Sublime
An inspiration engine for ideas
In addition to the sketches Graham and I wrote for the show, Connie helped me with a couple, the first time we had ever worked together. One of them drew on her amusement at the way in which the English upper class avoided the pronoun ‘I’, as though there were something vulgar about using it. I’d already noticed that using ‘one’ instead of ‘I’ seem
... See moreJohn Cleese • So, Anyway...: The Autobiography
Look closely at those two examples above. Not only do they feature these run-ons or enjambments, which allow a sense of continual flow, they also contain pauses which break up that flow; in the examples above it happens that these pauses are expressed by commas that serve the office of a breath, or change of gear: I shall render them like this ¶. H
... See moreStephen Fry • The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within
the ‘Drabble’, or a ‘microfiction’ of 100 words. Many writers have tried their hands at Drabbles, including Neil Gaiman, who, he says, ‘failed miserably’ and couldn’t get his below 102 words. Eventually he gave up, and made the first two words the title of his story, ‘Nicholas Was’. It is a gleefully sinister Christmas tale.
Louise Willder • Blurb Your Enthusiasm: A Cracking Compendium of Book Blurbs, Writing Tips, Literary Folklore and Publishing Secrets
The Chief’s quarters on board a sub are known as the Goat Locker, said to date back to the days when livestock were carried on board and when one particular goat became the mascot on the US sub New York
Susie Dent • Dent's Modern Tribes: The Secret Languages of Britain
gaberlunzie : a poor guest who can’t pay for his entertainment
terpsichorean : related to dancing
Experts are not difficult to find in Provence. All the bars I know are full of them, but the trick is to meet an expert whose knowledge is equal to his enthusiasm.
Peter Mayle • Encore Provence: New Adventures in the South of France (Vintage Departures)
Our highly networked and complex world has given rise to the need for new, hybrid words. As a result, portmanteaus—a linguistic mash-up of two words that means “a large trunk opening in two equal parts” in French—have become a modern necessity. Portmanteaus are not new; Lewis Carroll popularized the use of the term in his book Through the Looking G
... See moreLMD Agency • I Love You So, Portmanteau!
The language of coffee belongs to Italy.
Susie Dent • Dent's Modern Tribes: The Secret Languages of Britain
slopjockey: the chef.