Thursday 31 December 2015

Lave

LAVE
[leɪv]

-verb
an archaic word for wash

























The struck of midnight
Laving old sins into new gold
Calendar alchemy
Surrounded by sparklers

Wednesday 30 December 2015

Brumal

BRUMAL

-adj.
of, characteristic of, or relating to winter; wintry














East of nothing
Brumal ghosts
Shiver in the sun

Tuesday 29 December 2015

Puce

PUCE

-noun
1. a colour varying from deep red to dark purplish-brown
-adj.
2. something of that colour




















Love messages
In puce over asphalt
Secret street code


Monday 28 December 2015

Overlook

OVERLOOK

-verb (trans.)
1. to fail to notice or take into account
2. to disregard deliberately or indulgently
3. to look at or over from above
4. to afford a view of from above
5. to rise above
6. to look after
7. to look at carefully
8. to bewitch or cast the evil eye upon (someone)
-noun
9. (US) a high place affording a view
10. (US) an act of overlooking


 























An overlook in the metering
Turns a photograph into painting

Sunday 27 December 2015

Barbecue

BARBECUE

-noun
1. a meal cooked out of doors over an open fire
2. an outdoor party or picnic at which barbecued food is served
3. a grill or fireplace used in barbecuing
4. the food so cooked
-verb
1. to cook (meat, fish, etc.) on a grill, usually over charcoal and often with a highly seasoned sauce
2. to cook (meat, fish, etc.) in a highly seasoned sauce

























Unusual breakfast
Barbecued lamb

Nested in a crusty loaf

Saturday 26 December 2015

Thief

THIEF

-noun
1. a person who steals something from another
2. (criminal law) . a person who commits theft
Plural: thieves
























Furry criminal
Pillow thief
Planting kitty dreams

In my cushion

Friday 25 December 2015

Resign

RESIGN

-verb
1. When intr., often followed by “from” . to give up tenure of (a job, office, etc.)
2. (trans.) to reconcile (oneself) to; yield
3. (trans.) to give up (a right, claim, etc.); relinquish 
























Having read the statutes
I resign myself to
The unconceivable
I will never belong there

Thursday 24 December 2015

Trim

TRIM

-adj.
1. neat and spruce in appearance
2. slim; slender
3. in good condition
-verb (mainly trans.)
4. to put in good order, especially by cutting or pruning
5. to shape and finish (timber)
6. to adorn or decorate
7. sometimes followed by “off’ or "away” . to cut so as to remove
8. to cut down to the desired size or shape
9. (dialect) to decorate
10. (nautical)
a. (also intr.) to adjust the balance of (a vessel) or (of a vessel) to maintain an even balance, by distribution of ballast, cargo, etc.
b. (also intra.) to adjust (a vessel's sails) to take advantage of the wind
c. to stow (cargo)
11.  to balance (an aircraft) before flight by adjusting the position of the load or in flight by the use of trim tabs, fuel transfer, etc.
12. (also intr.) to modify (one's opinions, etc.) to suit opposing factions or for expediency
13. (informal) to thrash or beat
14. (informal) to rebuke
15. (obsolete) to furnish or equip
-noun
16. a decoration or adornment
17. the upholstery and decorative facings, as on the door panels, of a car's interior
18. proper order or fitness; good shape
19. a haircut that neatens but does not alter the existing hairstyle
20 (nautical)
a. the general set and appearance of a vessel
b. the difference between the draught of a vessel at the bow and at the stern
c. the fitness of a vessel
d. the position of a vessel's sails relative to the wind
e. the relative buoyancy of a submarine
21. dress or equipment
22. (US) window-dressing
23. the attitude of an aircraft in flight when the pilot allows the main control surfaces to take up their own positions
24. (cinema) . a section of shot cut out during editing
25. material that is trimmed off
26. decorative mouldings, such as architraves, picture rails, etc.























I try and trim
The trimmings
But the clown
Remained, stuck,
And laughing



Wednesday 23 December 2015

Sanction

SANCTION

-noun
1. final permission; authorization
2. aid or encouragement
3. something, such as an ethical principle, that imparts binding force to a rule, oath, etc.
4. the penalty laid down in a law for contravention of its provisions
5. (often plural) . a coercive measure, especially one taken by one or more states against another guilty of violating international law
-verb
6. to give authority to; permit
7. to make authorized; confirm
8. to impose a sanction or penalty on
























Do the cloud worry
About the angel’s sanction?
Wind carries both away

Tuesday 22 December 2015

Trey

TREY

-noun
any card or dice throw with three spots























Fate handed in
Treasonous trey

Why are clover leaves luck?

