Saturday, March 28, 2009

Rictus

Rictus: A wide open mouth, especially expressing pain.
Steapa was grinning, though Steapa's grin was a deathly rictus that could have frightened a demon back into his liar.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Prolegomenon

Prolegomenon: A lengthy, formal introductory essay, especially a preface to a extensive literary work.
Despite the bulk of this volume and the considerable amount of material it presents, it should not be considered more than a prolegomenon.

Pseudepigraphic

Pseudepigraphic: Writings false attributed to biblical characters or times.
One is the lifetime of the author to whom the manuscript is attributed. But such a date would be often wrong, because the authorship is often pseudepigraphic.

Geology: Krummholz, Couloir

Krummholz: This (German for twisted trees) is a tree line caused by high winds.

Couloir: This (French for passage) is a long cut into the side of a mountain - often used for or skiing.
They hiked down a good trail through this krummholz like [they were] giants. ... The trail led them into the top of a narrow couloir in the granite, a flaw from which all loose rock had been plucked.