This blog is for everyone who uses words.

The ordinary-sized words are for everyone, but the big ones are especially for children.



Friday 20 January 2012

Word To Use Today: frost.

Frost.

Isn't it a fantastic word? You can taste the crisp furriness of it as you say it.

Our lawn (and the car) have been upholstered most intricately in matt white velvet this week, and I have been sitting here wrapped in a blanket.

Yes, I suffer for my Art. Well, I'm hoping it's a step towards genius.

It's powerful frost, as well as beautiful. When water below ground freezes it can make the earth rise and crack as if the vastest dinosaur ever is emerging from its subterranean nest. That's called frost heave.


A frost stud or a frost cog is - well, guess!*

We also have frosting, of course, which is a gungy sort of cake icing. This is also to be celebrated.

Frostwork is a collection of needle-like crystals sometimes found in caves. Like this:

frostwork

And for the surface dwellers amongst us, here's the real thing.



Photograph by Petr Kratochvii.

Very nearly magic!

Word To Use Today: frost. This is such an absolutely pefect word that it hasn't changed for ages. Even the Old High German, Old Norse and Old Saxon words are the same, as well as the Old English.

Told you it was brilliant.

*It's actually an anti-slip device on a horse shoe.

1 comment:

  1. Just the sort of wonderful post I love seeing on here. Indeed a word and a thing to be treasured. I specially like FROST HEAVE. Brilliant. And frosting, of course but it involves beaten whites of egg which means I scarcely ever make it to put on a cake! Buttercream will do for me -another good word, that! Tasty too.

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