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Monday, September 29, 2014

What is the Meaning of Life?



LIFE

When I went to the Duck Store
To buy a duck for me I saw
Two ducks in a cage in front of me,
One was moving, one was still,
I watched it sitting there until
I realized it lacked the quality

That separates creatures that work
From other ones that are inert
In other words it had no life inside,
Therefore making this duck dead;
I bought the other one instead,
And took it in my car for a joy ride.

And as we went with some remorse
We pondered the principle force
Of life that sets the living far apart
From things that are inanimate
And have so reached the ultimate
State of having no life to impart -

No heart pumping in the chest,
No sleeping even though they rest,
No food being digested in the gut,
No more blinking for the eye,
No flinch for any stimuli,
The drive to procreate completely shut!

Unlike me and my new duck
Who seemed for the time being stuck
In the sequence of living events,
Yet looking forward to getting home
And so enjoying the duck I own,
Whilst my tummy growled without relent...

It seemed more proof of life had come
To me because my hungry tum
Was telling me to quickly have a feed,
So my little duck and I
Eager not to starve and die
Drove home with alacrity and speed!

And as we hurtled through the street
Dreaming of what we could eat
My new duck friend read to me from a book
Which was a biography
Apparently the life story
Of a famous fowl entitled, "Chook",

Who was famous for thinking
About life after living
And adamant that she'd become a ghost
In the chicken afterlife
Free of common chicken strife
After she wound up on someone's toast!

Making me grateful I guess
To be alive although depressed
That one day I would breathe my final breath
So I thought I'd make the most
Of life before I was a ghost
And enjoy my time from birth to death!

Which made me ponder about now
This time of life I'm in and how
I could make the present worth my time,
Should I share some of my food
With this little quacking dude
Or share him on a plate with friends of mine?

But that would be a ghastly crime
To serve up this new friend of mine
To carve his meaty goodness with a knife...
Surely it would be a sin
And with the law I would be in
Trouble and be locked away for life?

Surely I'd be better fed
To eat a vegetable instead
And live a life of peaceful harmony
With the creatures of the earth
Respecting then the living's worth
And not make plans to have them for my tea?

Why should I consider my
Life to be worth more, should I
Have the right to eat an animal?
Shouldn't I respect the course
And life of this ideal force
And stand for this ethical principle?

But my duck put down his book
And I could tell from his scared look
That he knew the thoughts I entertained.
He said, "There is no life to our
Friendship and I think somehow
I'm less a friend and have become fair game?"

His words cut through me like a knife
They had exactly caught the life
Of the thing imagined in my head
Almost like a photograph
A still life and a polygraph
Revealing that I dreamed the duck was dead!

"Look I said you've done your dash
But now I see you by a mashed
Potato and maybe a plate of peas,
Your life is spent and up you see
Your more useful being dead in me!"
But my argument did not appease.

Instead he showed great resistance
To the idea his existence
And period of life had reached its end,
With tear drops dripping from his eye
He quacked a most tormented cry
And said, "I thought that you and I were friends!"

And then my car let out a groan
And with a life all of its own
Swerved beyond my own ability
To control its reckless wheels
I found myself begin to squeal
Over its new lifelike quality...

Then a voice from in the car
Said, "you won't get very far
If your intent is to eat up that bird!
For the lives of things that fly
And pass their time up in the sky
Are mine!" It was the weirdest thing I'd heard!

Then the life of my shocked brain
Began to stir and whirr again
As I had the start of an idea,
I plucked from the ignition my
Keys to make the car to die
The engine stopped but quickly to my fear

The car did not so quickly stop
But kept on going quite a lot
Threatening the life upon the road,
Anything that shared the road
Was now a threatening deathening load
Of danger putting us in panic mode!

If traffic was a party then
We were the life of it my friend
The duck and I inside the haunted car,
It was a rush and certainly
A chance for me to clearly see
My life so far projected on the tar...

But just like that and quite abrupt
My car was struck by a great truck
And suddenly I left my life behind
And as for that ungrateful duck
He caught a lift upon that truck
Whose driver was the veggie eating kind.

And just when I was pondering
About my life and its meaning
I found myself facing another blow,
For I found myself before
My maker and could not ignore
My judgement day had come and said, "Uh oh!"



Wednesday, September 24, 2014

The Meaning of the Name Gabriel



Gabriel

If you ever meet a man
Called Gabriel now understand
Even though it seems a pretty name
It is a designation
Worthy of manly station
And has throughout the ages earned it's fame...

