Ample Teeth

 

Ample Teeth

 I turned 76 this past Sunday. Throughout the day I kept thinking of the song, “Seventy-six Trombones” from the 1950s musical, “The Music Man.”

 Then I thought how many words trigger other words. We have simple pairs, for example: bacon and eggs, first and last, and knife and fork. Others may trigger several options: I mention rock and you may immediately think and roll or and a hard place.

 Checking the Web for word associations, I discovered a verbal fluency test: the “Controlled Oral Word Association” test, known as COWA. Prompted by cowa, I immediately thought of bunga, although I wasn’t sure what cowabunga meant. I learned that it’s “an expression of exhilaration, delight, or joy, often used in the context of surfing or skateboarding,” according to Google. Then I realized that cowabunga is a single word so it doesn't fit today’s word association theme. (So, disregard this paragraph.)

 Instead, let me tell you about the time a friend and I were testing each other on collective nouns of animals. (I think one can fit that kind of game into the word association category, don’t you?) You know, I say puppies and you say litter, right? I say starlings, you immediately say flock. Wrong; it’s murmuration. Anyway, it was my turn to test him and the word was pigs. Unhesitatingly, he responded Bay of, referring to the location where the 1961 failed US attempted invasion of Cuba began.

 Then there are the psychiatrists who use word-association exercises to delve into your subconscious to discover what’s really behind your garlic press obsession.

 Some triggers may be idiosyncratic, perhaps arising out of family history. If anyone in our family says ample… someone will jump in instantly and say teeth. (It’s too complicated to explain.)

 Any less puzzling examples? Just wait and …

 [300 words]

 

And now, word of a freebie: If you’d like an electronic advance review copy of my latest book, to be released in mid-December, please let me know. The new book is another in the devotional vein, published by Mt. Zion Ridge Press, which has now done four of my books. It’s titled Always Ready: A Christian Mandate. It focuses on Jesus’ parable of the ten bridesmaids, five of whom are ready when the bridegroom arrives—and five are not. The book explores the expectation that Jesus has of us that we always be at the ready to follow Him.

 If you’d like this advance copy, my hope is that (if you like the book), you’ll consider buying a hard copy for yourself, buying it for someone else, or telling the world how absolutely, incredibly splendid it is and who in turn will tell others to buy it for themselves, or buy it for someone else, or tell….