Potpourri: A mixture of unrelated things gathered together.
Potpourri: A mixture of unrelated things gathered together.
Well, that kinda explains this post as I will be discussing a myriad of things today. AND one of the things I will be discussing is the meaning of words…as you know I like to read and every now and then I come across a word I have never heard of and of course I stop and look it up (to aid in my vocabulary). One of the recent words I was not aware of was “forfend”. Have you heard of it? At first I thought it was a printing error, but no, it is an actual word. I will give the definition further on.
I have to chuckle because many, many years ago, I worked at a ‘temp’ job filling in for the secretary who had to leave the office for a few days for a family emergency. It was an attorney’s office and I knew nothing about the way a lawyers’ office operated, but I was assured I would be able to fill in for 2-3 days. This was a one attorney office and this gentleman was in his 80’s, which simply means he was ‘old school’ as far as running his law office. He loved using a dictaphone machine. Some of you might ask what is a dictaphone machine while others of you that know, might say…Wow! Kari must have lived in the 1920’s or 30’s,… but no, this was in the mid 70’s which is still 50 years ago. For background …below is a photo of a secretary from 1922-ish using a dictaphone machine.
Below is a dictaphone from the 1920’s.
The photo below was in the mid 60’s…as you can see the flat dictaphone machine looks a bit more modern than the one above.
The next photo is actually a lawyer dictating using the dictaphone machine.
So back to my ‘temp’ job. You can imagine my surprise when I faced a dictaphone similar to the one above as the attorney explained to me that I would need to proof read his secretary’s last brief before she had to unexpectedly leave. She had typed it up and I was to listen to the dictaphone to his recording and verify that all words were in the correct order and all words were spelled correctly. I thought that should be simple enough once I figured out out to listen to the dictaphone. It looked like a cassette recorder, so how hard could it be? First, I proof read the typed brief and no sooner had I gotten into the text, I saw the word “tort”. Remember, I grew up in a kitchen and I certainly knew what a tort was and it had nothing to do with a lawyer’s brief. I don’t remember the exact phrasing but it was something to do with tort reform or tort claim notices. I felt the secretary had mistyped what she heard, so I listened very carefully to the lawyers dictation….but he had a habit of slurring some words and I couldn’t determine exactly what he was saying. I decided to ask him what he said so I could correct the use of the word ‘tort’. He was very kind and fatherly and he smiled and explained to me what a ‘tort’ was in lawyer speak….and it had nothing to do with a tort or torte pastry. A tort is a civil wrong, other than breach of contract, that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. By the way, In today’s modern world, apparently, attorneys still dictate case notes and briefs, though they usually use encrypted mobile apps, digital pocket memos, or workflow platforms like Philips Cloud Dictation rather than mini-tapes. I tell you all of this to explain why now…I immediately look up a word’s definition such as the word ‘forfend’ mentioned at the top of my post.
Forfend: It is a formal or archaic verb that means stopping an unpleasant event from happening, such as to forbid, to prevent, to ward off or to protect.
As long as we are talking about older methods of office keeping….does anyone know what shorthand is? My Mother taught me shorthand so I know a little about it even though it is not used as freely today as it was in earlier times. I have read that some journalists and a dedicated community of enthusiasts, writers, and students still practice and share shorthand methods, online for privacy in journaling…. or the satisfaction of writing by hand at high speeds.
Below is an example of the shorthand, some secretaries or office personnel might use when taking verbal dictation.
Fast typing on computers and mobile devices replaced the old workflow of an executive dictating letters to a secretary who took shorthand notes. Schools and secretarial courses dropped shorthand from standard curricula in favor of computer literacy and digital administration skills. Times have certainly changed, haven’t they?
I made Mexican Mini’s the other night for dinner and I thought you might like to try them..It is a quick and easy week night dinner. Plus, you can use whatever you prefer for fillings/toppings..
You start with either phyllo dough or won ton wrappers, pre-baked for about 5-8 minutes in a muffin tin… fill with cooked ground beef, green & red chopped peppers, refried beans, green onion, grated cheese and pop into the oven for about 5-10 minutes…Add sour cream, salsa or guacamole if desired. If you choose to, you can use left over Chinese food such as General Tso chicken or sweet & sour pork chunks and white rice. The simpler the better. It is quick and easy using either left overs or something fresher. I like to use these little mini’s because of portion control…or perhaps it just makes me think I am eating healthy.
Blessings Always…
“I will provide rain for your land in the proper time, the autumn and spring rains, and you will harvest your grain, new wine, and fresh oil.” (Deut 11:14)
That was a great catch on the proofing, Kari! I didn’t nail that one!
I knew if shorthand, Kari, but never learned it. Those dictaphones must’ve been something else! My how technology has grown. Forfend is a new word to me!
Your little minis look so tasty and versatile!
Have a great week!
Thanks Kitty for stopping by. It is amazing when one thinks to how offices have changed, but actually the world is changing, some things for the good while others not so much. My little grands know more about electronics than I will never know. LOL Have a great and wonderful week. Hugs and blessings
I have made little Mexican minis before for Book Club. How fun to add leftover Chinese. Yum!
I have heard of dictaphones but never used one. And I never learned shorthand but knew of others who did use it.
You brought up a lot of interesting topics today. I now know two new words. Forfend and tort!☺️
Happy Tuesday sweet friend!
woohoo Nancy…I always consider it a good day when I learn something new and so should you. Do you remember when Readers Digest always had a new word to learn AND we had to use it in a sentence? I am probably dating myself again, but who cares? I would have to take a refresher course in shorthand to be able to quickly transcribe a dictation these days…right now it takes me forever just to respond half way intelligently to a blog post. Thanks for stopping by my sweet friend.
