Word Fun
Light On
Children and grown-ups alike immerse themselves in Jesse’s story, and most especially they delight in the shining Light of his words. It’s fun to echo the dialogue right from the pages of Jesse’s latest adventure.
Below you will find the imaginative nuggets and dollops of Words
that Jesse engenders all throughout his story: Kangaroo Words – Malapropisms – Spoonerisms – Tongue Twisters – Anagrams
enJOY & Light On!
Kangaroo Words
A word that contains all the letters of one of its synonyms, or a closely related word, called a Joey word, arranged in the same order in both words.
Chapter 12 Storied Past: Capsule > case
(Jesse beamed. “Capsule’s a kangaroo word! All the letters in ‘case’ are in ‘capsule’ in just the right order with the same meaning – and case is the joey word!)
Chapter 13 Gallop: Dazzler > Daze
(“Fluthers, Jesse! Y’re a dazzler, y’are! You put us all in a daze!” — Jesse paused and smirked. “‘Dazzler’ is a kangaroo word. ‘Daze’ is right inside it! Good one, Grams!”)
Chapter 21 Week Full: sculpted > cut
(Hendrik said, “Here is the musical ‘rest sign’! A deep cut, sculpted by nature.” David smiled, “Father, you used a kangaroo word: ‘sculpted’ has ‘cut’ inside it!” “My, how clever am I!” Hendrik sparked.)
Chapter 30 Exploring: Salvage > Save
(David perked up, “Gemma! ‘Salvaged’ is a kangaroo word. It carries ‘saved’ as its joey!”)
Chapter 42 Cheers!: Balsam > Balm
(“That’s balsam,” Gemma said. — “Yah, the balm of Christmas!” Margarethe dimpled.)
MALAPROPISMS
the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with unintentionally amusing effect.
Chapter 3 Don’t Look Back
“Siobhan indicted you?” Charlie laughed, correcting him, “Invited, Jesse. Siobhan’s not taking me to court!”
Chapter 11 Windy Hill Farm
“I have a preposition,” Jesse began. David chuckled. “You mean proposition.”
Chapter 23 Squared
“The art is by Michelangelo, painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.” — “Sixteenth Chapel?”
Chapter 25 Suspicions
“I don’t want to jump to delusions, but Theo might be stealing fossils!” — Charlie popped, “You’re not jumpin’ to conclusions! Time to call the police!”
Chapter 26 Get Out!
Jesse said, “It’s a pigment of my imagination.” — Gemma corrected, “Pigment means a color. A figment of your imagination means something you invented in your imagination.”
Chapter 33 Earthmovers
about the neighbor men putting the windmill propellers on:
“And Gemma is internally grateful,” Jesse bubbled. David guffawed, “Jesse, that’s eternally grateful!”
Chapter 37 Falling Into Place
During The Rivals play, David laughed, “Jesse! When Mrs. Malaprop said it was an obstacle illusion, I thought it was you up on stage!” (Optical illusion)
SPOONERISMS
switching the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, often to humorous effect
Chapter 7 Friday Night
soul of ballad = bowl of salad
Chapter 9 Music Farm Ferry
“Eyeball!” = “Bye all!”
Chapter 18 Tizzy
“Have the flags hung out to welcome everyone.” — “Yes! We’ll have the hags flung out!”
Chapter 33 Earthmovers
“Now that they’re cleaning up from the hurricane, the ferry cars will have sparking paces again.” — Rose giggled, “Billy, that’s a spoonerism! Parking spaces!”
Chapter 45 DREAM
Jesse leaned into Lyla’s embrace, “Not yet.” He snorted one more cry. “Wet’s late.” He snorted again, “I mean, let’s wait.” He blurted a laugh.
Tongue Twisters
Chapter 11 Windy Hill Farm
She sees cheese.
Chapter 16 The Gang’s All Here
He threw three free throws!
Chapter 37 Falling Into Place
Lyla’s Tongue-Twister: Six sticky skeletons.
Anagrams
a word, phrase, or name formed by rearranging the letters of another (ex. – cinema, formed from iceman)
Chapter 6 Clearing
Sabbath < > Shabbat
Chapter 9 Music Ferry Farm
“Eyeball!” = “Bye all!” (a Spoonerism that is almost an Anagram – except for that extra ‘E’)
Chapter 24 Regatta
Eleven plus two < > Twelve plus one
Shakespeare
Chapter 1 Night Vision: “‘Where care lodges, sleep will never lie.’”
~ Romeo & Juliet: Act 11, Scene 3 (Gemma explaining that she couldn’t sleep because she couldn’t stop thinking of her long lost husband, Daniel)
Chapter 5 Whiplash: “‘Awake, dear heart, awake; thou hast slept well; awake!’”
~ The Tempest: Act 1, Scene 2 (Gemma awakening Jesse from his deep sleep, after almost drowning)
Chapter 6 Clearing: Shakespeare: “‘Thereby hangs a tale.’”
~ Taming of the Shrew: Act 4, Scene 1 (Gemma preparing to tell the mysterious and startling facts of surviving the apartment house fire in 1929)
Chapter 15 Bank On It: “‘These late eclipses … portend no good to us.’”
~ King Lear: Act 4, Scene 1 (Gemma bemoaning almost missing the ferry to the Port Haven Bank)
Chapter 26 Get Out!: ‘Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t!’”
