Epitaph/epithet

This is one of those argh moments I have when I stop to cruise Google in the name of research instead of just drawing a bunch of dots and moving on in the current work in process. All I wanted to do was see if anyone had done anything interesting like create a page of creative epithets--"You blithering bonehead!" "Thrice-damned frogbrain!" Anything. Obviously, I was looking for amusement more than actually expecting to find an epithet for my heroine to use, but the brain works in mysterious ways, so I was hoping something would fall loose.

Instead, sigh, I turn up a page about Roman epithets, which are a whole 'nuther ball of wax. I find a list of definitions of epithets, none of which have much to do with Roman ones. I come across a yahoo question in which no one even seemed to know what an epithet was and cared less. And then I came across a creative writing teacher's blog in which she shows a picture of a cemetery, quotes several famous epitaphs, and asks her students to write epithets for themselves.

I can think of several excellent epithets for that level of obtuseness, but I suppose one could call an epitaph an epithet under just the right conditions, so why should I waste any more of this lovely day? All I want is some new and brilliant substitutes for the usual boring curse words for my modern heroine to show her creativity.

And don't get me started on what I found when I looked up curses.

Anyone feeling particularly brilliant and/or creative today, please fling your curses, epithets, or even epitaphs my way. And why not an epigram or two while we're mashing the English language?

Blothering

Blithering blogging=blothering=today's blog

Sherrie commented the other day that she keeps a blog because sometimes she has something to say, which is probably unusual in the world of blogs. "G"

I started this blog with that intent--to just post a comment here and there when something occurred to me. And then some readers started asking questions about writing, and I dearly love to put on my Professor Pat hat. Thus, I began adding a few writing tips to the blogs.

But right now, everything I want to say has almost nothing to do with writing and would probably cause half my readers to scream in outrage, which leaves me sitting here biting my tongue. Or my fingers.

So I guess I'll just say that I've re-read the summary to one of the proposals I sent out last spring and now I want to torch it and start over. Really, I need six months to hatch these babies. Do I get a do-over?