Thursday, May 28, 2009

What is the appropriate collective noun for ginger beards?


I ask you. I'm not sure if it's because I was recently trawling for old-fashioned sponge cake recipes (the kind that Nanna used to make for the cake stall at school fairs), and came across a recipe for Ginger Fluff Sponge, but I can't stop thinking about ginger beards. The best sort of ginger beard is the ginger beard that lives on an otherwise brunette man. This sort of man can't help but look genuinely and permanently surprised at the colour of his facial hair. All this thought led me to wonder: what is the appropriate collective noun for ginger beards?

Here are my best attempts:
A blink of ginger beards.
A flurry of ginger beards.
A crackle of ginger beards.
A flame of ginger beards.
A boris of ginger beards.

I have provided a visual aid.
Suggestions are most welcome. 

Friday, May 8, 2009

Worldshaker - Richard Harland


There are many (great) things I could say about Worldshaker, which is a fantastically rolicking steampunk novel for young adults. Personally I am just feeling happy to tuck something of the steampunk genre under my belt. My lack of steampunk experience was starting to weight heavily on my conscience. There was steam! There were pistons! Cranes! Tailcoats!

But one of the things I enjoyed most about this book was the inventive names Harland came up with for all his characters. Really, they were things of beauty! Not only did they tumble pleasantly from my tongue, but they gave all sorts of clues as to personality and class. 

Here are some faves:
Ebnolia Porpentine
Sephaltina Turbot
Wisley Squellingham

And then right down at the bottom of the class hierarchy (clearly they could not afford many letters for their names):
Riff
Padder
Fossie

And the outright bestest Worldshaker name, for a much put-upon Menial, is: Wicky Popo. Wick-ee Po-Po. 
I think he might have taught me contract law at Monash University back in the early 00's.