Make Your Point > Archived Issues > TRINKETRY

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connect today's word to others: Picture all the things the Grinch steals from the Whos. The trimmings, the trappings, the frippery, the finery. It's all trinketry. Or ba____lles (little objects that are inexpensive and unimportant), or fo____aw (tacky or gaudy stuff, especially things to wear). (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "TRINKETRY" Trinkets are small objects used for jewelry, for decoration, or just for playing with. Although some trinkets are artistic and/or expensive, most are junky and cheap. Trinketry is a bunch of trinkets all together. In other words, trinketry is a collection of small, decorative objects. Abstractly, trinketry is a collection of things (such as phrases, habits, or traditions) that remind you of small, decorative objects.     Pronunciation: TREEN kih tree Part of speech: Uncountable noun. (Like "milk," "rice," and "advice," uncountable nouns are words for stuff that can’t be broken into exact units. You talk about "some milk," "the rice," and "a lot of advice," but you don’t say "a milk," "three rices," or "many advices." Likewise, talk about "the trinketry," "this trinketry," "her trinketry," "such trinketry," "no trinketry," and so on, but don’t say "a trinketry," "one trinketry," or "trinketries.") Other forms: trinket(s), trinkety How to use it: There's something delightful about calling things "trinketry." It's a rare word, but everybody knows what you mean by it. Plus, the word itself sounds appropriately jingly and jangly. Usually, the tone of "trinketry" is neutral or slightly negative. If you need a harsher word, go with "knick-knackery" instead--it dismisses stuff as junky, useless, and trifling, whereas "trinketry" is sometimes lovely or treasured. Talk about someone's trinketry, or the trinketry of a store, a company, a field or industry, a culture, a generation, a speech, a way of talking, a piece or style of writing, etc. You can say that people (or things) collect or gather trinketry, clear away or dispense with trinketry, wear or display trinketry, demand or require trinkery, and so on. Or say that people or things are encumbered with (or unencumbered with) trinketry. examples: Her desk is cluttered with keychains, plastic apples, sassy mugs, framed photos, ceramic figurines: all the trinketry of a much-loved teacher. In elementary school, your classmate passes you a note, and hidden among its trinketry--the sketches and smileys, the acronyms and exclamation points, the gossip and speculation--is the real message. "We're friends, and this is our ritual." study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "trinketry" means when you can explain it without saying "doodads" or "ornamentation." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "_____ requires _____ more than trinketry, although there (is/are) a lot of _____ involved." Example: "Scouting requires boldness more than trinketry, although there are a lot of ropes and badges and whistles involved." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Our game this month is "The Meanings of Maladies." I'll share a tidbit about the word for a particular symptom, disease, or condition, and you try to name it. We'll start with common maladies and work our way toward the rare and strange. From our previous issue: The name for this skin condition comes from a Latin word for "attack" and is closely related to our word impetuous. What is it?  Answer: Impetigo. Try this today: The word for this condition, which affects both people and animals, comes from the Latin word for "white." That makes it a close relative of another word for "egg white" as well as the first name of a certain fictional white-haired wizard. What's the condition?  review today's word: 1. A close opposite of TRINKETY is A. DAPPER. B. LISSOME. C. FUNCTIONAL. 2. So many lines in this ballad amount to poetic trinketry, _____. A. the delicious witnessing of justice being served B. florid repetitions that dance in circles but don't advance the plot C. cunning phrases whose second and third meanings take time to dawn on the reader Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. B