Well, it's been not one of my best Christmases. While relaxing yesterday morning, I figured I would run some routine maintenance on the computer, stuff I've done dozens of times before on multiple computers. This time it decided to crash the system. Catastrophically. As in, reformat the hard drive and start from scratch. So much for relaxing...
Anyway, today I am reloading all the tons of files and what-not. I have iTunes reloaded, and am playing The Decemberists "The Crane Wife" while the computer chugs away. I'll have to write more about them and their use of language at some point. But I was quite amused - as I always am - with one particular passage in "Oh, Valencia!", a song they described in concert as being their "Latino gang war song" (or words to that effect). I am particularly fond of the passage describing, how after the guy meets the girl from the rival gang: "and your father came all unhinged." It just some how strikes me as rather unexpected in the larger context.
That's a great word: "unhinged". One of those that doesn't get used nearly enough. No, don't ask me why. I haven't really given it enough thought to be able to explain how or why it's such a great word. It just is.
Oddly, a quick search online for the etymology turns up nothing. (Well, ok, I didn't look THAT hard.) And my new Christmas present, "Chambers Dictionary of Etymology," doesn't give it either. Alas.
Lack of etymology notwithstanding, I think one of my New Year's resolutions should be to spend more time finding opportunities to use the word "unhinged" in everyday conversation.
Post a Comment