semantics

Have you ever thought about how homo-erotic the cigarette has become? Just consider the vocabulary that has become associated with this friend of emphysema: stick, butt, and fag (for you Brits ... I won't even comment on "fanny packs"). Now really, is all that necessary?

Changes in semantics and vernacular are customary for every language; it is this evolution of language that gives us the beauty of a variety of tongues across the world (unless you like the Babel story; honestly, though, a bunch of people running around unable to communicate while trying to accomplish something ... wait wait, no, that's Capitol Hill ...).

Consider the many definitions of the word "GAY": merry (happily excited), bright (lively), given to social pleasures (licentious), and homosexual (I'm sorry, there seems to be a huge amount of redundancy in the Merriam-Webster).

I found an interesting webpage (http://www.queerbychoice.com/men2men.html -- I'm not too keen on the "by choice" part, however) that provides a list of terms used to describe gay men. Some are quite amusing: Bog queen, Aunt Fancy, church mouse, finocchio (Italian word, also means "leek" ... odd ...), friend of Dorothy's, lavender cowboy, Muscle Mary, sheep-herder, and waffle (perpendicular with sticky stuff? Let your imagination do some walking ...).

Strangely enough, both Nance and Bruce are on the list (my mother's name), which could lead us down the path of some Freudian conversation that I shall avoid for the sake of the common good.

Signed yours truly,
Batty-boy