1616)

I was in Tullamore last weekend visiting friends and was a witness to the welcome that Brian Cowen, our new Taoiseach, received from the people of Tullamore. The town was covered in flags and posters. Check out a couple of the posters below:

What Your Taste in Chocolate Says About You

You are sweet, mellow, and easily satisfied. You don't like anything too intense and dramatic. Deep down, you're a kid at heart... and you're nostalgic for the past. You are friendly, witty, and likable. You charm is overwhelming. People are enchanted by you. You have a comeback for anything. Because of this, you seem flippant at times. You love the feeling of accomplishment. You enjoy doing what's important. You feel lost when you have to do frivolous tasks or hang out with shallow people.

Vamp1 – verb (vamp something up) informal

Improve something by adding something more interesting

Noun – the upper front part of a boot or shoe

ORIGIN – first referring to the foot of a stocking: from Old French avant ‘before’+ pie ‘foot’


Vamp2 – noun (informal)

A woman who uses her sexual attractiveness to seduce and control men

Verb – blatantly set out to attract a man.

DERIVATIVES – vampish adjective vampy adjective

ORIGIN – short for vampire

Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.

Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)

I did something today that I haven’t done in ages; I went to the cinema on my own. This is something that I used to do regularly and then just kind of got out of the habit of doing it. I went to see Lars and the Real Girl in the Kino this afternoon and I really enjoyed it. It is so funny in places and so sad too. Ryan Gosling is excellent as Lars, a delusional young guy that forms an unconventional relationship with a silicone doll that he bought on the internet. There are some very heart warming moments in the film especially when the whole community goes along with the delusion that the silicone doll, called Bianca, is a real girl. Bianca gets involved in the church and volunteers at the hospital. She even goes to church with Lars and his brother and sister in law. There is a girl that works in the same company as Lars and one of the cutest moments in the film is when he gives CPR to her small teddy bear that another guy has hung in a noose made from a computer cable. This is an unusual film but it's very appealing because of its warmth and humour.

Pragmatic – adjective

1. Dealing with things in a realistic and pragmatic way.

2. Relating to philosophical pragmatism.

DERIVATIVES pragmatically adverb

ORIGIN Greek pragmatikos ‘relating to fact’

Gemma Hayes played her first gig of her current Irish tour in Cyprus Avenue on the 22nd of April. We were told by Gemma that we were the guinea pigs, as she and her band had only just finished practicing the day before. The gig on the 22nd was an extra gig that was put on when the gig on the 23rd sold out very quickly. Gemma obviously has lots of fans in Cork. I think it is the first time that I’ve seen so many guys at a gig willing to stand in the first row of the audience. Gemma played a mix of favourites from her first and second albums and also played some new songs. For someone that is so petite she really knows how to go mental on a guitar. She was also really good at talking to the crowd and even told us a story about when she was nine years old and a guy in her class came over and kissed her on the cheek. All her classmates made fun of her so after school she waited for him then she pushed him over and emptied the contents of his schoolbag into a puddle. She was really surprised when he approached her the following week with a marathon bar (now known as snickers) and a Michael Jackson tape! All in all it was a great gig and I’d definitely recommend going to see Gemma the next time she plays in your area.

The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand.

Frank Herbert
US science fiction novelist (1920 - 1986)