Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Wondrous Words Wednesday...with Verlence!



Wondrous Words Wednesday is a great meme over at bermudaonion.net where we share new (to us) words that we have found in our reading that week!

This week, I was reading several things simultaneously, one of them being "Spring Fever" by P.G. Wodehouse. In "Spring Fever," our protagonist has a Cockney butler who used to be a burglar before he found religion.

The unusual word that I found in "Spring Fever" is 'verlence.'

Here is the only problem with using this word for WWW - I already know it...and so do you! (It just took me a few minutes to catch it...) I guarantee that you know it!

Here is the context:

"You betcher there's going to be verlence. I'll give you two seconds to change your mind."

Did you guess it yet?

This is the butler speaking, and he has that accent....

Would it help if I told you that he was being threatened?

With violence?

Yep, verlence is just violence! I have had fun with this book! On the same page, the butler says, "It's been years since I bust a pete."

Apparently, this refers to safe-cracking!

13 comments:

  1. This word is new for me.

    http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2012/06/wondrous-words-wednesday_20.html

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  2. It took me a little while, but I got it! Fun post today!

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    1. Thanks! I was all geared up to look in the dictionary, when I realized what it was!

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  3. I read somewhere English has more than 5,00,000 words. Your post I guess adds a couple of more :)

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    1. If this even counts as one - LOL! Thanks for stopping by :)

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  4. Thanks for the tip, I'm adding In The Company Of Others to my TBR list!!

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  5. I was watching Inside Men on BBC America the other day and I couldn't understand a bloody word they were saying. It's about a bank heist and has its share of 'verlence'.
    LOL!
    By the way, did I already respond to your ? about literary agents? I don't 'know' any but of course, all the big agencies have them - Creative Arts, ICM, is there still a William Morris?, etc.

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    1. Yea, I just need to take the bull by the horns and contact someone! (must be a bit nervous...)

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  6. I've tagged you for a Liebster Award. :) http://wp.me/p2bS4K-95

    Cheers--

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  7. Nope..I didn't get it...thanks for telling me

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