Monday, July 06, 2009

Halo

HALO, n. Properly, a luminous ring encircling an astronomical body, but not infrequently confounded with "aureola," or "nimbus," a somewhat similar phenomenon worn as a head-dress by divinities and saints. The halo is a purely optical illusion, produced by moisture in the air, in the manner of a rainbow; but the aureola is conferred as a sign of superior sanctity, in the same way as a bishop's mitre, or the Pope's tiara. In the painting of the Nativity, by Szedgkin, a pious artist of Pesth, not only do the Virgin and the Child wear the nimbus, but an ass nibbling hay from the sacred manger is similarly decorated and, to his lasting honor be it said, appears to bear his unaccustomed dignity with a truly saintly grace.

2009 Update: The distinctive evacuation of context that makes tolerable the innocence of a saint.

16 comments:

Jim said...

Halo, I love ya!

"Hello, I love you
Wont you tell me your name?
Hello, I love you
Let me jump in your game
Hello, I love you
Wont you tell me your name?
Hello, I love you
Let me jump in your game"
..

Flip said...

What is UP with all these lyrics to old songs around here lately?

I like my halos glazed, preferably from Krispy Kreme, but I'll take Dunkin' Donuts in a pinch.

Minka said...

halo,n. a first grader's attempt at prescriptive spelling

Nessa said...

My halo is very shiny.

pia said...

I dropped my halo somewhere a long long time ago

Mo'a said...

I polish mine every morning.

quilly said...

Are you implying that my halo is not the byproduct of my angelic countenance, but merely the aura of my sweat? Pft!

TLP said...

I foolishly thought that my halo was like a frisbee. So I tossed it in the air to a nice-enough guy. Ooops. Halos don't come back like a boomerang. Still got my boomerang though. Much better than a haol anyway.

sauerkraut said...

The halo came off the lip-sticked pitbull this weekend. Cause for celebration!

Jamie Dawn said...

I was astonished when I first met you to find that you had a halo. I was under the distinct impression that you were a curmudgeon, and I know for certain that real curmudgeons do not have halos.

:-)

Flip said...

Halo: The distinctive evacuation of context that makes the lip-sticked pitbull analogy incomprehensible in how it relates to the innocence of a saint.

Cooper said...

I thought it was a video game or three.

tsduff said...

Halo - What was worn (albeit too big) by the Littlest Angel.

Well said Jamie Dawn.

Cie Cheesemeister said...

Halo:
Something that will never appear above the heads of any of the Netherworld residents. Save for The Spooky Guy, and his is fake. It balances on his horns.

Doug The Una said...

The other side of The Door, Jim?

Flip, Dunkin has sainted coffee.

Not "teh," Minka?

Nessa, wind-polished?

Pia, did you check under your Manhattan At Night coffee table book?

I know, Mo'a, and sew it onto a jola every Christmas.

Not at all, Quilly. Yours is almost certainly the product of intolerable saintliness.

TLP, Halos are almost worthless for hunting emu. You're better off.

Celebrate, Sauerkraut? I prefer my pit bulls thoroughly sainted.

JD, that was just your dinner plate I was trying to hide behind my melon head.

Flip, I think you're thinking of "nimbus."

To your generation, Coop, that's probably the full definition.

Happy monday, Saint Acton of Mechanicsville.

And too small by a crow, crow?

Cheesie, I'd like to hear how that fits. Mine won't stay.

quilly said...

I am home -- cold and wet with a mountain of soggy, sandy laundry to do, and I just stopped by here for a bit of cheer -- and was gifted with a laugh-out-loud moment to cherish. Thank you, I'm warmer now!