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Saturday, July 6, 2013

Felicitous Felinity (1)—Caterwaul

Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series Felicitous Felinity.
A year ago on Round and Square (6 July 2012)—Asian Ethnicities 1A: Han
Two years ago on Round and Square (6 July 2011)—Seinfeld Ethnography: Too Late for Coffee
[a] Kittenwauling RF
OK, we start this series with a "cat" word, and why not? It's English vocabulary and has "cat" in it. While this pattern will not continue for long, it provides an auspicious maiden voyage through the seas of language. Caterwaul(ing). It's about meowing and meowing and meowing. We'll get to the specifics of the definition in a moment, but take a look at a caterwauling kitten video. Now realize that people—at least in this form of the English language—can, by extension, caterwaul, too. Think about it (and watch).


cat·er·waul      intransitive verb \ˈka-tər-ˌwȯl\
Definition of CATERWAUL
1. To make a harsh cry
2. To protest or complain noisily
—caterwaul noun
Examples of CATERWAUL 
            1. Some animal was caterwauling in my backyard last night.
            2. He continues to caterwaul about having to take the blame.
Origin of CATERWAUL
MIddle English caterwawen

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Caterwaul. Now we come to the twist that I didn't tell you about in the introduction. If your native language is not English, go to the comments section and give a rough translation that "works" for you. And, if you really want to think about how to make use of vocabulary, use a sentence that you might actually speak or write

          I have grown weary of the relentless caterwauling of pundits on 
          America's cable networks.

Caterwaul. It's not just about cats screeching on walls (but some cats on some walls do "caterwaul"). So do several political pundits.
[b] On the verge RF

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