ABC-Wednesday-18-X

ABC-Wednesday

by

Mrs. Nesbitt

Round 18

W

Hello and good morning, -afternoon, -evening, dear people who all participate is this wonderful photomeme, which is a joy to me, week after week, after week.

I’m always curious to what you come up with!

The challenging letter of this week is the X and i've chosen the word:  X

This letter is used for many things in our daily lives.
In fact, it does not matter at all which language our native tongue is, we all know what is meant when we see it in a certain context.

Of course, like everything else, the X also has two sides, the wonderful one and the lesser nicer one.
In this post i just want to focus on the wonderful side. Negativeness is more than enough around, we don't have to add to it, do we?

So...the positive X. 
Used as a greeting for example, we all know that it stands for a kiss, no matter where we are born, were we live and which language we call our native one.
Kisses are wonderful to get from someone we like, admire, hold dear to our hearts, and love in any way possible.
Although we would not automatically kiss every person we meet, of course not, but a kiss is so simple to give when ones feelings towards the other person are sincere, especcialy when the feelings are mutual of course!
The form of that kiss depends totally on the relationship one has with the other but still the kiss in itself is one of the most precious gifts one can give and receive.

So... to all of you....
my sincere greetings, sealed with a kiss!

Have a nice ABC-Wednesday-day / - week
♫ M e l o d y ♫ (ABC-W-team)

***

An InLinkz Link-up

X for Xenophobia

Mrs. Nesbitts' ABC-Wednesday

 Round ~ 17X 

Hello and good morning, -afternoon, -evening, dear people  who all participate is this wonderful photomeme, which is a joy to me, week after week, after week. I'm always curious to what you come up with!

This week's challenging letter is X and the word i've chosen is XENOPHOBIA 

 Although this is a word wich is actual everywhere all the time... throughout historie even... its now present and very actual in the country where i live in, The Netherlands, as in surrounding countries in Europe. Maybe even outside Europe too, maeby even in the country you live in?! 

Lots of people spread malicious stories for the one and only purpose to create more hate and whatever more they want to achieve. Those people make me afraid, sad, and yes, angry even. 

One might expect that the people who work for Radio- & Tv-stations, or other media who spreads news ... might bring objective news, weaned from their personal opinion, but sadly enough that is not the case. Lots of 'media' are actually contributing to the fear lots of people allready  have. 

Maybe I see it all wrong but does not everyone have the right to exist? Does not everyone have the right to have a roof above their head, food in their stomachs, a bed to sleep in and lots of stuff more that we take for granted most of the time?  

Why, I wonder, is it so hard to have compassion for our fellow human being?  I, for approximately 40 years now, do work as a volunteer, all those years now I try to do the best I can in helping another person who needs help... in a way I'm able to provide. I realy don't care what colour of skin that person has, which belief he has (or not), what his origin is, what the level of his intelligence is, or what capabilities he has or lacks. All I see is a person who needs something what i can provide; it's that simple.... right? To me it is, obviously!

Of course, I am not stupid. I am aware of the misery lots of people do to another person..... I even can tell experiences of my own about horrific things... but... the harm-doer is NOT a foreigner by definition.

I hope and pray... that all of you are well and blessed, I wish you that you will stay that way, that no harm comes to you and that you do no harm to another!  And most of all, I wish that if it might happen that you come into a position where you need help... that there will be people who help you with whatever you need!!

Have a nice ABC-day / ABC-week
♫ M e l o d y ♫

***

An InLinkz Link-up

X

The letter x does not take up too much room in an English dictionary and in fact I have a pocket dictionary where it just manages to make a third of a page. Dr Samuel Johnson, famous for compiling one of the first English dictionary, did not even bother with an X entry saying there were no English words which began with the letter, but then he also disapproved of French words and even left out the world champagne.  I hope he included the word bubbly otherwise how would they have ordered it?  I idly wondered how many X words there would be in a modern average sized dictionary. The compliers say there will be about 120 but in a comprehensive, and larger, dictionary there would be around 400 which would include rare and obsolete words.  Plenty to choose from, but there does seem to be an inordinate number of words to do with wood.  So which of those 400 or so words will you be choosing this week?  Or perhaps you will go with flora and fauna which have more than a sprinkling of X words, especially that most mysterious of organisms, the lichen.