Monday 21 December 2015

Solstice

SOLSTICE

-noun
1. either the shortest day of the year (winter solstice) or the longest day of the year (summer solstice)
2. either of the two points on the ecliptic at which the sun is overhead at the tropic of Cancer or Capricorn at the summer and winter solstices
























Born on a winter solstice
Yet the warmest sun in my life

Sunday 20 December 2015

Sage

SAGE

-noun
1. a man revered for his profound wisdom
-adj.
2. profoundly wise or prudent
3. (obsolete) solemn

-noun
1. a perennial Mediterranean plant, Salvia officinalis, having grey-green leaves and purple, blue, or white flowers: family Lamiaceae (labiates)
2. the leaves of this plant, used in cooking for flavouring
3. short for sagebrush























Citrus laced butter
And unwise sage
In a Gordian knot

Sunday fresh pasta

Saturday 19 December 2015

Crass

CRASS

-adj.
stupid; gross























He comes in for cuddles
The crass creature
Who could resist him

Despite his dirty nose?

Friday 18 December 2015

Intricate

INTRICATE

-adj.
1. difficult to understand; obscure; complex; puzzling
2. entangled or involved














Under the golden tree
An intricate lace
A struggle for power

And more dying sun 

Thursday 17 December 2015

Friend

FRIEND

-noun
1. a person known well to another and regarded with liking, affection, and loyalty; an intimate
2. an acquaintance or associate
3. an ally in a fight or cause; supporter
4. a fellow member of a party, society, etc.
5. a patron or supporter 
-verb
6. to add (a person) to one's list of contacts on a social networking website
7. an archaic word for befriend























Visiting
A dear friend
Talking until late

Waking up to watch the dawn

Wednesday 16 December 2015

Wonderful

WONDERFUL

-adj.
1. exciting a feeling of wonder; marvellous or strange
2. extremely fine; excellent























In dark days
The light wonderful

Warming galaxies

Tuesday 15 December 2015

Oversight

OVERSIGHT

-noun
1. an omission or mistake, especially one made through failure to notice something
2. supervision























In an oversight
I forgot my duties
The oversight of tea

Making darkness

Monday 14 December 2015

Strip

STRIP

-verb
1. to take or pull (the covering, clothes, etc.) off (oneself, another person, or thing)
2. (intr.) to remove all one's clothes
3. (intr.) to perform a striptease
4. (trans.) to denude or empty completely
5. (trans.) to deprive
6. (trans.) to rob or plunder
7. (trans.) to remove (paint, varnish, etc) from (a surface, furniture, etc) by sanding, with a solvent, etc 
8. Also: pluck (trans.) . to pull out the old coat of hair from (dogs of certain long- and wire-haired breeds)
9. to remove the leaves from the stalks of (tobacco, etc.)
10. to separate the two sides of a leaf from the stem of (tobacco, etc)
11. (trans.) (agriculture) . to draw the last milk from each of the teats of (a cow)
12. to dismantle (an engine, mechanism, etc)
13. to tear off or break (the thread) from (a screw, bolt, etc) or (the teeth) from (a gear)
14. (often followed by “down”) . to remove the accessories from (a motor vehicle)
15. to remove (the most volatile constituent) from (a mixture of liquids) by boiling, evaporation, or distillation
16. (printing) (usually followed by “in”) . to combine (pieces of film or paper) to form a composite sheet from which a plate can be made
17. (trans.) (in freight transport) . to unpack (a container) 
-noun
18. the act or an instance of undressing or of performing a striptease

-noun
1. a relatively long, flat, narrow piece of something
2. short for airstrip
3. (philately) a horizontal or vertical row of three or more un-separated postage stamps
4. the clothes worn by the members of a team, especially a football team
5. (business) a triple option on a security or commodity consisting of one call option and two put options at the same price and for the same period
-verb
6. to cut or divide into strips










A strip of stranger
Kept for old time’s sake
Cracked yet burning still

Memories

Sunday 13 December 2015

Quinoa

QUINOA

-noun
a grain high in nutrients traditionally grown as a staple food high in the Andes























Sunday morning treat
Quinoa porridge full of sun

And luscious cream cheese

Saturday 12 December 2015

Poltroon

POLTROON

-noun
1. an abject or contemptible coward
-adj.
2. a rare word for cowardly























Diffident poltroon
Hiding on the roof

Clouds cowed in unison

Friday 11 December 2015

Resilient

RESILIENT

-adj.
1. (of an object or material) capable of regaining its original shape or position after bending, stretching, compression, or other deformation; elastic
2. (of a person) recovering easily and quickly from shock, illness, hardship, etc.; irrepressible
























Climate change
Is not a matter for resilient penguins
The earth is dying

Thursday 10 December 2015

Chav

CHAV

-noun
(British, informal, derogatory) . a young working-class person whose tastes, although sometimes expensive, are considered vulgar by some























It’s obvious from their faces
That they are far from raptus
And consider him a chav

