As those of you visiting my blog already know, I love words! And I am so glad to live in a world full of unusual words to explore! Today’s post brings to you a whole listing of odd words, things, and even a poetic form that is, while not really unusual, has something ‘odd’ about it. Read on to find out more.

Unusual Words and More

Odd & Unusual Words….

• agastopia (n): a fascination or love of a particular part of the human body
• cartonnage (n): the material of which many Egyptian mummy cases are made consisting of linen or papyrus glued together in many thicknesses and usually coated with stucco (source)
• coddiwomple (v): to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination
• eellogofusciouhipoppokunurious (adj): very good, very fine (check out this Phrontistery article that gives cool information about this unusual word)
• hodophile (adj): One who loves to travel
• imago (n): an idealized mental image of another person or the self
• kakorrhaphiophobia (n): abnormal fear of failure
• pauciloquent (adj): using few words in speech or conversation (not a word that can be used to describe me!)
• quomodocunquizing (v): to make money any which way
• sonder (n): the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own
• solivagant (adj): Wandering alone; marked by solitary wandering
• tittynope (n): a small quantity of something left over
• trouvaille (n): something lovely found by chance
• xertz (v): to gulp something down quickly and/or in a greedy fashion

h/t and references: Parade, Phrontistery, Adventure In You, recent reads and TV shows (including National Geographic’s The Lost Treasures of Egypt)

Other Things That Might Fall Under Unusual or Quirky or Simply Cool

• I discovered this place late last year while researching local cool places to visit. Now it is on my must-visit list for this summer; the Forestiere Underground Gardens in Fresno, California.
• How have I not noticed these Corporate Goddess Sculptures in San Francisco during all our visits there? I am going to make sure I keep my eye open and upturned for them the next time we drive to the city by the bay.
• Walking down the main street of the historic Gold Rush town of Columbia is literally like stepping back in time. Do visit when you are planning your next trip to Yosemite (it is not far from there). A couple of photos I clicked during our recent visit below

• And a few more that I hope to visit on road trips around our beautiful state of California over the coming months include Wat Dhammararam, an astounding Cambodian-style Buddhist temple in Stockton; the Salton Sea area in southern California; the Chew Kee store in Fiddletown, California (of course, I want to visit a place named Fiddletown now!); and Preston Castle in Ione, California; plus a whole lot of etcs….

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Poetic Sundays: Unusual? No, Just ‘Oddquain’

As I mentioned last week, I continue to bring poetic forms created by or popularized by women, in honor of Women’s History Month. Today’s form is called the oddquain. Does it mean that the form is odd or unusual? Well, that is for you to decide for yourself of course.

Regarding the naming itself, while none of the sources that mention the oddquain talk about it, I did some research for myself. Here is what I think about this name:

• borrows the ‘quain’ from the cinquain poetic form (which refers to poetic forms employing a five-line pattern) with cinq meaning five in French
• adds ‘odd’ to simply show the numeric oddity of this poetic form (17 syllables across 5 lines with 1 1-3-5-7-1 syllabic count across them – each of these numbers is odd, right?)
• so – ‘odd’+’quain’ -> oddquain

Anyways, that is my assumption/conclusion. What do you think?

What is the Oddquain?

The oddquain, created by Glenda L Hand, Romano is a short, usually unrhymed poem consisting of seventeen syllables across five lines. Pretty similar to the haiku, with some differences.

The Oddquain’s Characteristics

At its most basic, the oddquain’s characteristics are that it is:

• Stanzaic: has at least one 5-line stanza
• Syllabic: with a syllabic structure of 1,3,5,7,1 across the five lines
• Unrhymed
• (Usually) Titled: Most examples I have seen have a title, though it doesn’t seem to be a requirement

Cool Oddquain Variations

• Oddquain Sequence: Poems with more than one oddquain
• Crown Oddquain: A quintet of oddquains, or a five-stanza sequence
• Reverse Oddquain: An oddquain with a reverse syllable pattern (1,7,5,3,1)
• Mirror Oddquains: A regular oddquain followed by a reverse oddquain (1,3,5,7,1 / 1,7,5,3,1)
• Oddquain Butterfly: A mirror oddquain minus one of the central one-syllable line, making it a single 9-line poem, or a butterfly, with a syllabic structure of 1,3,5,7,1,7,5,3,1

My First Attempt (where I am at a loss of words and ideas!)

What’s There to Explore?
Odd
Weird but true
Unusual too
Many cool things for me and
you!
~Vidya Tiru @LadyInReadWrites

Further reading and h/t

• ShadowPoetry (you can also find great examples of this form – by Glenda L Hand Romana, the form’s creator, and others – through the provided link)

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Recently

On My Blog & at Home

My recent posts since and including my last Sunday Scribblings:

• Sunday Scribblings #98: 13 Wonderful Things
• Little People, Big Dreams – The Ladies – Part Two
• Book Review: The Ogress and the Orphans Blog Tour
• Women’s History Month: Wonderful Ways to Celebrate

It was a regular week this past week, so not much happening; though I have been attempting to (after many years) make traditional snacks from south India, especially the ones I grew up eating. And I am glad that the efforts are worth it!

Upcoming

On My Blog & Homefront

Hoping to finally work on and post a few planned articles this week. My college freshman is studying hard as it is finals week for him, and then he will be home for spring break and relaxation at the end of the week!:)

This Week’s Celebrations

Literary Celebrations (close-to-it also!)

• Literary birthdays this week of March include: 15th is Ben Okri; the 16th Alice Hoffman; 17th is Amitava Kumar and Penelope Lively; 18th is John Updike; 19th is Irving Wallace ; 20th is Lois Lowry and Louis Sachar
• International Day of Mathematics is on the 14th of march as well as National Pi Day
• March 14th is also National Write Down Your Story Day
• The 16th is National Freedom of Information Day
• The 19th is International Read To Me Day
• World Storytelling Day is on the 20th of March this year (celebrated on the Vernal Equinox annually)

Foodie Celebrations

• The 14th is National Potato Chip Day
• March 15th is National Pears Helene Day
• Celebrate National Artichoke Hearts Day on the 16th
• The 18th is National Lacy Oatmeal Cookie Day and National Sloppy Joe Day,
• It is National Chocolate Caramel Day on the 19th!
• March 20th is World Flour Day and National Ravioli Day

Other Celebrations

• March 14th is National Children’s Craft Day, National Learn About Butterflies Day
• It is National Everything You Think is Wrong Day on the 15th (so… :-))
• The 15th is also National Equal Pay Day (changes each year) and National Shoe the World Day
• After all things wrong, it is Everything You Do Is Right Day on the 16th of March and National Panda Day
• March 17th is Absolutely Incredible Kid Day and St. Patrick’s Day
• Followed by National Awkward Moments Day on the 18th.. Oh well….!
• March 19th is National Let’s Laugh Day and National Backyard Day
• The 20th of March is the International Day of Happiness

Related Reads About Unusual Words and More

• 13 Unique Books You Will Want Right Now
• A Love Letter to Wondrous Words and the Letters Within
• This One is All About Words
• Travel With the Atlas of Forgotten Places

Wrapping up my Sunday Scribblings

So dear reader, you have reached the end of this Sunday Scribblings! As always, I welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions about this post. And do let me know if you plan to celebrate any of these mentioned celebrations this coming week/month? Also, what are some of the wonderful things that happened recently to you or that you heard of?

Linking this to the Sunday Post over at the Caffeinated Reviewer and the Sunday Salon