It's been windy and cold these past few days. This morning's low is around 6ºC. Brrr. It's not unheard of to have a freeze this time of year. Frost danger lasts until mid-May.
Can you see the little spider on the iris petal?
I saw this little critter on one of our irises the the other day. Unbeknownst (that word looks funny in print) to me, Ken also saw it and took the same photo. I started the "pick up sticks" chore in the back yard yesterday. Two wheelbarrow loads of grape vines that I dug up a while back, and fallen branches from our tilleul (linden tree). I still have three grape vine trunks to dig out of the ground.
I personally think that the word "unbeknownst" should be banned from the language - it is an archaic word originating in the mid-19th century. The word is derived from the much older archaic word "unbeknown," which has long since left the English language - no one uses that word today. Back in the 19th century, the word was used in a context that suggests it was a spoken word only, and came from a rural dialect of English, or at least had a country flavour. "Unbeknownst" therefore seems to have hung around long past its use by date. The word sounds snobbish and pedantic - no wonder it was used in older legal texts apparently. Where I live in Australia, "unbeknownst" is almost never used, but I do find it a lot in American English. Sources I checked indicate that it is hardly ever used in British English. Most often (though not always) "unbeknownst" can be replaced by the simpler (and easier to pronounce) "unknown." What an interesting rabbit hole that word produced! But this word has long been one of my "word peeves". Along with my other peeve: people using the word "lead" when they mean "led" - "He led me up the garden path" - not "He lead me up the garden path."
ReplyDeleteGorgeous iris and spider photo.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try planting irises this year. This one is such a vibrant color.
ReplyDeleteI remember that CHM loved iris. This one is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteJust gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteanon, you didn't sign your name... You're unbeknownst to us! LOL
ReplyDeletemitch, you can't take too many iris and spider photos.
judy, I always decide to plant more bulbs this time of year. Then, when fall planting time comes around, I forget.
evelyn, :)
mary, :)
I have been known to use that word in the phrase , "unbeknownst to me"! I promise from here on out to just say simply, "unknown". Done. Who wants to sound "snobbish" or "pedantic"?
ReplyDelete