You can't be wishy-washy when trying to catch someone red-handed, IWSG, Quotes, Being Thankful

 Origins: a recurring post in which I delve into the history of a word or phrase.

Today's phrase is: Caught Red-handed

There are some phrases we use so casually that I bet most of us never think about where they came from. The wonder of language and English is that every word, every phrase, has a story. This one makes perfect sense, though it never occurred me. 

Note the article "Feminism for Men". 1914!

Catching someone red-handed literally means catching a person with blood on their hands, either being caught after murdering someone or by poaching. It originated in Scotland and was first written down in 1432 in the Scottish Acts of Parliament of James I. But it was Sir Walter Scott who popularized it in 1819 when he wrote in his novel Ivanhoe: “I did but tie one fellow, who was taken redhanded and in the fact, to the horns of a wild stag.”

There is also this story of the Red Hand from Northern Ulster in Ireland though it is not related to our use of the phrase. "The Red Hand has long been a heraldic and cultural symbol of the northern Irish province of Ulster. One of the many myths as to its origin is the tale of how, in a boat race in which the first to touch the shore of Ulster was to become the province’s ruler, one contestant guaranteed his win by cutting off his hand and throwing it to the shore ahead of his rivals. The potency of the symbol remains and is used in the Ulster flag, and as recently as the 1970s a group of Ulster loyalist paramilitaries named themselves the Red Hand Commandos." That's men for you... Cut off your hand to win the race. 

             

Today's Weird Word is: Wishy-washy

In the 1640s it was popular to repeat a syllable or part of a syllable and make up words like wishy-washy. The word "washy" was already in use and meant "thin or watery". So by adding wishy to it a person was extra thin and watery. But, by the 1870s wishy-washy was firmly in place describing someone who vacillates and can't make up his/her mind.

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Posting the First Wednesday of every month, the Insecure Writer's Support Group, is the brainchild of Alex Cavanaugh. YOU can sign up HERE to participate.

Every month a question will be posed that may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Remember, the question is optional. You can write about anything that relates to your writing journey.

Let's give a warm welcome to our co-hosts:   PJ Colando, Pat Garcia, Kim Lajevardi, Melisa Maygrove, and Jean Davis!

This month's question is:  What were some books that impacted you as a child or young adult?

I love this question. I will endeavor to keep my list short.

Books that impacted me as a child:

Call of the Wild. This was the first book that made me cry and taught me the power of words. I give Jack London (and my mother) credit for setting my feet on the writing path, erratic as it is.

Eloise. If you've never read this delightful book about a very precocious and mischievous six year old who lives in the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Do so. I still have my very lovingly battered copy.

The Cat in the Hat. I am absolutely a huge Cat in the Hat fan. This book taught me that I can have tons of crazy fun just so long as I do no harm and clean up after myself. 

The Oz Books. My mother read most of them out loud to my sister and me. They taught me that there is no limit to imagination. I mean a glass cat with pink brains that you can see working?

Books that impacted me as a teen/young adult:

The Prophet. This was the first book I ever read that made sense of spirituality. The Bible and Christianity just wasn't doing it for me. But this book...this book opened the door to Ancient and Sacred wisdom from around the world.

Islandia by Austin Tappan Wright. This unknown work by an unknown author is a stunning story of a near utopian country that exists in the south Atlantic. It takes place right before WWI and the people of Islandia have to decide if they will open their country to the world or remain isolated. Their country is rich in mineral resources which England, Germany, and the US want to get their hands on. However, the Islandians have not exploited those resources as they love their quiet rural life-style and culture that is at least a thousand years old. The story is told through the eyes a young American man who is acting as a kind of ambassador for the US. I reread this novel about every 10 years and always come away wishing that Islandia really existed. Yes, it has it's flaws, particularly racial flaws. But for the time it was written it still remains relevant. This utopian "fantasy" pre-dates the Lord of the Rings and is 944 pages long. 

Lord of the Rings. No explanation needed.

Cannery Row. This was the first book I read by Steinbeck and I fell in love with him, particularly after struggling to read Hemmingway. For a long time I tried to mimic his style of writing until I finally found my own voice.

Quotes of the Month

Every instant of our live is essentially irreplaceable: you must know this in order to concentrate on life. Andre Gide

It is books that teach us to refine our pleasures when young, and to recall them with satisfaction when we are old. Leigh Hunt

Only man clogs his happiness with care, destroying what is, with thoughts of what may be. 

John Dryden

Being Thankful

Today I am thankful that my sister's visit went well.

I am also thankful for the rain we have gotten. It hasn't been enough to break the drought, but it's been enough to make things green for a little while.

What are you thankful for? What books impacted you as child and young adult? Have you ever been "caught red-handed?"