Welcome to Wondrous Words Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Kathy at bermudaonion.net
This week I’m sharing a word that comes up in Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie, by David Lubar. It’s a light, humorous book about the rigors of high school. And how to survive. For example, here’s a tip:
Don’t carry your books under your arm in a crowded hall.
Early in the book, the main character, Scott, learns that his mother is pregnant. He decides to 
write a “How to Survive High School” guide book for his younger sibling, who he hopes is a boy. But Scott has conflicting feelings about the new addition to the family.
I’d ask you to come [to the movies], but I don’t think the seats are fluid-proof, you wet, oozing mess of ichor.
Later he taunts his “baby brother”:
I’d bet anything you were too lazy to go get a dictionary when I mentioned ichor. Too bad. I’m not telling you what it means.
Luckily, I will.
ichor \’ī-ko(ə)r\ noun, from the Greek ichōr; a thin, watery or blood-tinged discharge
Gross. My writing buddy Sarah loves to include gory descriptions in her fiction; ichor appears often. Cheers Sarah!
Word Nerd Workout
Use ichor in a sentence. Try to be really gross.
Ichor leaked from the infected wound on the prisoner’s head and left yellow crust on his scalp.
Ew!
Word Nerd 5K Winner!
Thanks to everyone who took part in my Word Nerd quiz last week! I got lots of great answers. My winner is: Emily McGee from One Trailing Spouse. Emily, contact me via e-mail so that I can get your physical address and mail you your prize.
BTW, the answers were:
- B- inchoate
- C- Snape
- opaque, obscure, cloudy, etc
- loquacious, talkative, chatty, etc
- C- conspire
Thanks for stopping by!
Julia
After reading this post, I was thinking about ways to use this in a sentence. The first thing that popped into my mind was regarding childbirth. Seems there’s a theme going on here!
For first time moms, it’s best not to think about the ichor involved with childbirth. Instead, focus on the final outcome – your beautiful, miraculous, awesome newborn!
I am laughing about the above comment re: childbirth and ichor. So true. LOL.
Hmmm…how about a current events example? Kevin Ware’s nurses had to keep his leg cleansed of ichor after this week’s surgery. GAH.
My sentence isn’t original but is copied from Wikipedia:
The word petrichor is constructed from Greek, petra, meaning stone + ichor, the fluid that flows in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology. It is defined as “the distinctive scent which accompanies the first rain after a long warm dry spell”
http://www.exurbanis.com/archives/6913
Someday I’m going to finish all these projects on my desk and jump back in to the Word Nerd party. Until then, I’m stalking from a distance and learning 🙂
LOL Susan. I’m glad you’re learning. No worries- the “word nerd party” will be here!
Ichor is a really gross word, lol.
http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2013/04/wondrous-words-wednesday.html
WHAT! I WON! I will email you with my address! Thanks so much!
As for ichor, that’s a word that I don’t think I have ever heard of in my life. But I will say that many of the birth stories I have heard from new moms involve a lot of ichor, which freaks me out.
Yay! Yes, you won! And don’t listen to those dreadful birth stories. I’m not sure why, but when people see a very pregnant woman they decide it’s a good time to share horror stories.
I’m not saying child birth is easy, or anything. But don’t listen to those stories.
Oh, I don’t even want to think about ichor but I’ll try to come up with a sentence. Seeing the ichor ooze from the wound on his leg made me feel woozy. Thanks for playing along!