On Dark

 

Coyote Gulch (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument)

 

Dark – from the Old English deorc, Middle English derk, MIddle High German terken, and Germanic tarnen

Dark – a noun and adjective with forms as an adjective or a verb

Dark – darkish, darken, darkly, darkness, darker, darkest

Dark – a shade or color that is closer to black than white

“The Navajo Wave” (Page, UT)

 

Dark – the absence of light in a place – as in darkness, blackness, gloom, murkiness, shadow, shade

Dark – possessing a depth and richness, a descriptor for the color of skin, hair, or eyes – as in brunette, dark brown, chestnut, sable, jet-black, ebony

Dark – hidden from knowledge; mysterious, secret, hidden, concealed, veiled, covert, clandestine; archaic, ignorant; unenlightened

Waterholes Canyon (Page, UT)

 

Dark – as a closed theater; one not in use, closed to the public

Dark – not reflecting much light; approaching black in shade – as in black, pitch-black, jet-black, inky

Dark – a period of time or situation characterized by tragedy, unhappiness, or unpleasantness – as in tragic, disastrous, calamitous, catastrophic, cataclysmic

Dark – as a pessimistic view – as in gloomy, dismal, pessimistic, negative, downbeat, bleak, grim, fatalistic, black, somber

Somewhere in Oklahoma

 

Dark – as an expression – as in angry; threatening. moody, brooding, sullen, dour, scowling, glowering, angry, forbidding, threatening, ominous, sinister, evil, wicked, sinful, immoral, bad, iniquitous, ungodly, unholy – the dark side

Dark – a time of day – as in night, nightfall, nighttime, darkness

Dark – a condition, as in having very little or no light – having less light in color than other substances

Dark – a devoid or partially devoid of light – not receiving, reflecting, transmitting, or radiating light

Bryce Canyon, UT

 

Dark, a lack of knowledge, culture, or understanding – as in unenlightened

Dark – a situation – as in grim, depressing – the darkest hour, dark days

Dark – the unknown or unexplored because of remoteness

Somewhere else in Oklahoma

 

Dark – as used in idioms as dark horse, in the dark, leap in the dark, shot in the dark, the darkest hour, the dark side, a deep dark secret, and whistle in the dark

Dark – a complex word about a place, a time, a feeling, and much related to light and color – and a powerful metaphor

“Darkness falls across the land, the midnight hour is close at hand” (Michael Jackson, Thriller)

The Milky Way at Zion National Park

 

In an earlier post featuring light, several comments address the need to counter the post about light with one about dark … so here it is. Steve is not only a long-time friend and photography enthusiast, we’ve collaborated on several occasions right here. I write the text and he selected the images to embed at various points.

I encourage everyone to visit his site to see his photos, which are available for purchase. He may also respond to comments here when he can, so feel free to ask him questions.
Photos are copyrighted by Steve Ancik @ LightWave Images

On If

If – from the Old English gif

If – mainly a conjunction; sometimes a noun

If – an introduction to a conditional clause

If – a statement around a condition; a presumption, supposition, provision, precondition, proviso, requirement, specification, stipulation, or restriction

If – an assumption leading to an event or outcome

If – delivering a possibility, request, or opinion

If – an implied reservation

If – as in although, yet, despite being, even though, or but – many times serving as an excuse

If – noun as uncertainty, doubt

If – a function in programing to make a decision

If – a 1910 poem by Rudyard Kipling

If – a 1968 movie starring Malcolm McDowell

If – a BBC drama-documentary series

“If” – a 2010 episode of Desperate Housewives

If – a magazine subtitled “Worlds of Science Fiction”

If – a political comic strip appearing The Guardian (a UK newspaper)

If (band), 1970s British progressive jazz-rock band, and the name of their album

If – songs by Bananarama, Bread, Janet Jackson, Joni Mitchell, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pink Floyd, Perry Como, Destiny’s Child, Rivermaya, Davido, and more.

If – what if I had answered my own challenge with in a way other than my own.

NOTE: I encourage readers to follow the pingback links in the Comments to other posts about If that answer the If Challenge.

On a Word Challenge

Embed from Getty Images

When recently commenting on a blog, a past post came to mind – one from 16 December 2013. I’m sure you remember it, but for those who don’t, I’ll briefly explain.

