To expand my vocabulary I often have a ‘word of the day’. It
may be a word I don’t know, or a word I want to know better or just a word that
intrigues me. I challenge myself to use my ‘word of the day’ at least ten times
that day. Most often I find my word of
the day finds me – something someone says or something I read brings me it to
me. Most of these words in what I hear or read and but sometimes I turn to
dictionaries. Last week one of those words was ‘glister’. It is a synonym for
sparkles and glitters.
Sat surrounded by beadwork UFOs I realised it was one of my
easier ‘word of the day’ challenges that week. Most of my UFOs were glistering
at me. Here’s one of them full of
glistering crystals.
 |
| A glistering beading UFO |
Like many of my UFO’s the word glister has a long history. One
of it’s most famous uses was in William Shakespeare's play, The Merchant of
Venice in a line that is often misquoted – ‘all the glisters is not gold’. The
line is part of a stanza that explores the puzzle of Portia's boxes (Act II -
Scene VII - Prince of Morocco):
All that glisters is not gold;
Often have you heard that told:
Many a man his life hath sold
But my outside to behold:
Gilded tombs do worms enfold.
Had you been as wise as bold,
Young in limbs, in judgement old
Your answer had not been inscroll'd
Fare you well, your suit is cold.
I wonder if I can fare you well to any of my UFOs. Back to
their glister after my blogging distractions.
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