For all his crimson glory

Wednesday 9 December 2015

Chawbacon

CHAWBACON

-noun
(pejorative) . an unsophisticated person of low intellect























In the shadows
Lurks the chawbacon
Ready to pounce

In your timeline

Tuesday 8 December 2015

Cheap

CHEAP

-adj.
1. costing relatively little; inexpensive; good value
2. charging low prices
3. of poor quality; shoddy
4. worth relatively little
5. not worthy of respect; vulgar
6. ashamed; embarrassed
7. stingy; miserly
8. (informal) mean; despicable 























Bad weather and
Cheap filters
For moody shots of

Nothing much

Monday 7 December 2015

Insane

INSANE

-adj.
1. mentally deranged; crazy; of unsound mind
2. characteristic of a person of unsound mind
3. irresponsible; very foolish; stupid

























Like a ghost
Scrapping nails on a blackboard,
The cough inside my head

Is driving me insane

Sunday 6 December 2015

Skim

SKIM

-verb
1. (trans.) to remove floating material from the surface of (a liquid), as with a spoon
2. to glide smoothly or lightly over (a surface)
3. (trans.) to throw (something) in a path over a surface, so as to bounce or ricochet over water
4. (when intr., usually followed by “through”) . to read (a book) in a superficial or cursory manner
5. to cover (a liquid) with a thin layer or (of liquid) to become coated in this way, as with ice, scum, etc.
-noun
6. the act or process of skimming
7. material skimmed off a liquid, especially off milk
8. the liquid left after skimming
9. any thin layer covering a surface

























First skim some broth
Then add squash and
A piece of preserved lemon

Serve with cream

Saturday 5 December 2015

Glaikit

GLAIKIT

-adj.
(Scottish) foolish; silly; thoughtless 

























Meet the local goof
Glaikit pole dancer
Fierce union leader

And cushion barnacle

Friday 4 December 2015

Harridan

HARRIDAN

-noun
a scolding old woman; nag

























The feedback is clear
When stressed
I turn to a harridan

No surprise

Thursday 3 December 2015

Plaudit

PLAUDIT

-noun (usually plural)
1. an expression of enthusiastic approval or approbation
2. a round of applause

























An old puppet
Going for plaudits

Neapolitan comedy 

Wednesday 2 December 2015

Kinesics

KINESICS

-noun
(functioning as singular) . the study of the role of body movements, such as winking, shrugging, etc., in communication




















Cardboard kinesics
Sculptural élan

Ghosts at the window

Tuesday 1 December 2015

Éclat

ÉCLAT

-noun
1. brilliant or conspicuous success, effect, etc.
2. showy display; ostentation
3. social distinction
4. approval; acclaim; applause




















Winter comes in

Softly yet with éclat

Monday 30 November 2015

Hulk

HULK

-noun
1. the body of an abandoned vessel
2. (derogatory) . a large or unwieldy vessel
3. (derogatory) . a large ungainly person or thing
4. (often plural) . the frame or hull of a ship, used as a storehouse, etc., or (especially in 19th-century Britain) as a prison
-verb
5. (intr.) (British, informal) . to move clumsily
6. (intr.)(often followed by “up”) . to rise massively

























In the dry dock
Morose hulks

Stare at visitors

Sunday 29 November 2015

Goose

GOOSE

-noun
1. any of various web-footed long-necked birds of the family Anatidae: order Anseriformes. Typically larger animal than ducks and are gregarious and migratory.
2. the female of such a bird, as opposed to the male (gander)
3. (informal) . a silly person
4. When plural “gooses” . a pressing iron with a long curving handle, used especially by tailors
5. the flesh of the goose, used as food

verb
1. (trans.) to prod (a person) playfully in the behind


























Goose liver and rhubarb
Such tragic delicacy

Saturday 28 November 2015

Suave

SUAVE

-adj.
(especially of a man) displaying smoothness and sophistication in manner or attitude; urbane

























He coughs,
My suave master:

Asthma

Friday 27 November 2015

Resonance

RESONANCE

-noun
1. the condition or quality of being resonant (i.e. resounding or re-echoing)
2. sound produced by a body vibrating in sympathy with a neighbouring source of sound
3. the condition of a body or system when it is subjected to a periodic disturbance of the same frequency as the natural frequency of the body or system. At this frequency the system displays an enhanced oscillation or vibration
amplification of speech sounds by sympathetic vibration in the bone structure of the head and chest, resounding in the cavities of the nose, mouth, and pharynx
4. (electronics) . the condition of an electrical circuit when the frequency is such that the capacitive and inductive reactances are equal in magnitude. In a series circuit there is then maximum alternating current whilst in a parallel circuit there is minimum alternating current
5. (medicine) . the sound heard when percussing a hollow bodily structure, especially the chest or abdomen. Change in the quality of the sound often indicates an underlying disease or disorder
6. (chemistry) . the phenomenon in which the electronic structure of a molecule can be represented by two or more hypothetical structures involving single, double, and triple chemical bonds. The true structure is considered to be an average of these theoretical structures
7. (physics)
a. the condition of a system in which there is a sharp maximum probability for the absorption of electromagnetic radiation or capture of particles
b. a type of elementary particle of extremely short lifetime. Resonances are regarded as excited states of more stable particles
c. a highly transient atomic state formed during a collision process




















