Word of the Week: Draconian
Draconian: [ L dracon-, Draco, fr. GK Drakon Draco (Athenian Lawgiver)] –of, relating to, or characteristic of Draco or the severe code of laws held to have been framed by him.
The word was found in the lede of a New York Times article that was published on March 27. The article can be found by clicking the following link:
The following is the sentence from which the word was lifted:
The Syrian government tried to ease a grave political crisis on Sunday by blaming armed gangs for killing 12 people in the northwestern port city of Latakia in previous days and promising to soon lift a draconian emergency law that allows the government to arrest and detain without charge.
The word “draconian” in this sentence seemed to mean unjust. The draconian law would allow the government to arrest and detain anyone without charge, which seems unfair to me. I liked the word because it was unusual, and it sounded a lot like Dracula when I first read it. I thought it was funny because of that.
Catch of the Week:
I found a misspelling of the word “newspapers” in a blog online on March 27 that deals with funny typos. The spelling abused the apostrophe. “Newspapers” was spelled as “New’s paper’s.
The article can be found by clicking on the following link:
Favorite Passage of the Week:
I found an article in Essence Magazine about Idris Elba. It states:
Idris Elba is touching my arm. He’s telling me about Legacy, the small independent film he’s getting ready to shoot in Glasgow, Scotland, in which he stars as an ex-soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress. He says, “I’m excited about it because it’s real acting, you know what I mean?” I think maybe he’s grabbed by arm for emphasis, to better make his point. But I can’t tell for sure, because the moment he touches me, I get all tingly.
I chose this piece because I think it draws the reader in. It is a nice colloquial piece written in the first person.
Amber J. (2009, Aug.). Our Obsession with Idris Elba. Essence, 40 (4) 92-97 .
I chose this piece because I think it draws the reader in. It is a nice colloquial piece written in the first person.
Amber J. (2009, Aug.). Our Obsession with Idris Elba. Essence, 40 (4) 92-97 .
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