Words and Meanings

There are many whimsical lists around that give words with the same spelling and vastly different meanings. Most often those words are from different parts of speech--comparing a verb to a noun (wind up the clock vs. the wind blew hard).

But here are some nouns that are spelled the same and have different meanings. I pulled these randomly from Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh edition.

• tender (n)
  1) an unconditional offer of money or service in satisfaction of a debt or obligation made to save a penalty of forfeiture for nonpayment or nonperformance.
  2) one that tends as a ship employed to attend other ships (e.g. to supply provisions).
• barrow (n)
  1) a large mound of earth or stones over the remains of the dead.
  2) a male hog castrated before sexual maturity.
  3) a cart with a shallow box body, two wheels, and shafts for pushing it.
• date (n)
  1) the oblong edible fruit of a palm
  2) the time at which an event occurs
• gimlet (n)
  1) a small tool with a screw point, grooved shank, and cross handle for boring holes.
  2) a drink consisting of sweetened lime juice and gin or vodka and sometimes carbonated or plain water.

This list could get quite long, but I'm stopping with the word (second meaning) I like best. :-)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Liberty Lanes - Review

I borrowed this book from my Public Library.

Paperback, 192 pages
2011 by University of Nevada Press
ISBN 0874178576 (ISBN13: 9780874178579)

As an oldster, reading about oldsters, I believe that Robin Troy has given poignancy and truthfulness to the subject of old age..

Her short novel Liberty Lanes is about relationships among a group of long-time friends in a small Montana town. All are more than 70 years old; they bowl together, have parties, and generally enjoy having fun. Then stalwart member Nelson Moore prevents one of the women, Fran, from choking to death on a chicken bone. Nelson is a hero; he is interviewed by the local papers. And that's where their interactions get a bit wobbly. It's also when they notice that Nelson is losing his cognitive abilities.

Each chapter is written from a different point of view, beginning and ending with Nelson, as the group is suddenly very conscious of previously ignored circumstances. Fran becomes frightened by her own impermanence; Bethany, always courageous, harbors worry that she could have done something to offset Nelson’s condition; Alistair (blind since in his 20s) seems to have insight about each of them that they don’t realize themselves. The young journalist Hailey James eventually notices Nelson’s condition, too, but not before the interactions of the group have given her reason to contemplate her own relationships—or lack thereof.

I’m fortunate that no one in my family has suffered from Alzheimer’s or even mild senility. But I have several friends from whom I’ve learned about this sometimes sudden disease and caring for those who have it. Robin Troy’s depiction of Nelson, slowly losing bits of himself, is well written, and seems to mirror what I’ve heard from my friends. It would have been easy for this book to be a real downer—especially since I’m in this age group, but Liberty Lanes gives a dignity to it all that for me was unexpected.

A Pinch of Dust - Review

I really enjoyed this historical Christmas short story by Carol Buchanan. "A Pinch of Dust" (10K words) not only tells a story of goodwill and caring for others, but portrays the rough living conditions of a 19th century mining town.

It takes place on Christmas Eve, 1864, with all the cold winds of Montana and with a child begging on the street. "Mister, can you spare a pinch of dust?" she asks Dan Stark.

Dan's reaction? He gets himself into a poker game with the girl's dead-beat father.

This gets him into big trouble with his wife, Martha, and his stepchildren, Timothy and Dotty. "You'll be sittin' in the seat of the ungodly!" Martha says.
His intentions are really good. But can he pull it off?

Set in Virginia City, Montana Territory, Buchanan has employed her great character--Dan Stark, from her Vigilante series--as the protagonist. There's also a lot of card-shark talk (beyond me, but interesting just to see the ins-and-outs of a five-card stud game).

Author's notes at the end are also interesting.