Tuesday, July 29th, 2008...12:58 am
Learn-A-Word Wednesday: claque \KLACK\
noun:
1. A group hired to applaud at a performance.
2. A group of fawning admirers.Charles Bukowski suffers from too good a press– a small but loudly enthusiastic claque.
– Kenneth Rexroth, “There’s Poetry in a Ragged Hitch-Hiker”, New York Times, July 5, 1964Claque comes from French, from claquer, “to clap,” ultimately of imitative origin.
Yes, you know what I’m thinking. This is what parents are to their kids, except without the payment part.
It starts off small enough.
Peed on the potty? Yay! Wrote your name? Yay! Cooked scrambled eggs? Yay!
Later, it turns….
Got a job at the mall? Yay! Met some loser at work? Yay. Quitting school to be a carny (no offense, Jenn)? Yay?
I want my OWN claque, which could be way more rewarding than having your own clique.
Walked the dog? Yay! Washed the sheets? Yay! Put the gun down before any postal worker was hurt? Yay!
Do you have a clique or a claque? [Clique? Claque? Clique? Claque? Oh, horseback riding is fun, too!]
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5 Comments
July 30th, 2008 at 7:40 am
I was first to comment? YAH! (I’m a claquer)
I want my own claquer, say….something in a pair of surfer shorts with six-pack abs, please?
July 30th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
I’d clicked on the comment box to first say Yay, Wendy! and then to say that I have a claque group: a women’s group I helped formed where we get to brag about all our good stuff and receive encouragement to attain whatever personal goals we might have. It started on the principal that misery loves company and it’s usually easy to find people to wallow with you when things go wrong. But where do you go to celebrate success and keep the momentum? Lots of people who aren’t doing what they’d like to do can feel resentful if a friend is joyous with success. I love my “claque” ladies. We range from in our 30s to our 60s, i.e. lots of life experience.
But then I saw Queen Goob and now I’m thinking about those abs…I think I’d like one of those too
July 31st, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I do this for my kids, of course, and also for patients when its needed. Like being a cheerleader without the silly pompoms.
July 31st, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Yeah…I could totally go for one of those. “You got off your fat butt and cleaned up? yay! You didn’t eat that whole thing of frozen yogurt? yay!”
oh yeah, that’s the stuff.
August 1st, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Queen, you’re ahead of me on this one! I hadn’t even thought how much better a claque with six packs would be! Oh yeah!
Susan, your claque sounds awesome. We all need that.
Citizen, I bet you’re a great claque member, so reasonable and supportive!
Dumblond, have you been to my house?!
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