Exquisite Words
Part 1: When the humdrum won't do. (The Bus 1.47)
Welcome aboard The Bus!
The Stop
A different type of Stop today as the focus is on four exquisite words: acheiropoieta, chthonic, quincunx and quodlibet. I’ve provided the definitions and a bit of information about each below, but it’s your task to use them in a single sentence in a normal everyday conversation - and either by email or through the comment button, let me know how it goes (and the sentence, of course)!1
ACHEIROPOIETA - From the Greek for ‘objects not made by [human] hands,’ acheiropoieta is a collective noun referring to a small group of Christian icons believed to have come into existence miraculously due to divine intervention. First used in the 6th Century CE, acheiropoieta are supposedly direct impressions of Christ’s face or body, including the Veil of Veronica2 and the Shroud of Turin.3
CHTHONIC - From the Greek for ‘earth,’ chthonic is an adjective meaning ‘of or relating to the earth, particularly the Underworld’ - or ‘infernal.’ In Greek mythology, Hades and Persephone are specifically connected to the Underworld and referred to as chthonian deities, but Zeus - normally connected with the sky - has enough ‘earthly associations’ that he was often venerated as Zeus Chthonius. Additionally, the ancient Greeks believed a prophecy delivered through a dream originated from chthonian powers. The word can also be used to describe something resembling a mythological underworld or even earthly, natural things.4
QUINCUNX - From the Latin for ‘five’ and ‘one-twelfth,’ quincunx is a noun meaning ‘an arrangement of five things in a square or rectangle with one at each corner and one in the middle.5 It ancient Rome, a quincunx was a coin that weighed five-twelfths of a libra (roughly equivalent to a US pound) and was symbolised by a ‘pattern of five dots arranged like the pips on a die.’ In astrology, a quincunx is an aspect of 150 degrees between two planets or a collection of five constellations, and in botany it’s an overlapping arrangement of five petals or leaves: two interior, two exterior and one partly interior and partly exterior.
QUODLIBET - From the Latin for ‘what’ and ‘it pleases,’6 this is a noun meaning either a debate over a ‘philosophical or theological point’ or a ‘whimsical combination of familiar melodies or texts’ - a bit like the overture to a musical in which the various themes appear. It is unclear how the term evolved from a medieval academic debate to music terminology, but the latter use has been found in English since the early 19th century - while the former use certainly hasn’t.7
The Detour
Today’s Detour is to an interesting - and fun - article from New York Magazine’s ‘Curbed’ in which the author rides along for two days’ training with New York City’s Department of Sanitation. The subtitle - An education in “juice,” how to protect your shins, and keeping 12,000 daily tons of garbage at bay - says it all.
The Book
Today’s book is Tom Swift and the Caves of Nuclear Fire by Victor Appleton II (1956).8 Yes, it's pure nonsense, but not when you read it at 8 - and when you find it in a box many, many years later ... well, one look at the cover and you’re that kid again. If you can get a copy, read it - if only to see what science fiction was like for young adults in the newly nuclear, early Space Age, pre-digital era. Pure nonsense, but pure fun. From the back cover (which - in the spirit of the Stop - actually uses 'heretofore'):
‘Tom, that strange gas is fantastic - disintegrates everything it touches! What do you think it is?’
Fascinated by the amazing report from a pilot who crash-landed in the African jungle, Tom Swift Jr.’s eyes glow with curiosity as he replies: ‘Sounds like antiprotons rampaging. Such a phenomenon is unknown on earth. This may be the greatest discovery of the century. It could revolutionise the whole science of atomic energy. Let’s investigate that taboo mountain.’
Although several of the young inventor's associates view his latest expedition with skepticism, Tom sets off in the Flying Lab for the Dark Continent to fathom the secret of the mysterious mountain. The deadly vapors which have terrified the natives for generations challenge even the scientific genius of Tom and his companions.
When their atomic drill inexplicably is sucked into a forbidding peak, a series of startling events threaten the Swift expedition. How Tom, with his new invention the Terrasphere, conquers a heretofore unknown, violent quirk of nature brings this breath-taking story to a spectacular finish.
Note: You probably can’t buy Tom Swift in the Caves of Nuclear Fire at Amazon (unless through one of their Marketplace sellers), so it’s more likely you’ll stumble across it in a used bookstore - or possibly check it out from the library.
The Sounds
Today’s playlist is composed of five great songs - including what might be my favourite Rush track. No real thought in putting them down, other than that I like them: ‘Moving in Stereo’ (The Cars, 1978), ‘Red Barchetta’ (Rush, 1981), ‘Come Sail Away’ (Styx, 1977), ‘I’ve Seen All Good People’ (Yes, 1971) and ‘The Ocean’ (Led Zeppelin, 1973).9
The Thought
Today’s Thought is a question from Bruce Parker:10
‘Is the assertion “Nothingness is impossible” the most fundamental statement we can make about our existence?’
If you have a thought on this Thought - or any part of today’s issue - please leave a comment below:
And that’s the end of this stop - I hope you enjoyed a brief diversion from your regular journey!
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Until the next stop …
This use-odd-words-in-a-sentence challenge is something some friends and I have occasionally done for years. Yep - good, geeky times. Sources for today’s Stop include: Veronica's Veil, Shroud of Turin, Chthonic, Paglia, Camille. Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1990, Quincunx, Quincunx and Quodlibet
According to legend, Veronica encountered Jesus on his way to be crucified. When she wiped the sweat from his face with her veil, she discovered his image imprinted upon it. Fun fact: ‘Veronica’ means ‘true image’ - which is certainly convenient.
This is a linen cloth on which appears to be the image of a crucified man that some believe is the funeral shroud of Jesus. Right. Anyway, there is little doubt it is a creation of the medieval age as carbon dating places its origin at the turn of the 13/14th centuries, but there remains legitimate debate over exactly when, where and how it was created.
In her 1990 book Sexual Personae, the feminist scholar Camille Paglia uses the word to describe the earthy power of the female body: ‘the female body is a chthonian machine, indifferent to the spirit who inhabits it.’ It was through this book that I first came across the word and was taken by its vividness. Plus, I thought it was really cool it started with four consonants.
Today’s Issue photo is an example of a quincunx.
Or ‘whatever,’ as might be said today.
But I think it should: anybody up for a vigorous quodlibet?
Victor Appleton was the pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate production house which hired ghost writers to write stories from outlines. The Syndicate also produced the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, the Rover Boys and the Bobbsey Twins, among others. I feel a Bus issue coming ….
Warning - there might be a prog-rock track or two. Also … though ‘Moving in Stereo’ was used to great effect in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), to my mind this is topped by its referential inclusion in Season 3 of Stranger Things (2019). And ‘Come Sail Away’ is used perfectly in the first episode of the outstanding - and inexplicably cancelled after one season - Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000). If you don’t know these references, please check them out.
A prolific writer, Parker (PhD in Physical Oceanography, Johns Hopkins) has been the Chief Scientist for the National Ocean Service and the Director of the Coastal Survey Development Laboratory. He is best known as the author of The Power of the Sea. Check him out here: Bruce Parker.
“Red Barchetta”? now there’s a deep track! That whole set takes me back to high school
I went out and listened to Genesis’s Duke album and Pete Townshend’s Empty Glass ... Gotta say, if I had to choose one “rock star” to be, it would be Pete