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While we’re waiting for news about when I’ll have my Deep Brain Stimulation surgery, let’s kick back and relax, first with some music, then with a vocabulary lesson using very easy words.
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Music: Here are three versions of “Twisted.” Who sings it best? If you want, type your response in the comment section below.
- Annie Ross, who wrote the lyrics
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2. Bette Midler
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3. Joni Mitchell
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Vocabulary
Let’s think about the word twisted. Suppose you’re going to make a peanut butter sandwich. You grab a jar of peanut butter and what happens next? You open it. But how? One hand grips the jar’s lid, and the other hand grips the main part of the jar. The hand gripping the lid turns it counter-clockwise, and the hand gripping the jar turns it in the opposite direction.
Do you see where this is heading? To open the jar you have to twist it, which means going in two different directions.
What’s the key word here? I’ll give you two options.
OK, it’s “two.”
What amazes me are all the words in English that use these two letters (t + w) to express doubleness.
To wit (which doesn’t count in this case):
Tweezers: any of various small metal instruments that are usually held between the thumb and index finger, are used for plucking, holding, or manipulating, and consist of two legs joined at one end. (Thank you, Merriam Webster!)
Twain: a boating term that means two fathoms
Tweedledum and Tweedledee: two individuals or groups that are practically indistinguishable
Twice: two times
Twin
Between: in the middle of two things
Twilight: the time between daylight and night time
Twine: a strong string of two or more strands twisted together
Twinkle: to shine with a flickering on-and-off light
Twig: where the branch of a tree produces an off-shoot
Twill: a textile weave in which the filling threads pass over one and under two or more warp threads to give an appearance of diagonal lines
Twelve: two more than ten; two left over. Eleven means “one more than ten; one left over.” Both words are compounds from ages ago. I’ll put in CAPS the parts where you can see the “left over”: TwELVE – ELEVen
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And now we revert to our previous programming.
I always thought Joni MItchell’s was the first and best, but I’m voting for Lambert, Hendrick and Ross. I didn’t know Annie Ross wrote it.
I liked Annie Ross’s best, but I understood the words better in Joni Mitchell’s and I have a soft spot for Bette Midler who really ran with it.
Thanks for sharing, Bruce. Best of luck in your upcoming surgery!
I was already familiar with Joni’s version, but I’m voting for Bette Midler. She takes a lot of chances here and makes the song as crazy as the singer.