Winning Words 8/10/09
“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” (Nelson Mandela) A good head without the good heart is something to be leery of. For my part, I gravitate toward those who are caring people. Eleemosynary is a word that describes them. Try to use eleemosynary in a sentence today and see what reaction you get. In the end, Mandela’s quote is a good one. ;-) Jack

FROM L.K. IN OHIO: You bet!

FROM S.H. IN MICHIGAN: Thanks for a good start to what will hopefully be a good week. I had fun looking up your suggested word just now: from Wiki--- Eleemosynary deeds have their incipience intramurally?
Answer ----Charity begins at home.

FROM INDY GENIE: Listening to NPR this morning , I learned that research is indicating that heart health is linked with head (brain) health. Interesting. FROM JACK: Today, I learned from NPR that scientists have tested mice and seem to have found the gene that triggers itching. Other info: Fish itch, too.

FROM HILLTOPPER JOHN: A good heart without a good head can be something to be leery of also....lots of thoughtless activity...I think that's why Mandela called for the two together not apart. FROM JACK: But if I had to choose....

FROM CJL IN OHIO: I'm impressed you continue to use those "big" words. Keep it up! FROM JACK: We learned that in seminary. You must have been absent that day.

FROM L.G. IN MICHIGAN: You give a sentence with that in it, Jack... I need an example. FROM JACK: I'm not going to do your homework for you. OH WELL...."Eleemosynary is a word that Lou is having trouble understanding. It's a good thing that she lives it."

FROM L.P. IN MICHIGAN:
Thankfully m-w.com has a pronunciation file for eleemosynary. Now, how to slip it into casual conversation?...

FROM MOLINER C.F.: Some of the people are eleeosynary all of the time and all of the people are eleemosynary some of the time, but not all of the people are eleemosynary all of the time. (Abe Hodson)

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Today is the day to... "Try to learn something about everything and everything about something". (Thomas Henry Huxley) FROM JACK: Today is the day to learn something about the word, eleemosynary.

FROM CWR IN B'MORE: .......in a way gamblers are eleemosynary, because they're "giving it away"........well, maybe just "good hearted" gamblers......

FROM P.O. IN MICHIGAN: Good grief---where did you find that one?! I'd better figure out how to pronounce it before I try to work it into a conversation. Actually, I could have used it earlier today. I was at U of D Mercy proctoring exams for graduating PA students. I was, for the purposes of that exercise, a 17-year old male with complaints that necessitated them taking a sexual history and doing some patient education. It was absolutely fascinating --- those heading for practices in trauma medicine, surgery, cardiology and the like just got the information and barely made eye contact, much less counseled me in any meaningful fashion or made me even want to have that uncomfortable conversation with them. Those heading for family practice were generally thorough and very caring and I'd have trusted them with all my 'deep, dark secrets'! But I'll bet I'd have had the faculty scratching their heads if I'd used eleemosynary in my evaluations!

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: My sentence: Saint Nicholas was one of Christianity’s most eleemosynary figures, giving to the poor to celebrate the birth of the Christ child.

FROM DMF IN MINNESOTA: My sentence: “Bethphage, Immanuel Deaconsess, Seafarers House, and other eleemosynary institutions have a strong societal benefit.”

FROM M.L. IN ILLINOIS: i am blessed to be surrounded by many eleemosynary people. do i pass? FROM JACK: Collect $200.

FROM R.I. IN BOSTON: Something I found today...a bit late but still applicable. It was the caption for a photo showing a Salvation Army woman musician playing an instrument while collecting at Christmas. "The gloved and booted organist is pitting her eleemosynary hymns against the cacophony of New York's 5th Avenue." (from STREETS FOR PEOPLE by Bernard Rudofsky, p. 141) FROM JACK: You win the prize for the best use of the word, eleemosynary.

FROM S.G. IN TAMPA: Isn't that a remarkable story and wasn't he a remarkable man?