Having been the name of the
Angel who came to Mary
The blessed Virgin Mother of The Lord
Who was one of the only two
Good Angels in the Bible who
Were mentioned by name in the record

Meaning "Man of God" although
It can mean also "God's hero"
In the tongue of what we call Hebrew,
So be careful then when you
Meet a Gabriel or you
Might be talking to an Angel too!

What is the Meaning of Delphine?



Delphine


I don't like when I'm in the sea
That other things are there with me
Particularly anything with teeth!
In fact I would dare not go in
If I thought that when I swim
Something might decide to cause me grief...

But then I think of the Delphine
Creatures who are known at times
To be there to lend a helping fin,
The dolphins are the ones I mean
Unlike the sharks that I have seen
They're not as keen to feed when I jump in!



What is the Meaning of Talpine?



Talpine


There is a tiny hill outside
A mound of earth beside a wide
Opening or otherwise a hole,

Not a mountain but the kind
Of hill and hole from a talpine
Creature or in other words a mole

What is the Meaning of Termitine?



Termitine

Oh dear the house I once called mine
Has been consumed by termitine
Creatures leaving only wooden chips!

So next time I'll avoid the likes
Of those wee nasty termites
By building me a house made out of bricks!


Tuesday, September 23, 2014

The Meaning of the Name Kelvin



Kelvin

Kelvin was a man who found
Himself alone when on the ground
But felt at home when in the company
Of a ship upon the waves
So every chance he got he gave
Up the land for any chance at sea!

He had no friends to call his own
When not at sea he was alone
But as his name implied he was equipped
To like instead the company
Of his wooden friends at sea
For his name, Kelvin, meant friend of ships.


What is the Meaning of Vituline?



Vituline

I am quite careful when I dine
Not to chew on vituline,
Oh the thought makes me just want to barf!
I simply can not fathom how
Anyone could eat a cow
That is technically still a calf?

Of course I am a hypocrite
For were it lamb I would eat it
Any time of day with any sauce!
I'm not sure how a baby cow
Is different or even how
Eating it should fill me with remorse?


Sunday, September 21, 2014

The Meaning of the Name Emma



Emma

Emma might seem small although
When defined it undergoes
A transformation to encompass all

For the name's meant to inspire
The same meaning as "entire"
Or perhaps the word "universal"...


What is the Meaning of Hubris?



Hubris

Once there was a little elf
Who thought quite highly of himself
And walked about with puffed up haughtiness,
Filled with pride and confidence
And blinded by self importance
He really was the image of hubris.

So blinded by his own conceit
Was he that on wet concrete
He took a walk convinced he was immune
To simple things like chemistry
Or the law of gravity
And found himself neck deep and quite marooned!

The Meaning of the Name Chelsea



Chelsea

Once when I went for a walk
Down by the sea I found some chalk
Amidst the ruins of an old sea port,

Reminding me the name "Chelsea"
Was a landing by the sea
A place where you would find shipments of chalk!

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Please Help DJ



Hi Guys

Thanks for all your support over the last two years as I plod on through the dictionary to get these definitions to you...

Now just to break from the norm I've become aware of a friend of a friend who is suffering from Leukaemia and has the opportunity for a special experimental treatment that could save his life, the catch is it is far from his home country in Australia, in America in fact, where the cost of the procedure exceeds $600,000...

If you could please spare a moment to visit this site where you can make a donation I'm sure his family will greatly appreciate your kind generosity!

Click HERE to help DJ!!!

Cheers

Kerin Gedge

Friday, September 19, 2014

The Meaning of the Name Haydn



Haydn

It isn't often that I tell
A tale that is true but now
Let me share a story close to home
About a little girl whose name
Is for boys but just the same
We gave it to her for her very own...

I guess we liked the sound of it
It felt right and it seemed to fit
And named her so before she was born
And as she in her mother grew
We did what most young parents do
And prayed for her every night and morn:

"Dear God bless our little Gedge
Put around her a safe hedge
Of protection, this is what we pray"
Without any small inkling
Of the name's actual meaning
Whatsoever or in any way...

But when we finally took a look
In a little naming book
There it was the name of our small Gedge,
Incredibly our prayers had guessed
The meaning of her name addressed
A valley that was guarded by a Hedge!


The Meaning of the Name Sarah



Sarah


Sarah in the Hebrew tongue
Is a name that you'd give one
Upon whom you would like to impress

A certain type of quality
Reserved for one of royalty
A girl whose name quite simply means "Princess"

What is the Meaning of Coralline?



