Extravagant Words

Fritter, Latibulate, Frippery, and Haku

Fritter

A memory from my days as an overworked, stressed-out dental student: on my lunch break I saw a middle-aged man lying on the grass on campus. He was barefoot, with his feet propped up on a tree, reading a book. I thought: he looks like the happiest person in the world.

How I longed to fritter away the rest of that afternoon! Instead I went back inside to study.

From the song “Time” by Pink Floyd:

“Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day

You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way”

Listen to Dark Side of the Moon and watch The Wizard of Oz for some serious pareidolia (an upcoming Word of Wonder).

Latibulate

This obsolete word deserves more attention. Oxford English Dictionary cites the use of latibulate in 1623 by lexicographer Henry Cockeram: “privily to hide ones selfe in a corner.” Who hasn’t felt this way on a Monday morning when the alarm goes off?

Frippery

This word reminds me of the wonderfully odd children’s book THE VERY PERSISTENT GAPPERS OF FRIP by George Saunders, illustrated by Lane Smith.

The dictionary definition of gapper? “a machine for thinning sugar beets or other crops by cutting gaps in the row,” or “a person who is taking a gap year.”

Haku

This word is Hawaiian; another definition is “to braid or to make a wreath.” In Japanese haku means “pure” or “white.” Haku is the name of boy, dragon, and river spirit who befriends the main character Chihiro in the film Spirited Away—one of the greatest, weirdest animated movies ever made.

Next week’s Words of Wonder: Monosyllabic Words.

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One month until POETRY COMICS launches!

If you pre-order my new book you can get a signed print of my “Bookshelf” comic from Chronicle Books. And my amazing local indie bookshop Watermark Books & Cafe has signed copies. More details here: https://poetrycomics.chroniclebooks.com/

Here are some early reviews of POETRY COMICS, can’t wait for you all to read it!