Annmarie Throckmorton, M.A.
- Jan 24, 2018

defining words

Urbandictionary.com had a cold-hearted definition for the dancing anklets called payals (see screen capture). It makes me wonder again how young women endure the rampant misogyny of the alternative media in the twenty-first century. I have seen videos on-line of grown men in the media cursing women, calling them names, expressing scorn toward them. It turns my stomach. In my day most men had the dignity to hide any contempt for the gentler sex. Many actively sought to protect the weaker sex. Anyway, so in 2010 I posted a corrective definition for payals on Urbandicitonary.com (see screen capture). Long ago I wore payals, and they make you feel light-hearted, merry, and flirty. It is long fall from payals to combat boots à la Hunger Games movie.

payals

payals (pronounced pie-all) are anklets traditionally made of tinkling silver bells, very prettily telling of a girl's comings and goings, her dancing, and her joyous mood. They adorn her feet. Her tinkling payals were imported from the small town of Payal in the Punjab province of India. Each payal had many tiny bells stitched to a velvet cushion to be strapped to the foot of the dancer.

By Puddintainette, February 06, 2010

(Related words: tinkle bells, jingle bells, dancing bells)

While I was at it, I created a new word “aeai” because I wanted a four-letter word using only vowels, and it amused me to think that after posting it on Urbandictionary.com, I could cite that source and use aeai in a Scrabble game. Or it might be useful in a science fiction short story.

aeai

An aeai (pronounced a-e-a-i) is a shrewd jinn able to appear in electronic or biological form, and capable of acting rapidly for either good or evil. Example: First my computer was infected with aeais, then they haunted my attic. I wish they would weed my garden.

By Puddintainette, February 08, 2010

Due to the scurrilous nature of Urbandictionary.com (slanderous · insulting · offensive · gross · abusive · malicious · bitchy), I used the pseudonym, Puddintainette, as Puddintain was already taken. When I was a child, if someone did not want to tell you their name, they would recite the nursery rhyme, “Puddin’ Tain’s my name, ask me again and I'll tell you the same." Since I no longer have to protect my employability, in fact I am well down the other side of fully grown, I am now free to be as I am, for as long as I am.