Coralline

Michael is a friend of mine
Even though he's coralline
And lives down at the bottom of the sea,
We've found it hard to stay in touch
So don't talk to each other much
Or ever sit together to eat tea...

We seldom share a joke or two
Or even hug like some friends do
Or message one another when online,
Neither do we ever quarrel
That's because he's made of coral
And trying to would be a big waste of time!


The Meaning of the Name Fabian



Fabian

There was a man called Fabian
A clever homosapian
Probably because he ate his greens

And when he did he oft consumed
A myriad of long legumes
For his name meant "a grower of beans".

What is the Meaning of Audacity?



Audacity

One who has the quality
Of what we call audacity
Is someone who shows an intrepid nerve,
But also it is understood
That such a one is one who could
Also be likely not to observe

What we call normal constraints
Imperious and less a saint
Defiant in their blatant apathy
For social convention and
Etiquette you understand
Like someone who wears pyjamas to tea...

And whilst this slight audacious act
Might seem tame observe the fact
That the queen herself beheld the sight
At her dining table when
My audacious and pert friend
Was there strictly by his own invite!

Thursday, September 18, 2014

What is the Meaning of Caballine?



Caballine

Sometimes I hear my stomach growl
Telling me to feed it now
Demanding me with a relentless force,

Until I find somewhere to dine
On something large and caballine
For I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

What is the Meaning of Bufotenine?



Bufotenine (as an adjective)

Once when on a walk I found
Something squished upon the ground
Flattened and quite dead upon the road,
By its looks I was inclined
To say it was bufotenine
A creature that had once been a fat toad!

But now some car had made it thin
So thin that it could fit in
The book that I was reading at the time,
How fortunate that I had found
A bookmark laying on the ground
Even if it was covered in slime!

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The Meaning of the Name Kristen



Kristen

Kristen was a lady that
Liked to take in homeless cats
And people too who found themselves in need,
When suffering this lady saw
None of it she could ignore
But helped them out with zeal and with speed!

No thought for herself she had
Helping others made her glad
Despite how their needs may have been priced,
Which was nice for in Latin
Her name exemplified "Christian"
That is a selfless follower of Christ!



Tuesday, September 16, 2014

What is the Meaning of Bovine and Vaccine?



Bovine / Vaccine


I met a cow one sunny day
And to him I said, "I must say
Would you like to join me for some tea?"
"Moo," he said, (that's cow for "yes")
"I would be glad to be your guest,
Just as long as you're not eating me!"

And with my fingers crossed behind
My back I said to the bovine,
"My dear sir I'm not the type to dine
Upon the meat of any beast
Such as yourself, I could not feast
Upon the flesh of anything vaccine!"

And what a pleasant guest was he
To have around that night for tea
For upon my favourite dinner plate
Sat my new found bovine friend,
After he had met his end,
To become nothing less than a steak!


The Meaning of the Name Stephen/Steven



Stephen/Steven

I knew a man called Stephen who
Did not quite know what to do
Whenever a person misspelled his name
He'd grind his teeth and coldly say
"My name is spelled the "ph" way!"
Clearly it was driving him insane.

So he rather cleverly
Rose in might politically
Just so he could rule the land and say,
"Steven with a 'V' will be
Hence forth spelled illegally!
Anyone who breaks this rule will pay!"

Which was quite an irony
For his name apparently
Meant the same as "crown" in Ancient Greek,
His actions seemed then to reflect
The nature of one who expects
To be a King who rules over the weak!

None of which is meant to say
That all Stephens are born that way
In fact there is another ancient tale
About the Christian Martyr who
Was the first of Christians to
Face a stoning death and not turn tail...

So whether your a Steven or
Even a Stephen know that your
Spelling doesn't change the fact your names
Both mean exactly the same thing,
A crown that's worn by Queen or King
To wear upon their heads during their reigns.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Who was Marcus Aurelius?


Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius
Antoninus Augustus
Was an Ancient Roman emperor,
He ruled from one six one AD
To one hundred and eighty
And was a Stoic Philosopher...

He was the last, it's understood,
Of the five one's that were "good"
And even wrote his famous "Meditations"
About service and duty
And finding equanimity
Using nature as his inspiration...
(Watch this space for more on Marcus Aurelius!!)

The Meaning of the Name Eadith



Eadith / Eaditha

You might think Eadith rather tame
To give a girl for a name
But when you think of it just think of gore,

For it, as well as Eaditha,
Was in Anglo-Saxon a
Designation meaning "prosperous war"!


Saturday, September 13, 2014

What is the Meaning of the Name Dagmar?




