Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Meander

Meander, n. [SIC] To proceed sinuously and aimlessly. The word is the ancient name of a river about one hundred and fifty miles south of Troy, which turned and twisted in the effort to get out of hearing when the Greeks and Trojans boasted of their prowess.

2005 Update: v.i. To follow the path of a pioneer or public engineer.

To all my friends travelling this week, a safe trip. Remember, red lights are for the little people.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Was going to leave comment asking if you meant Randy Newman little people but won't.

I mustn't meander as I follow every single person who has ever published a book

Sar said...

Over the turnpike and through the tolls,
To Grandmother's house we go.


The Sar clan is meandering off to New Jersey for Thanksgiving. Safe trip to everyone else as well. :)

Indeterminacy said...

Your meaning is perfect. But maybe there's room for an alternate def:

Meander - Presidential vocabulary empahasizing a special qualities in mean-spiritedness: "I am meander than anybody."

Doug The Una said...

Short people, Pia. Short People.

Have a good trip Sars. (No SARS jokes! Anybody!)

Indie, there's always room for more mean spiritedness. If you teach to the literacy test, you teach kids literalness.

Unknown said...

and why exactly is everyone meandering off?

uowlp to the little people

Lila said...

This word INSTANTLY made me think of my 8th grade life sciences teacher. He had the most bizarre voice and style of talking. I distinctly remember him talking about how streams "tend to meander" as they reach middle-age...

Omnipotent Poobah said...

meadner - A word describing a female companion. As in, "Meander are goin' ta Crawford fer a lil' vacationary." See GW Bush, yet again.

Doug The Una said...

Karma, one of our big national holidays, Thanksgiving, is Thursday. It's a family holiday and more Americans travel on Thanksgiving than any other holiday.

That's funny, Aral. Where was he from? Pascovers meander from birth.

Poobah, I would take it as a personal challenge to find a word that doesn't remind you of our President but I don't think I have the vocabulary for it.

Jamie Dawn said...

meander: What the young lady working at the video store did last night as I was standing at the counter with two movies in hand. I caught her eye from across the store, and she headed my way. She took the longest, most complicated route to the counter, and I think she stopped along the way and had a manicure. Her fingernails did look really pretty.

Ariel the Thief said...

Poobah, hating someone like that is almost love. :-P nah, don't beat me...

I don't have a definiton but do have stories a friend of mine travelled a lot in the world told me. he had to sign some contract of sale with an American family, they sat down, discussed it, signed the papers, smiled, left. he had to sign some contract of sale with an Israeli family, they sat down, discussed the state of the legs of grandma', the health of the grandchildren, the history of the house, the question they got together for, the best and the worse bricklayers in Israel, the market, the rain, the roads, my friend's journeys in the last 25 years, smiled, was going to leave, stayed, discussed family questions, national holidays, some more health of the grandchildren and grandma', smiled, left. my friend said, he'd almost gone crazy, but had he tried to skip any of the steps above, the family would have felt very offended.

Minka said...

I never heard this word before. If I had to venture a guess: mean-meander-meandest.
Thinkking about it, I might actually have used this word in a 6th grade vocabulary test :)

Doug The Una said...

Jamie Dawn, that might be my worst irritation in the world. I worked for six years at a restaurant and it really offended me when waiters and waitresses pretended not to see customers. On occassion it angered me to the point of sarcasm.

Ariel, thank you. Great line. That's a great story. Different countries have really different values. I would be very poor in any country where long conversations are important to commercial success.

Monika, Bierce's definition is pretty close to Webster's.

dddragon said...

(I just KNEW those pesky red lights WEREN'T for me!)

Aral - are you talking about Mr. Metro?

Meander: what my mind is usually doing at any time of day or night.

Jamie Dawn said...

No, Doug, tell me you didn't resort to sarcasm. At my highest levels of irritation, I would never even dream of being even remotely sarcastic.

I'm going to meander into the kitchen and make a sandwich. You just HAD to mention the word "restaurant" didn't you?!

Rio said...

moving slowly with little direction, me today as i put off going hme to finish what i have started or start what i can never finish.

Logophile said...

The manner in which children arrive for any kind of chore, contrast with the method of arrival when sugar laden sweets are offered.

Tom & Icy said...

Is passive aggression like meandering toward our goal?

Doug The Una said...

Green lights all the way for you, Dddragon. Your mental meandering is not a big revelation, by the way.

Every diamond has a flaw if you're on the wrong face, Jamie Dawn. Present company excepted of course.

Rio, maybe you should just blog for now. It's a good compromise.

You have good kids, Ariella. When I was one I avoided chores with great expedition.

Lula, that's what you get when you wonder as you wander.

Not if your goal is the status quo, Icy. Good girl!

LeMas. said...

meander-life without a plan but way more adventure.

Omnipotent Poobah said...

Doug & Ariel,

Ahhhh! See now you've gone and made me sad. I was just trying to share the love with him. Honest!

Doug The Una said...

Masil, a fine way to live and the only way I can be a role model.

Omnipotent Poobah, didn't want to make you said. Ariel and I were just celebrating your love for the President. It's very touching.

Gosh, Actonbell, me too. You remind of a story I'll have to put up over the winter time. You'll never be stoned for bad grammar on this site. It's a very tolerant glass house.

Perfect definition and excellent perception, a4g. May you never get lost until the dishes need washed.

Cooper said...

When telling someone I'm going somewhere with my roommate I often say in a cockney accent me and er are going shopping. Works well as we tend to meander.

Your definition works best Doug.

TLP said...

dddragon, Aral, says "no," not Metro, Mr. Lange.

We meandered up to MA today. Birds are able to get where they are going directly, but my car must meander over the highways and byways.

Red lights and stop signs are suggestions. Not direct orders.

Doug The Una said...

Spot on guv'ness Alice.

TLP, I'm thrilled that you've arrived. Any hitch-hikers?

Unknown said...

BWAAAAAAAA! now don't you leave me and go travelling too. you know that would give me cold turkey

Anonymous said...

To mosey with less purpose.

Unknown said...

The modus operandi of a creative person, completely incomprehensible to Stephen R. Covey.

Doug The Una said...

I'm still here, Karma.

Yes'm, Weirsdo. The cowboy's preferred travel style.

Darn right, CA. And you should know.