The post, On Palaver, is about words (and my 15th most viewed post). I recall how much I put into writing it. It was one of those posts that kept evolving. The biggest surprise came when I was notified that WordPress editors selected it to be Freshly Pressed. That was the second (and last) time I received that honor (16 December 2013).

Here’s the challenge:

1. Read the post (On Palaver).
2. Make a comment (preferably on this post) that includes a word (in English) that has never appeared on this blog.

Suggestions

Before making a comment, check your word in two places;

1. With your Find function on the On Palaver page for your word
2. Enter your word in the Search box, located in the right panel just below the Freshly Pressed graphic.

Have fun … and good luck!

On Doors

Door – Old English duru, dor, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch deur ‘door’ and German Tür ‘door,’ Tor ‘gate’; from an Indo-European root shared by Latin foris ‘gate’ and Greek thura ‘door’

Door – the entrance to a room or building

Door – a hinged, sliding, or revolving barrier at the entrance to a building, room, or vehicle, or in the framework of a cupboard

Door – a reference to the distance from one building in a row to another

Door – A structure that opens, closes, swings, slides, shuts, hides, protects, and symbolizes

If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” (Milton Berle, comedian)

The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” (Confucius, philosopher)

I truly believe that everything that we do and everyone that we meet is put in our path for a purpose. There are no accidents; we’re all teachers – if we’re willing to pay attention to the lessons we learn, trust our positive instincts and not be afraid to take risks or wait for some miracle to come knocking at our door.” (Marla Gibbs, actor)

Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.” (George Washington Carver, scientist)

Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.” (Coco Chanel, designer)

Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.” (John Barrymore, actor)

Not knowing when the dawn will come I open every door.” (Emily Dickinson, poet)

Listen; there’s a hell of a good universe next door: let’s go. (e. e. Cummings, poet)

 

No matter if it’s old or new, elegant or simple, metal or wood, ornate or plain – a door is a door while being a wonderful symbol and metaphor. Any favorite doors above or below?

All images taken by me  (a nonphotographer in Italy.

On 50 Shades of Light

Gray to the Americans is grey to the British

Gray – from the Old English grǣg; related to Dutch grauw and German grau

Gray – as in gri (Albanian), grisa (Basque), šedá (Czech), grigio (Italian), pelēks (Latvian). szary (Polish), cinza (Portuguese), llwyd (Welsh). and more (feel free to add your own)

Gray – a noun, adjective, a verb, or a personal name

Gray – as noun: gray, grays

Gray – a color or a pigment between black and white

Converted from a color print. Many shades of gray as well as black and white. Near Page, Arizona

 

Gray – a member of the Confederate army in the US Civil War

Gray – as a verb as in gray, graying, grayed

A foggy morning, nothing left except gray

 

Graying – as with hair, aging

Gray – as an adjective, as in gray, grayer, grayest

Bryce Canyon, one of the most color places anywhere – yet still beautiful in monochrome

 

Gray – synonyms include silvery, gunmetal al, slate, charcoal, smoky, hoary

Gray – related to old people, as in growing old, mature, older

Gray – as a description of the weather, as in cloudy, overcast, dull, sunless, gloomy, dreary, dismal, somber, bleak, murky

Winter washing away the color photo

 

Gray – a person’s face – as in pale, tired, aged, ill, ashen, wan, pale, pasty, pallid, colorless, bloodless, white, waxen

Gray – without interest or character – as in faceless, characterless, colorless, nondescript, insipid, jejune, unremarkable, flat, bland, dry, stale

Gray – as in monochrome – a photograph or picture executed in varying tones of black and white – or even of one color

A photo converted into “DaVinci” sketch using Topaz Impression software

Gray – the monochromic version – achromatic, colorless, neutral, dirty, dull, faded, pale, chalky, ashen, washed-out … that’s gray … as in 50 shades of light

A whiteout in Oklahoma

 

Steve is not only a long-time friend and photography enthusiast, we’ve collaborated on several occasions right here. I write the text and he selected the images to embed at various points.

I encourage everyone to visit his site to see his photos, which are available for purchase. He may also respond to comments here when he can, so feel free to ask him questions.

Photos by Steve Ancik @ LightWave Images