Dagmar

Dagmar is the kind of name
You'd know if you were a Dane
And is the sort of name you would employ

To convey "Dane's joy" you see
And is a name apparently
You'd call a girl and not give to a boy!

What is the Meaning of the Girl's Name Rachel?


Rachel is a pretty name
Even though it means the same
As a lady sheep or else "a ewe",

An ancient name from days of old
When ewes were used as well as gold
And comes to us from tongues that spoke Hebrew!


What is the Meaning of the Name Cadwallader?


Cadwallader

My little friend Cadwallader
Liked to find a colander
When he was preparing for a war,
Which was rather appropriate
For his actions seemed to fit
What in Whales his name was used for...

"Battle arranger" it did mean
And rather than for beans and things
He planned to wear the strainer on his head
That way when a cruel warlord
Hit him with his sharpened sword
Cad would be the opposite of dead..

Friday, September 12, 2014

What is the Meaning of Baldwin?


Baldwin

I found myself in a cauldron
With a fellow called Baldwin
Which was a pleasant way to meet my end,
For this man I hardly knew,
boiling with me in a stew,
Told me his name in English meant "Bold Friend!"

Then to the monster cooking he
Said, "Don't eat this man for tea
Just look at him he's unhealthy and fat!
Not only will he wreck the taste
You'll add inches to your waist
And give yourself no doubt a heart attack!

You must consider portion size
Your tummy's too big for your eyes
Settle instead for the likes of me,
Let this unfit fatty free
Replace him with some fresh parsley
And you'll find me satisfactory!"

And having lived up to his name
My Bold Friend quickly then became
Something warm and tender on a plate,
As for me I walked scott-free
And swore that I will happily
Never make an effort to lose weight!



What is the Meaning of Abner?


Abner

Should you ever meet an Abner
Of this name you can remember
That it brings one comfort in the night,

For it was used by Hebrews,
The people today we call Jews,
And means in English "Father of the Light"


Wednesday, September 10, 2014

What is the Meaning of Succumb?


Succumb

I found myself whilst dieting
With my stomach rioting
Tired of all the salads I had downed
And at this point to tell the truth
I had awakened my sweet tooth
Which was craving something chocolate brown!

My will was weak against the thought
That I yielded and bought
The biggest chocolate bar I could afford,
That is to say I did succumb
To my hungry rumbling tum
And fed myself the chocolate I adored!

Oh how I hate so to admit
I gave in and devoured it
Submitting myself to the yummy treat
The power it had over me
Made me buy more for my tea
In fact a truck load just for me to eat...

And so I ate and grew and grew
More than a man is meant to
Until I was larger than my abode
And so I was brought to my end
I did succumb to my death when
Suddenly my stomach did explode.

And as parts of me flew about
And my lights were going out
For a brief moment I was rather mad
At myself for being greedy,
Succumbing so to sweet candy,
If only I had stuck with the salad!

What is the Meaning of Horror?


Horror

One night I heard a bump and woke
To a voice which in me spoke
And said that something was inside my home!
Then a grating crash so loud
The voice inside me screamed, it yelled
That I was home defenseless and alone!

But so filled with dread was I
I stayed right where I was for I
Found myself pained with an intense fear,
Grappling with extreme dismay
My body decided to stay
In bed to ponder the unknown out there...

Horror was indeed the word
That described just how disturbed
I was by the strange noises I could hear:
A gasping and indeed breathing
A rasping and curdling wheezing
Growing louder as it climbed my stairs...

Then a silence in the night
So intense I thought my fright
Just might be a trick of midnight dreams?
Then suddenly my door swung wide
And looming in the hall outside
Was something that on earth I had not seen...

For hanging in the twilight hall
Was a creature grey and tall
With giant eyes from goodness knows from where!
An alien with cruel intent
Desires I could not invent
To capture me for torture far from here!

The creature had the quality
To inspire horror in me
And indeed repugnance and aversion,
For it telepathically
Made my frightened mind to see
That I would soon succumb to its perversion!

Oh and how I cried and tried
To get away but found that I'd
Become paralyzed from my eyes down,
And though I looked inside to find
Within my trembling heart and mind
There was no bravery there to be found!

It leaned it's body over me
So pale and frail and so ghostly
So I could see my horror in its eyes...
Along with my apprehension
That he would take me with him
And use me to abuse me in the skies!
And then the darkness like a net
Claimed me for its midnight pet
And carried me into a new nightmare,
Where only on occasion
My personal invasion
Was caught in glimpses by the blinks of fear...

