Pithy, evocative imagery in three-legged microcosms of meaning. Having coined the term ‘triologism’ I believe this to be the only collection of these tum-tee-tum phrases in the universe. Updated Tuesdays … triologism day!
Work-hardened hands
Tall, strong, upright, loving, jealous, kind, old and complex Lisbeth Bede, mother of Adam. I enjoyed George Eliot's minute description...
Ugly birds and beautiful plumes
An odd image this. Gleaming helmets topped with bobbing plumes of beautiful birds can create mirages of battlefield glamour, building...
Outlandish-looking grammar
Although I've managed to master a couple of foreign languages, outlandish-looking grammar has so far stymied my repeated, and repeatedly...
Worm-channered posts
This suggests woodworm tunneled posts and I imagine that 'channered' refers to the tiny channels they carve on the surface...
Raven-like croaks
Williamson's lovingly accurate study of otters includes many examples of the playfulness of these animals, be it with each other,...
Dove-colored sky
I imagine a soft-white snow-plump cloud cover, just before it shakes out its feather-flake down. Obsessed with sky, I will...
Light-footed running
One of the qualities Rochester loves and admires in Jane is her uprightness. While willing to help him in any...
Bun-faced man
Bland and bun-faced isn't a winning combination, even before he imposes his cricket-talk on people who don't share his enthusiasm.
...
All-power meeting
I had no idea how awful but interesting this bird is, even its name lacks euphony. I'm in no hurry...
Hard-featured god
What a curious image, especially the breath hanging about the god's forehead.
May you be spared the hard-featured god, even...
Full of yourself
Mei means ‘beautiful’ or ‘pretty’ and combined with zizi (zer-zer) it means to be very pleased with yourself, zi meaning...
Wave-beaten cape
A rough and remote coastal path, leading to the cave of Charon in a legend recounted by Leigh Fermor. It...
Taupe-coloured muzzle
Taupe is a browny-grey, though I see it as having a tinge of mauve, like the fur of the mole....
Honeyed hope
Sounds lovely, although Erasmus uses it to refer to the hare-brained gold, elixir or immortality quests of alchemists. One more...
Sheet-smooth beaches
Yes, brown hours spent in a place of rippling reefs and sheet-smooth beaches, the sea washing the shore and cleaning...
Limb-consuming Scylla
I appreciated Nicolson's summing up the twin terrors as two aspects of the female threat.
'After the monstrous-beautiful Sirens, Odysseus...
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