You respond to blog posts so beautifully!!
I do remember Reader’s Digest New Word!!
Thank you always for all the Love! You are always so sweet!
Kari, Love this “Potpourri” post. In1997 I started a notebook titled “Potpourri Pearls” that had a hodgepodge of quotes. It’s fun to reread what I found of interest then. About the same time I started another notebook writing down new words (to me) with their definition and the sentence in which it was used. The next time I read that word, I might recognize it but unable to recall it’s meaning. Again I would write down the sentence. Repeated that until it sunk in. A friend of mine highlighted new words in her dictionary and was surprised how many time she went back to a word before finally remembering it.
My mother wrote her Christmas lists in shorthand and I was unable to read them. The closest to shorthand I ever got was as a teenage waitress when I wrote w/ FF (with French Fries). I find myself still writing with as w/.
Will have to try your quick minis and portion control!
Jan, like you, to this day I write w/ for ‘with’ when I make out my weekly menu. LOL just another thing we have in common.🥰 I have notebooks with baseball, basketball and football stats that I used to update regularly. I quit doing that years ago, but I still find myself using handwritten lists which I find easier to remember. The Captain urges me to use my different phone apps for grocery lists, notes, etc; but I find it so much easier to write it all down… Because when I write something out, I seem to retain it. I have always done that.
Had you ever heard of the word forfend? It seems I find a new word with every few books I read these days. Especially if they are historical.
Thanks for stopping by and lets hope our Jayhawks do well this year…at least it looks promising.
Hugs and Blessings always
Kari, I never took shorthand and I never used a Dictaphone. I did data entry and then computers. Your minis look delicious.
Sandy
Sandy, I can remember when the word processor came into existence and I was concerned I would not be able to use it as well as my trusty old typewriter. LOL…and then the CRT and look at our more modern methods now. We’ve come a long way baby! as the saying goes.LOL
Hoping this finds you well my friend…say hello to Ron from the Captain and me! 🥰💕
Hi Kari, I lost my comment! I have never seen a dictaphone in person. I took two years of typing and was quite proficient. I would have never thought that the typewriter would be obsolete. The Mexican minis look delicious and would make an excellent appetizer!
I enjoyed your potpourri! Happy Monday sweet friend!
Pam, I did the same thing (losing a comment) when I tried to comment on another blogger’s post this morning…it can be so discouraging.
However, I, like you, did very well with typing in school and when I had to interview for a job (after getting my degree), I had to be able to type so many words a minute. I don’t remember how many wpm now…it has been too many years, but I did very well.
I like that the Mini’s can be either savory or sweet…and I have done both many times, and people think you go to a lot of work but it is so easy just adding fruit or custard or cream.
Thanks my sweet friend for your kind comments.
Ha – Yes! I remember dictaphones and shorthand! I learned and used both in my early assistant days. I actually really loved transcribing from dictation. And I love the word Forfend! It sounds as ancient as it really is. One of my favorite pseudo-historical-based silly romance novels that I read a lot has the phrase “Heaven forfend!” in it, and I also looked it up years ago. I’ve never heard it anywhere else until now! I totally share your love of words! Thanks for the recipe too – those look fabulous! Take care down there, and Happy Monday!
Yay! Barb, so glad you remember dictaphones…I’m glad I am not the only ‘ancient’ one. I mentioned it to a couple of my friends and they looked at me like I was from the dinosaur age. I know my Grands all think I came over on the Mayflower, but my friends??? 🥰
I read a lot and every now and then, there is a word I just have to look up…so glad you do that too. 🤗
Years ago, while folding sheets with my teen-age twin boys…I said hold the sheet ‘taut’! They both said “What?”…they actually thought I made the word up until they both went into the Navy…they both told me they found out the Navy used the word “taut”…alot! Especially when making their cots up AND when dealing with ropes. I loved it!
Thanks for stopping by my friend.💕
I may have to try the minis for Cork Poppers some time. They look good and pretty easy! Served warm, I suspect?
That’s interesting about the dictaphone and such. I remember transcribing video tape interviews from audio cassettes in the 1980s. I still don’t understand why closed captions on TV have so many spelling errors. I understand when being broadcast live but many of the programs are recorded and edited long before broadcast or stream and it seems like no one ever proofs the captioners!
Have a wonderful week!
Yes Jeanie, served warm…I’ve done savory and sweet using berries and cream with a sprig of mint, etc; yummy and so easy.
I hear ya about errors, spelling etc;…I am in book 10 of the Maggie Hope Series (Hollywood Spy) and on page 138, Brigitte is described as having olive skin and ebony hair…on page 140, she pushes a lock of blond hair behind her ear, and since the only other people at the table at Ginger’s is red-haired Maggie and John Sterling, I wondered where the proof readers were. I should not be so critical as I know I have had grammatical errors in my posts before…some on purpose. Anyway, I decided Brigitte must have bleached out a lock of her hair for dramatic effect since she is a singer in a night club in 1943….offering a saving grace to the writer.🤗
Today I am working on my closet which is an on-going task…you know, the “Save”, “Toss” or “Donate” routine. I do a portion at a time because I need time to re-think my decisions. 😂
Enjoy your lake time…Autumn is coming, which should be beautiful there.
Thanks for stopping by.🥰