Today’s blog is by Linda Stowe, in part. She wrote this as a part of our Wordle Words, the stories we compose daily with our Wordle guesses.
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Lillian Virginia Mountweazel
by Linda Stowe
Lillian was in the darkroom when she heard someone knock on her front door.
She had not yet started developing the film, so she took off her smock and left to answer the door. Passing through the kitchen, she noticed the clock showed it was past noon. No wonder she was hungry. Lillian was often hungry because cooking was not a chore she enjoyed. The knock came again, and Lillian headed for the door, forgetting about food for the moment.
She opened the door to find a well-dressed man and woman. The man was holding a brown briefcase, and the woman had just pulled a slip of paper out of her shoulder bag.
“Are you Lillian Virginia Mountweazel?” the woman asked, after consulting her paper.
“Why, yes, I am,” said Lillian.
The man stepped forward and held out his card. He said, “This is Miss Wagers, and I’m Mr. Karl. We’re from Combustibles magazine. Our publishers are very impressed with your work, particularly the series on mailboxes. We’d like to talk with you about an assignment for our magazine.”
“Well, thank you for the kind words,” said Lillian. “Please come in and tell me about the assignment.”
That little episode led to the untimely death of Lillian Virginia Mountweazel (1942-73), famed photographer from Bangs, Ohio. Mountweazel was known for her photo essays of unusual subject matter, including New York City buses, the cemeteries of Paris, and rural American mailboxes. She died at age 31 in an explosion while on assignment for Combustibles magazine.
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End of Post by Linda Stowe.
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So. When Linda and I write our stories using our “guessed” words from the daily Wordle, those stories are of varying measure. Some are personal accounts. Some are non-fiction observations about the world. Many times they are complete fiction. And sometimes, it is difficult to know which is which.
When I read Linda’s story about Mountweazel, I thought for sure it was one of her creative fictitious tales. But something edged me to Google Lillian Virginia Mountweazel.
What I found was astounding.
Apparently, dictionary writers, map makers, encyclopedia producers, and the like all use fake words in their publications. Words and entries that are not real or true appear in all these versions. The intentional planting of fake entries has been going on for at least a century.
But why? It is a way for these book producers to find out if competitors were illegally copying from their publications.
So. One of those words that has been “outed” is “esquivalience.” The New Oxford Dictionary printed it to try and put the squeeze on any copying competitors.
Yes. And these.
esquivalience: the willful avoidance of one’s official responsibilities
jungftak: a Persian bird, the male of which had only one wing, on the right side, and the female only one wing, on the left side
zzxjoanw: a type of Maori drum
These fictitious entries are called “mountweazels” after Lillian Virginia Mountweazel. Oh yes. The woman in Linda’s story. Mountweazel is a woman famous for being fake. If you care to check it out, turn to page 1,850 of the 1975 edition of the New Columbia Encyclopedia. You will find this entry:
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Mountweazel, Lillian Virginia, 1942-1973, American photographer, b. Bangs, Ohio. Turning from fountain design to photography in 1963, Mountweazel produced her celebrated portraits of the South Sierra Miwok in 1964. She was awarded government grants to make a series of photo-essays of unusual subject matter, including New York City buses, the cemeteries of Paris and rural American mailboxes. The last group was exhibited extensively abroad and published as Flags Up! (1972) Mountweazel died at 31 in an explosion while on assignment for Combustibles magazine.
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So there it is folks. Another great story by Linda, and another great story by the people who are writing our dictionaries.
All I have to say?
Be careful what you say.
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“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”
― Soren Kierkegaard
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“A man who trusts everyone is a fool and a man who trusts no one is a fool. We are all fools if we live long enough.”
― Robert Jordan, Winter’s Heart
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“Always remember… Rumors are carried by haters, spread by fools, and accepted by idiots.”
― Ziad K. Abdelnour
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The Big Weazel. A new meaning. By Linda Stowe.