Grief dull in my veins
A resonance haunting

Heart percussions

Thursday 26 November 2015

Stylus

STYLUS

-noun
1. a pointed instrument for engraving, drawing, or writing
2. a tool used in ancient times for writing on wax tablets, which was pointed at one end and blunt at the other for erasing mistakes
3. a device attached to the cartridge in the pick-up arm of a record player that rests in the groove in the record, transmitting the vibrations to the sensing device in the cartridge.


















No stylus ever
Engraved those wings

Grisaille chimeras

Wednesday 25 November 2015

Quonk

QUONK

-noun
1. an accidental noise picked up on a microphone while broadcasting
-verb
2. (intr.) to make an accidental noise while broadcasting


























Abstract dirt
Visual quonk
Of time gone by

Tuesday 24 November 2015

Turmoil

TURMOIL

-noun
1. violent or confused movement; agitation; tumult
-verb
2. (archaic) to make or become turbulent




















In times of turmoil
Love will see us through

Violence must never prevail

Monday 23 November 2015

Xeric

XERIC

-adj.
(ecology) of, relating to, or growing in dry conditions



















Such a lovely refreshing salad
Who would have guessed

That arugola was a xeric plant

Sunday 22 November 2015

Blue cheese

BLUE CHEESE

-noun
cheese containing a blue mould, like Stilton, Roquefort, or Gorgonzola. 

























Roses are red
Cheeses are blue
Even when they’re orange

If that confuses you

Saturday 21 November 2015

Picara

PICARA

-noun
1. a female rogue or adventurer
2. (literature) the main female character in a picaresque novel

























She stands at the window
A shy picara looking for luck
Inquiring about food

And a chance of cuddles

Friday 20 November 2015

Blithesome

BLITHESOME

-adj.
(literary) cheery; merry



















A fallen pirouetter
Arching over

Blithesome still

Thursday 19 November 2015

Shag

SHAG

-noun
1. a matted tangle, especially of hair, wool, etc.
2. a napped fabric, usually a rough wool
3. shredded coarse tobacco
verb
4. (trans.) to make shaggy

-noun
1. a cormorant, especially the green cormorant (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)

-verb
1. (British slang) . to have sexual intercourse with (a person)
2. (trans.) (British slang) (often followed by “out”; usually passive) . to exhaust; tire
-noun
3. (British slang) . an act of sexual intercourse

























A shag of clouds
Refusing to move

Sun’s comb gives up

Wednesday 18 November 2015

Haze

HAZE

-noun
1. (meteorology)
a. reduced visibility in the air as a result of condensed water vapour, dust, etc., in the atmosphere
b. the moisture or dust causing this
2. obscurity of perception, feeling, etc.
-verb
3. when intr., often followed by “over” . to make or become hazy

-verb (trans.)
1. (nautical) to harass with humiliating tasks
2. (mainly US & and Canadian) to subject (fellow students) to ridicule or abuse

























Hazy minds
Lost children

Debris everywhere

Tuesday 17 November 2015

Beseech

BESEECH

-verb
(trans.) to ask (someone) earnestly (to do something or for something); beg

























Certain blooms
Beseech and pimp

Eager for a shot

Monday 16 November 2015

Turm

TURM

-noun
(archaic, poetic). a troop of horsemen















Lone rider
Escaped from the turm
Turned to stone

By anger and sun

Sunday 15 November 2015

Cheesecake

CHEESECAKE

-noun
1. a rich tart (baked or not) with a biscuit base, filled with a mixture of cream cheese, cream, sugar, sometimes having a fruit, nut, or chocolate topping. Savoury versions are sometimes produced
2. (slang) women displayed for their sex appeal, as in photographs in magazines, newspapers, or films

























Debate is open
As to whether this qualifies
As cheesecake or not
He says not white
I say cheese based

We both eat it

Saturday 14 November 2015

Revenant

REVENANT

-noun
something, especially a ghost, that returns



















Youth mischief forgotten
Fond
Fuzzy
Revenants
Memories
Fond
Love
Grown
Gone
Fond
Mischief [youth forgotten]


Friday 13 November 2015

Funereal

FUNEREAL

-adj.
suggestive of a funeral; gloomy or mournful















Flocculent clouds
Looming in a funereal guise

Shagged dog pelt