A Logophile’s Ludic Musings: U

As an unrepentant logophile (lover of words), I’ve assembled a list of unusual, obscure, or simply charming-to-me words. Ludic is defined as “playful, in an aimless way,” and that’s my plan for approaching this a-to-z challenge—keeping my feet on the joy trail and meandering wherever the daily word takes me.

U is for…

unco  –  (adj) unusual, strange, unknown. First documented usage 1410.

Oh, how my heart is set aflutter by this. A little strangeness, a little oddity, some unusual is just what makes the world so wonderful.  Just thinking about it fills me with a bit of excitement, prickles my curiosity sensors, and invites me to put on my wondering cap.

There is strangeness everywhere.  Almost every morning I awake in that land, pondering the most recent dream which has sent its secret coded message for me to decipher.  For example, today I’m wondering about the me that’s filled with thousands of microscopic versions of me who apparently keep watch of things from various locations in my body.  I have windows in my feet, and viewing towers in the hair shafts on my head, and the pupils in my eyes are huge viewing portals. The miniature mes are constantly accessing things, consulting with one another, and deciding what responses to send out.  I woke up as they were announcing a verdict to be issued: “A hare can hear the rose is sore.”  Now tell me, is that strange or not?

If you think about anything, REALLY think about it, it’s easy to fall into the enchanted world of strange.  Look at a flower and taking in the beauty of the form and color and scent, move past it and start wondering at all those assorted parts that have evolved into that particular shade of loveliness. Isn’t pollination strange; aren’t those gorgeous big fat furry bumblebees truly creatures of oddness; why do apples have seeds inside formed in the shape of a star? Where did the expression “step on a crack, break your mother’s back” come from?

I remember very clearly the first time I saw a box created by artist Joseph Cornell and thought how perfectly wonderful it was in its oddness.  I remember how curious I was to both glimpse the world through the eyes that saw things that way, AND then the immediate accompanying thought that perhaps my eyes saw things in arrangements that no one else did as well.  And how exciting that was!

The unknown stirs curiosity for me. It engages me.  How lucky are we to live in a world filled with a vastness of strange and wonderful things? 

Here’s a little sampling of things I’ve learned that delight me:

The National Center for Atmospheric Research reports that the average cloud is the same weight as 100 elephants. Doesn’t that make you think about clouds differently?

Here’s something that came from the obituary of Berholt Wolpe: “One of his most treasured possessions was a miniature sweet pea with pole green leaves and tiny sky-blue flowers. The seed it came from was the grandchild of a seed that had been found in a tomb of one of the Pharaohs.” 

No doubt I’ve mentioned that I’m enthralled with both ancient Egypt and flowers, so this little factoid obviously delights me. However, knowing that this information was shared in an obituary is a remarkable discovery to me as well. It rather raises the bar for obituaries, in my opinion.

When long rows of cumulus clouds are oriented parallel to the direction of the wind, these are called cloud streets. Just thinking about this immediately transports me to cloudland. Who doesn’t want to travel this way?

Silk is usually made from cocoons spun by silkworms. But there is another, much rarer cloth known as sea silk or byssus, which is made from long silky filaments secreted by the gland in the foot of a certain type of clam. The clam uses these filaments to attach itself to the sea bed. But when spun and treated with lemon juice, the fiber turns a golden color that never fades. While there were never many people producing this kind of silk, as of several years ago, there was thought to be only one person remaining who could harvest it, spin it, and make it shine like gold.

As Mary Oliver wrote: “Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous to be understood . . . Let me keep company always with those who say ‘Look!’ and laugh in astonishment, and bow their heads.”

I want to live in a world that appreciates the strange and unusual, and I want my love of oddity and strangeness to help keep wonder in my brain and delight in my heart.

What about you?  What strangeness has captured your attention lately? What odd word has been fascinating you?  Do tell – you know I love to hear.