~ Hamlet: Act 2, Scene 2 (Gemma speaking of Jesse foiling Kristoff)
Chapter 27 Falling: “‘I wish you all the joy you can wish.’”
~ Merchant of Venice: Act 3, Scene 2 (Gemma embraced the new Mr. and Mrs. Ben and Tilly Dorking.)
Chapter 30 Exploring: “‘All places, that the eye of Heaven visits, are, to a wise man, happy havens’”
~ Richard II: Act 1, Scene 3 (Gemma, gushing over the gang’s outing to Kings Spade Lighthouse.)
Chapter 31 Prepare: “‘O Lord, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.’”
~ Hamlet: Act 3, Scene 2 (Gemma overwhelmed with gratitude for the neighbors’ help with the windmill propellers)
Chapter 34 Schemes
Jesse, home from Dominic’s school bullying: Gemma:” ‘I am burn’d up with inflaming wrath!’” ~ King John: Act 3, Scene 1 (Gemma furiously erupted, quoting Shakespeare … and the cats scattered as she stormed out, “This must stop!”)
Chapter 46 A Thrill of Hope
Standing on the Star Cupola in the magnificent moon and star Lights, Daniel whispered, “You’re right, Jesse. God is here.” He paused. “Shakespeare must have known this Light when he wrote: ‘Now, God be praised! That, to believing souls, gives Light in darkness.’” ~ Henry VI: Part 2, Act 2, Scene 1
Howard Pyle’s Merry Adventures of ROBIN HOOD
Chapter 5 Whiplash
‘“Keep thine ears open and thy mouth shut, as becomes a wise and crafty woodsman!’” (Gabe’s advice to Jesse: Stay away from Dominic!)
Chapter 14 Swimming Lessons
“‘Off we go, we three: Big Jack, lean Jack, and fat Jack-pudding!’” — “‘Jolly beggars, we!’” (Jesse having fun as the gang starts to the beach for swimming lessons)
Chapter 16 The Gang’s All Here
“‘Good fellows all!’” — “‘Please to follow me!’” (Gabe inviting the gang to follow him for a visit to Granny Lyla)
Chapter 16 The Gang’s All Here
“‘Take heart, dear friend … and heartily so.’” (Gabe, encouraging Greta about Matts going to the hospital)
Chapter 17 Ups & Downs
“Alack-a-day!” (Gabe’s expression)
Chapter 17 Ups & Downs
“‘You cruel little buber-wits!’ You’ve got nerve showin’ your faces after what you did to Matts!” (A furious Gabe to Dominic and Angus)
Chapter 21 Weekful
“‘Vexations, get thee gone! And trouble me no further!’” (Gabe to Jesse about Dominic’s torments)
Chapter 33 Earthmovers
“‘Lackaday, I say!’” Gabe beamed, still hooked on Robin Hood’s flair. “Lackaday means to be sad, and this storm was destructive. But I say it’s turning around! With all this heavy equipment, things are looking downright constructive!
Latin
Chapter 1 Night Vision + Chapter 3 Don’t Look Back: “Esse audaces.” = “Be bold.”
(Gemma tells Jesse this as he is off to catch fish for the Shabbat dinner.)
Chapter 6 Clearing: “Ecce signum—behold the proof.”
(Hendrik’s Magic Number Game)
Chapter 11 Windy Hill Farm: nulli secundis—second to none!
(David says this to the boys at the boathouse – about God’s Magic.)
Chapter 11 Windy Hill Farm: Ab ovo, ad mala, ad mari – from eggs, to apples, to the sea!
(David: before the boys go from Boathouse down to the shore and out on the catboat.)
Chapter 14 Swimming Lessons
At the beautiful view of the bay and beach. David cheered, “Mirabile visu—a wonder to behold!”
Chapter 21 Week Full: “Tempus means time. Fugit, flies.”
Jesse drew flying stars around it. “Time flies. It sure does!”
Chapter 17 Ups & Downs
“‘You cruel little buber-wits!’ You’ve got nerve showin’ your faces after what you did to Matts!” (A furious Gabe to Dominic and Angus)
Chapter 21 Weekful
“‘Vexations, get thee gone! And trouble me no further!’” (Gabe to Jesse about Dominic’s torments)
Chapter 23 Squared
“Odious …” Jesse knew Ellie’s word about Theophilus Benson from his Latin. “Odiosus means hateful. I don’t like to say that H-word.”
Chapter 33 Earthmovers
Gemma was covered in bluish-greenish lights! — Gemma, you look like a mermaid!” — David called out, “Mirabile visu—a wonder to behold!”
Chapter 42 Cheers!
Advent is from Latin: ad means ‘to,’ and venire means ‘come.’ So Advent means Jesus is coming to us!
German
Chapter 5 Whiplash: “Ich stehe auf dem Schlauch.”
(“confused”: literally: I am standing on the hose … so no water can get through! Margarethe is utterly confused.)
Chapter 5 Whiplash: Mein Gott
(My God! Greta is utterly astonished at the transformation of Benjamin Dorking – to Gabe.)
Chapter 6 Clearing: weiss means white
(Mr. Weiss has white hair – and his name means ‘white”)
Chapter 5 Whiplash: Gut Shabbos.
It means hello, or goodbye, or welcome to Shabbat.
