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connect today's word to others:
Check out these lines from Madison Cawein's "The Dryad," a poem about a forest nymph:
Often from the ferny rocks
Dazzling rimples of her locks
At me she hath shaken...
That's cool. Personally, my locks don't get rimpled so much as rumpled, but we'll touch on that difference in a moment.
Rimple might be a new word for you, but as you look at it, you realize you already know what it means: to fold, to crease, to ripple, or to wrinkle.
It's a poetic word, much like its synonym und____e ("to form waves or to move in waves"), which we studied in its adjective form, und__ant ("forming waves or moving in waves").
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"RIMPLE"
From an Old English word with the same meaning, a rimple is a fold, a wrinkle, or a ripple.
It's a verb, too: to rimple is to form folds, wrinkles, or ripples; and to rimple things is to make them wrinkle or ripple.
Pronunciation:
RIM pull
Part of speech:
Both a noun (the countable kind: "a rimple," "these rimples")
and a verb (both the transitive kind, "she rimpled her face into a smile,"
and the intransitive kind, "the surface of the pond rimpled in the breeze").
Other forms:
rimples; rimpled, rimpling
Hey, isn't "rimple" the same as "rumple"?
Pretty much! The meaning is the same. But "rumple" suggests sloppiness--"a rumpled tablecloth," "she rose from a long nap, shirt rumpled"--while "rimple" suggests grace and beauty.
How to use it:
When you want to be poetic, pick "rimple" instead of its common synonyms "fold," "crimp," "crease," "wrinkle," "ripple," "crinkle," and "crumple."
Let's look at the noun first. To be literal, talk about rimples on the surface of water, rimples in curtains and flags, rimples in bedding and clothing, rimples on maps and documents and newspapers, rimples in people's faces when they smile or raise their eyebrows, etc.
And to be figurative, talk about rimples in time, logic, emotions, attitudes, performances, ideas, thoughts, plans, memories, dreams, etc.
Next, the verb forms--let's start with the transitive one. Talk about one thing rimpling another thing, like a breeze rimpling the surface of a pond.
And to use the intransitive verb form, talk about something rimpling on its own: "the bath water rimpled," "his forehead rimpled," "the idea rimpled through her mind into a series of unstoppable waves."
Now, as far as I can tell, people don't use the verb "rimple" to mean "ripple outwards figuratively, having extended effects throughout time or society." So when that's what you mean, pick the word "ripple," "resound," "resonate," or "reverberate."
examples:
We stood on the dock, tossing bread crumbs, waiting for the catfish to surface, watching the crumbs rimple the deep green surface of the pond.
"Overall look: Sam looks like a kid who cares about how he looks but only up to a point. ... Shoes: Tan suede earth shoe hybrids with rimpled soles (remember those things? The soles were shaped like two W’s and the whole shoe looked kinda pumped up like a loaf of bread)."
— Paul Feig, Slate, 19 June 2014
study it:
Explain the meaning of "rimple" without saying "crease" or "crinkle."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone's) face is rimpled with (age, joy, wisdom, laughter, etc.)."
Example: "In the photograph Granddad smiles, his face rimpled with age."
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Quintessential TV Quotes!
Each day, match the given vocabulary word to the quote that best illustrates it.
From the previous issue:
From 30 Rock, which quote below illustrates a non sequitur?
Quote A:
Jack: Lemon, this is a part of our problem. I give you a simple managerial suggestion in a professional context and I get back the second half of a Judy Blume novel.
Quote B:
Tracy: Stop eating people's old French fries, pigeon; have some self respect! Don't you know you can fly?
Quote C:
Kenneth: I love how [coffee] makes me feel. It's like my heart is trying to hug my brain!
Answer: In quote A, Lemon's response to Jack's professional suggestion (a "second half of a Judy Blume novel") is a non sequitur.
Try this one today:
From Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which quote below illustrates someone being fastidious?
Quote A:
Xander: Whoa, Giles has a TV. Everybody, Giles has a TV! He's shallow, like us!
Quote B:
Willow: We can come by between classes. Usually I use that time to copy over my class notes with a system of different colored pens. But it's been pointed out to me that that's, you know... insane.
Tara: I said "quirky."
Quote C:
Giles: To forgive is an act of compassion, Buffy. It's, it's… it's not done because people deserve it. It's done because they need it.
review today's word:
1. The opposite of RIMPLED is
A. RIBBED.
B. SMOOTH.
C. DEFINED.
2. We call it personal wind: that _____ that rimples your hair _____.
A. gust ... into cinematic glamor
B. gale .. into permanent tangles
C. shield .. from being blown about
Answers are below.
a final word:
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From Liesl's blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Answers to review questions:
1. B
2. A
Check out these lines from Madison Cawein's "The Dryad," a poem about a forest nymph:
"RIMPLE" From an Old English word with the same meaning, a rimple is a fold, a wrinkle, or a ripple.
We stood on the dock, tossing bread crumbs, waiting for the catfish to surface, watching the crumbs rimple the deep green surface of the pond.
Explain the meaning of "rimple" without saying "crease" or "crinkle."
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone's) face is rimpled with (age, joy, wisdom, laughter, etc.)."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. The opposite of RIMPLED is
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |