Thursday, July 24, 2008

Zigzag

ZIGZAG, v.t. To move forward uncertainly, from side to side, as one carrying the white man's burden. (From zed, z, and jag, an Icelandic word of unknown meaning.)

He zedjagged so uncomen wyde
Thet non coude pas on eyder syde;
So, to com saufly thruh, I been
Constreynet for to doodge betwene.
—Munwele

2008 Update: To make real progress, rhetorically.

20 comments:

Jamie Dawn said...

Zigzag: The way my brother drives.

mireille said...

ooooh, Chaucerian. Psychological Zig Zag: Mood Swing. xoxo

Anonymous said...

Hmmmmm!!!I don't know about zed but jag in Icelandic means quarrel or bicker - ing.
I don't know whether zedjagged has an Icelandic origin, sounds more like Middle English.
I looked for words starting with z in my Icelandic dictionary and found only two zebradyr and zeus.
Thank you all for the Birthday greetings...made me feel very special . Thanks again Doug, you started the ball rolling.

TLP said...

No,no,no. It's a sewing stitch.
Dontchaknownothin'?

Anonymous said...

route taken by dog(s) on walks to get ample exercise,allowing the human a more leisurely pace but still in proximity to dog(s).......Peace

Anonymous said...

ZIGZAG, n. The straight path from A to B promised on the grant proposal, as it appears on the final report.

tsduff said...

Zigzag: Isn't that what the bunnies do when a beagle is chasing them?

Anonymous said...

ZIG n.
the opposite directional bearing of zag

ZAG n.
the opposite directional bearing of zig

ZIGZAG n.
a driving pattern used by men who, when lost, stubbornly refuse to admit it.

(Note: this does not apply to our amoeba. He uses Google Earth and always asks at least three people for directions before ever setting out, then he drives directly to where he is going. {Unless, of course he is in downtown Honolulu, but that's a story best saved for the word, concentric}.)

Anonymous said...

zigzag,n. A brand of papers some people use to roll joints.

Anonymous said...

Thank god for Cooper. I was waiting for that definition or was going to put it in myself

Anonymous said...

I meant to add "lets not zig zag around the subject."

Tom & Icy said...

A moving target is hard to hit.

Jim said...

Zigzag: Better than one step forward and two steps backward(s).

Zigzag: I'm glad the book had some more 'Z's, I was getting worried.

Zigzag: Mom had a zigzag stitch on her sewing machine. It always was trouble.

Zigzag: Much more politically correct than flipflop.
..

Anonymous said...

here it is seven something--missed 420.520.620,720...ya'all are on your own............. :-)

Minka said...

zigzag, v.t. to move in a way that makes police officers smile

Minka said...

zigzag,v.t an appropriate movement in accordance with the directions of life

not unlike a roller coaster, only with sharper edges!

Ariel the Thief said...

Zigzag, life.

Doug The Una said...

JD, that's what driving in L.A. will do for you.

Always look on the bright side, M. If you want to.

Mo'a, I have a feeling brother Bierce never anticipated being read by someone who actually speaks Icelandic as he was by three today.

TLP, I'm still kind of curious what a purl is. Kind of.

True, Bear. My weekend hikes wouldn't do the dogs a bit of good if they didn't run side to side.

That's excellent, Amoeba. Very funny.

Terry, in this neighborhood the rabbits are highly efficient beagle dodgers.

Cooper, it is oddly heartwarming to me that people your age know that too.

Nope, Pia, the Savage Style of Documentary Description is another possible definition.

But easy to trip, Ice.

Excellent advice, Actonbell. I'll try to remember that next time I'm not the alligator.

Well, Jim. That was the last Z. It now joins J, K, X and Y as letters I've finished.

Bear, I have no idea what you're talking about but I wish you good fortune.

Minka, absolutely regarding the officers. Europe seems to have voted together.

When lived properly, Ariel, definitely.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Doug.

I want the award back.

Doug The Una said...

Quilly, my apologies. More is wasted in rushing than watching tv.