Down the Rabbit Hole

Sometimes the thrilling lexemes (Yes. I find words thrilling. Chill. OK?) that I can make when it’s my turn in Words with Friends or Scrabble just don’t fit anywhere. Try as I might, the following just refused to work in this morning's games.

Otiose
[oh-shee-ohs, oh-tee-]
adjective (can be used as an adverb or noun too)
1. being at leisure; idle; indolent.
2. ineffective or futile.
3. superfluous or useless.

Origin: 1785-95; < Latin ōtiōsus at leisure, equivalent to ōti (um) leisure + -ōsus

Examples:
1) I am ALL about rockin’ some otiose action today. If you need me, I’ll be in the recliner watching Blade Runner. Yes. Again. (Did you know? Blade Runner was set WAY in the future, 2019. Christ, we’re almost there! Where’s my damn flying car?)

2) Arguing with Tea Baggers is as otiose use of time and energy.

3) That otiose fucking umbrella is just NOT gonna keep me dry in this wind driven rain.

Mavis (also Mavie)
[mey-vis]

noun, British (chiefly Literary) .

1. a song thrush.

Origin 1350-1400; Middle English mavys < Anglo-French mauviz, probably equivalent to ma (u) ve seagull (< Old English mæw mew²) + -iz of unclear orig.

Example:
Ah, look at that wee, harmless looking Mavie. Betcha he wants to grow up to be a raven and get a staring role in a Birds remake, eh?

The definition of one word invariably leads to a half dozen others and I’m down the lexeme rabbit hole.

Sou
[soo]
noun
1. (formerly) either of two bronze coins of France, equal to 5 centimes and 10 centimes.

origin: 1810-20; < French; Old French sol sol²

Sol?
Sol²
[sohl, sol]
noun
1) a former coin and money of account of France, the 20th part of a livre and equal to 12 deniers: originally gold, later silver, finally copper, it was discontinued in 1794.

which is related to:
Solidus1
[sol-i-duh s]
noun, plural solidi
1. a gold coin of ancient Rome, introduced by Constantine and continued in the Byzantine Empire; bezant.
2. (in medieval Europe) a money of account equal to 12 denarii.

origin: C14: from Late Latin solidus (nummus) a gold coin (from solidus solid); in Medieval Latin, solidus referred to a shilling and was indicated by a long s, which ultimately became the virgule.

Virgule???

Virgule
[vur-gyool]
noun, Printing.
1. a short oblique stroke (/) between two words indicating that whichever is appropriate may be chosen to complete the sense of the text in which they occur:
The defendant and/or his/her attorney must appear in court.
2. a dividing line, as in dates, fractions, a run-in passage of poetry to show verse division, etc.:
3/21/27; 3/4; Sweetest love I do not go/For weariness of thee.

origin: 1830-40; < French virgule comma, little rod < Latin virgula;

BUT Sol, related to Sou also means:

 Sol
[sohl]
noun, Music.
1. the syllable used for the fifth tone of a diatonic scale.
2. (in the fixed system of solmization) the tone G.
Which all somehow led to the word koan.

Koan
[koh-ahn]
noun, plural koans, koan. Zen.
1. a nonsensical or paradoxical question to a student for which an answer is demanded, the stress of meditation on the question often being illuminating.

origin: 1945-50; < Japanese kōan, earlier koũ-an < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese gōngàn public proposal

Example:
Keeping both of my radically insecure tuxedo cat happy is my koan.

When I googled koan it led me to, of all things, the programming language Ruby, which you can learn with something called Neo Ruby Koans.

The Koans walk you along the path to enlightenment in order to learn Ruby. The goal is to learn the Ruby language, syntax, structure, and some common functions and libraries. We also teach you culture. Testing is not just something we pay lip service to, but something we live. It is essential in your quest to learn and do great things in the language.

This particular Ruby is not related to my baby, sweetie girl Helen Ruby...just so we're clear.

So then, welcome to my morning where I feed and cosset cats, drink too much coffee and slide down the lexicographic rabbit hole.