ABC Wednesday is a word meme with participants from around the world. This fabulous meme was created and hosted by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt who hails from Great Britain. Over time, others have joined in to help host this wonderful and informative meme. We are now in our NINTH round! Some of the participants have been with this from the very first round; others have joined in along the way. Each week we are taken across the globe to see the varied and exciting contributions people have taken the time to discover and capture. We start with the letter, "A" and each week we post something in regards to the next letter of the alphabet. This week's letter is, "W".
WISHBONE
Ever wonder where the tradition of naming the collarbone of a fowl, a 'wish bone' and why you're supposed to make a wish before breaking it? The tradition goes back 2,400 years ago and was borne out of the beliefs of the Etruscans in regards to squawking hens. The link provided will take you to the rest of the story behind the tradition and how it came to New England with America's early settlers. This one is a chicken bone.
WINGS/WING SPAN/WING SPREAD
Eagles have large wing spans or a large wing spread, depending on how you want to use the the word. I don't normally encounter live eagles with their wings spread open, so this will have to do! By the way, the wing span of the American Bald Eagle is anywhere from 79 to 90 inches! My husband saw one flying over the Rio Grande river at 7 a.m. on his way up to Angel Fire the other day. He did comment on how large the wingspan was on the eagle.
WAITERS/WAITRESSES/WAIT STAFF
Depending on if you want to refer to this line of service by gender or not, where would we be if no one took on this job? I was a waitress in college and it put me through school. Whenever we go out to eat, if my husband realizes that our wait person is working their way through college, he leaves them an even bigger tip as he knows from my story telling, that it is a hard job.
WEBRIL WIPES
It is quite possible that you've never had the occasion to use Webril wipes in your lifetime. I've had to in printmaking. We use them to wipe our photo-sensitive plates dry. Webril wipes are lint-free, so it is a specialized product.
I just noticed that today is the last day of fall and tomorrow marks the first day of winter. Also known as the winter's solstice. I think we have had an early start here in NM as we've had blizzard like conditions off and on throughout the day. The good news is, that the temps averaged around 37 degrees, so it makes for a lot of slush.
It's definitely a white and whacky winter here.
I hope everyone has a Merry Happy Christmas Holiday!
13 comments:
What a marvelous collection of W words for the day, Paula! Hope your week is going well and that you and your family have a very Happy, Merry Christmas!
Sylvia
Great selection for W day. I hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas.
New Mexico has snow and slush?!!! And here in Vancouver, we're having the driest December on record. Something wrong here! lol Love all your W words and wish you a wonderful week! :D
Leslie
abcw team
Its a Wacky World we live in Weather-Wise.
One spritz of rain and that was it. Every morning for 2 weeks its been frosty and then the temps go into the low 60's.
Wishing you and your family the best Christmas ever.
Intriguing how both wingspans and wishbones are in the shape of a V, as opposed to the double V.
ROG, ABC Wednesday team
Wonderful post - eclectic and diverse.
Wishing you a wonderful holiday and happy new year. I look forward to more posts in 2012.
Clever post - and it made me smile...
Wonderful Ws, Paula.
I don't know the name Webril but I do remember my father had rolls of special cotton for cleaning printing presses, and another kind for offset plates.
He used to pull a piece off the roll as needed and, when my youngest brother was two, he watched Dad do this and said, "Piece of cat!" because Mom and Dad had a big white cat.
Wishing you the best of the holiday season and the coming year.
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie’s Guide to Adventurous Travel
Our winter is off to a mild start, unlike last year's double digit snowfalls. The bald eagles, huge and powerful, are here en masse to feed on the spawning Kokanee. Another wonderful post!
I really like learning the roots of customs, sayings, and words. Thanks. BTW, I have roots in Peñasco. Do you know it?
Beautiful W choices Paula. Have a wonderful holidays!
Thank you for the interesting information about the wishbone!
I shall also think of the waiters who have to do the waiting job to earn some money for their education.
I wish you a very happy Christmas and a great 2012!
That wishbone brings back old Christmas memories. Who was going to get the treat of pulling it? Interesting to see its origin.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas.
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