Hello, Friday Fools! Along with deciding, I've been clearing out. A lot of clearing out. It's been slow because I have a tough time with goodbyes. However, I've finding little love notes from my brain scattered about the house, which has been fun. It's the intellectual version of finding cash in your pocket. Highly recommend. I can't help but write things down. Scraps of paper. On the back of receipts and old forms. Notebooks. 
All the notebooks. My former students used to laugh at me about it. I didn't think they paid me much never mind until the notebook comments started (actually, it started with my boots, but the notebooks, for some reason, surprised me): "Oh, I have a movie you need to watch--write this one down in your notebook." "How many of those do you have?" "I love that you have notebooks for different things." Me: "Hold that thought, I need to write something down." "You're writing that down?"
Why yes. Yes, I am. 🤨 Snicker. "She's writing it down in her notebook." These notes come from my compulsive need to write things down, words that strike me in some sort of way (who knows what kind of way--sometimes I don't but it's entertaining). A turn of a phrase. Some bizarre connection that I may never make again unless I write. it. down. Sometimes I remember and sometimes I don't. Sometimes I find these brain bits sitting around, hanging out in odd places. Little diamonds in the rough or fools gold. It doesn't really matter. I may never read these notes but they keep my hands busy. But when I find these notes they can shine like gold. 🌟 So, for today's Tomfoolery I give you a small word roundup. 🤠 This first one was on a slip of paper, next to the Kleenex box. (the definitions are from dictionary.com; the words themselves came from who knows where) effervescent: ((adj) - effervescing; bubbling
- vivacious; merry; lively; sparkling
I love the way that word sounds as if it's bouncing up and down. Fun and floaty. The word itself conveys happiness--without having to know what it means, and the definitions are pure joy! ✨ The next one has a longer set of definitions and did not come from my brain's love notes, but one of the word of the day lists I subscribe to. It entertained me and felt "western." It made the cut because it arrived on the same train as the others, so to speak: I "found" these words this week. hokum: (noun) - out-and-out nonsense; bunkum
- elements of low comedy introduced into a play, novel, etc., for the laughs they may bring.
- sentimental matter of an elementary or stereotyped kind introduced into a play or the like.
- false or irrelevant material introduced into a speech, essay, etc., in order to arouse interest, excitement, or amusement.
This, too, has a nice sound to it but in a firmer sort of way. Sounds similar to hokey but more definitive. Hokum reminds me of some of the historical cowboy and minor's accounts I've read which seem too corny to be real. Seriously. Stay tuned, it's on the list to write about. Those historical accounts sound like hokum. Since we're being honest, I like the low comedy of it, too. I can get behind low comedy every once in a while (ahem)...perhaps more often than not around these here parts... At any rate, I saved the sweetest nugget for last. I found this one on the back of some school form. 🤷🏻♀️ (I feel like uplifting and celebratory music should play right here) 🎶 Behold, the word I cannot stop talking about: (spreads arms wide) 🖐🏼 🖐🏼 (pretend those are arms, please) squiffy: (adj) - (British informal) slightly drunk
also: squiffed 😂 Don't tell me that word does not make you smile! It's funny. I love the playful sound it makes when I say it, and it's descriptive. Stretch that one out: Squiffy. If someone were to describe Ted from accounting with that word you could probably make an educated guess as to what they were talking about. You might even nod your head in agreement. Yup, definitely squiffy. He's about to do that horrible hip thrust, again, when he's had one too many. 😳 (Dancing--get your mind out of the gutters, people!) The last set of words I'll leave you with is actually a derogatory phrase which I find sadly funny but highly descriptive: holy rollers. I don't define it, but tell a former coworker's story over on Curiosities/bloggy things, but I was enthralled with her telling, especially since I "polited" myself into thinking that "The Holy Rollers" was an actual church at the time. Honestly, it was the way she was saying it and I was second guessing myself. I was eighteen at the time. I must've had words on the brain this week because I decided to finally finish that post. I also couldn't stop talking about squiffy and felt compelled to share. I'd love for that word to have some sort of "comeback" but that would mean there'd be a lot of tippling going on out there, another excellent word, so I'm just going to figure out a work around for it. I'll get back to you. With that, I hope everyone is well and that you find something funny, curious, or thought-provoking to brighten your days. 🤠 Take care and thanks for reading The Friday Tomfoolery. 🐴 -Ami 💜 | 