And then upon my couch I woke
With pizza all around and coke
And my Telly buzzing statically
And surely although so slowly
The night before came back to me
I had been watching Horror on the telly...

Was it all a silly dream,
The creature I could swear I'd seen,
Or was it just a figment of my brain?
So horrific was the sight
I decided that my plight
Had to be a dream to keep me sane...

So up the stairs I went to bed
And as my pillow touched my head
I heard a bang, a crash from down the stairs!
Grappling with extreme dismay
My body decided to stay
In bed to ponder the unknown out there...

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

What is the Meaning of Parenthesis?


Parenthesis

I saw the word parenthesis
And pondered about what this is
It turns out it can be one of two things:
A word or phrase inserted in,
By way of an explanation,
A passage in between those bracket things - ( )

Or between some dashes too (-)
Or betwixt commas one and two (, ,)
Not affecting the grammar at all.
However it can also be
A break or pause apparently,
An interlude or even interval!

What is the Meaning of Verbose?


Verbose

If I explained a thing to you
Way more than I needed to
By using lots of words for my example

I'm being verbose within my speech
Prattling in the way I teach
When only a few words would have been ample!

Want a Personalized Vocabuverse for your website?


Here's what to do!


1. Email me at thevocabuverse@gmail.com

2. Send a 200 word description of your "product" to me at thevocabuverse@gmail.com plus a link to your site.

3. As long as your site is family friendly and fairly PG I will contact you with a personalized Vocabuverse as soon as I am able! (See Example Below)


A few points.

As mentioned above my site is mostly family friendly and is meant to be used as an educational tool so I will not be able to endorse products that I deem to be too adult or unsavory. Also I wish to keep my site free of political, social and religious agendas so if you're seeking a Vocabuverse of that ilk please don't submit it to me!

Once you have your Vocabuverse simply post it to your site, clearly stating that I am the Author and provide a link to: www.vocabuverse.blogspot.com


Likewise, I will post a link on my site to the Vocabuverse on your site, so we both win!

How much do I charge?


NOTHING! Well, not at the moment anyway! For the time being all I am after are the back links so get in quick before I start charging!



Here's an example of what you'll get:



If your site is selling Bio Fueled Rocket Toilets Equipped with Cloaking Technology I would write you something like this:


The Amazing Rocket Toilet

Tired of sitting in a room
Bored and filled with doom and gloom
Just because your tummy tells you so?
Wouldn't it be way more fun
If you could fly around the sun
And wave hello to martians as you go?

Now you can it's really true
Upon our rocket fueled loo
Made to fly around about the sky,
Equipped with the technology
Of Cloaking so no one can see
What should not be seen by any eye!

Fly it on your way to work,
Fly it while you iron your shirt,
Fly it while you grind your coffee beans!
Powered by the things you ate,
Carbon free for goodness sake,
So buy it now, it's safe, it's fun and Green!


By Kerin Gedge

What is the Meaning of Yore?



Yore

When speaking of the olden days
In a most nostalgic way
Referring to what has happened before,

The pleasant days of long ago
And former times just so you know
Are things that do belong to the word yore.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

What is the Meaning of God Bye Ye?




God bye ye

Whilst reading old Will Shakespeare
There was a phrase I found in there
God bye ye,” was what the actor said..
I looked it up to find out what
It means and this is what I got,
“God be with you’s” meant when it is read.

“Goodbye” is what we say today
When a friend goes on their way
Which likely comes from this forgotten phrase,
But whether it is said or inked
Most of us would never think
It a blessing as back in those days!



What is the Meaning of Epileptiform?




Epileptiform

If someone were to suddenly
Convulse epileptically
You could say without inviting scorn

That the man's resemblance to
Having a "fit" likens him to
Something that is epileptiform.


Tuesday, September 2, 2014

What is the Meaning of Bombicine?




Bombicine

Did you know that silky twine
Comes to us from bombycine
Larvae that we know as the silkworm,

Before it turns into a moth
It's murdered so as to make cloth
Something I was rather sad to learn!



What is the Meaning of Bobovine?





Bobovine


Should you meet a wild ox
Whose coat is dark but with white socks
Next time you're wandering through India,
It's probably a bobovine,
Or gaur as it's called sometimes,
And also can be found in Malaysia...

I met one once and said hello
He did not talk in English so
We found ourselves facing a cultural bump,
Which was a pain for so badly
I wanted very much to see
If I could ride his back and pat his hump!

So should there ever come a day
I find myself passing that way
I'll be sure to learn some bobovine
And then clearly I'll say to him
"Moo" in bobovinian
And maybe he'll become a friend of mine?