You are an inventive lot when we get the the more tricky letter of the alphabet so maybe there will be X formed in nature or in the urban landscape.  Sometimes one falls into your lap as it roams the highways and byways 

like this one I stopped behind at the traffic lights. 

  

Happy hunting.

***

An InLinkz Link-up

Merry Christmas xxx

Xmas is a common abbreviation of the word Christmas. It is sometimes pronounced /ˈɛksməs/, but Xmas and variants such as Xtemass, originated as handwriting abbreviations for the typical pronunciation /ˈkrɪsməs/. The "-mas" part is from the Latin-derived Old English word for Mass, while the "X" comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Χριστός which comes into English as "Christ".

There is a common belief that the word Xmas stems from a secular attempt to remove the religious tradition from Christmas by taking the "Christ" out of "Christmas", but its use dates back to the 16th century. So “Xmas” and “Christmas” are equivalent in every way except their lettering.

In fact, although writing guides such as those issued by the New York Times; the BBC; The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style; and Oxford Press discourage the use of Xmas in formal writing, at one time, it was a very popular practice, particularly with religious scribes, who are thought to have started the whole “Xmas” thing in the first place. Indeed, the practice of using the symbol “X” in place of Christ’s name has been going on amongst religious scholars for at least 1000 years.

Eventually, this shorthand trick spread to non-religious writings where nearly everywhere “Christ” appeared in a word, the Greek Chi would replace that part of the word. For example, in the 17th and 18th centuries, there are numerous non-religious documents containing instances of “Xine”, which was a common spelling for someone whose name was Christine.

I want to offer, on behalf of the ABC Wednesday team, a sincere wish that your Xmas, or Christmas, be a merry one.

An InLinkz Link-up

Introduction of X !

A real Dutch X

resting position

Those among you who regularly play scrabble, know how difficult it is to use the letter X, especially if you want to use it initially. Here are a few words beginning with X. I have to look up the translation of most of them. I think I shall look up just one and try to write about it in my post and leave the rest to you! ;)

x out, xanthophyll, xanthous, xanthoxylon, xanthus, xenomania, xenophobia, xerography, xerophagy, xiphias, xiphoid, Xmas, xylem, xylograph, xylolith, xylonite, xylophagous, xylophone, xylophonist, xyster, xyst(us).The choice is yours!!

xxxx !

 I am going to talk about Xiphias, as my previous post was about the whale.

Don't forget to link to ABC Wednesday and to mention the creator of this meme, Denise Nesbitt! 

See you!

Wil, ABCW Team

***14X

An InLinkz Link-up

X is for most eXcellent badge

This is the week when we at ABC Wednesday eXalt in the design of the new badge eXecuted by the most eXcellent Troy.




It's also when we start getting eXcited by thinking of another round. Now is the time to eXclaim to your friends, "Hey, there's this eXpansive blog you might want to try out." Oh, and if you want to eXpend energy by writing an introduction or three and visit other sites, we would accept the eXtra help.

Hey, if you're new here, check out the eXamples the other folks have set. Well, this is an eXceptional week in that, for purposes of eXpediency, we're not really fussy that the word start with X as much as it sounds like the 24th letter, or looks like it. We still eXpect you'll mention ABC Wednesday on your post, though.

X is for eXuding eXcitement!

When it comes to the letter X, we need to eXplain, ABCW is not an eXacting bunch. We eXpect that finding eXact X words is eXtremely difficult, because so few eXist.

So we have long been willing to make an eXception this week - anything that starts with the X sound, or have the X look, would be eXcellent. We won't eXclude you, because we don't want to tamp down your eXuberance, or make you so eXhausted that you run for the eXits, uttering an eXpletive! We want you to eXcel, and stay on this eXcursion! Please eXamine previous X weeks to see how this works.

Oh, I'm also eXcited by Troy's new logo:

He wrote:

"I tried to be inspired by the number 12, and clocks and calendars came to mind, so I used them as my background.

"I added a couple of 12 segmented stars, just for color  and threw the number 12 into the middle of the ABC Wednesday title."

I think Troy is eXtraordinary!
***
For those who celebrate it, Merry Xmas, which, as I have noted, eXperts have said eXemplifies the word Christmas!

X is for...

X marks the spot, and when I was a kid, we would often play "Treasure Map", where we had to find the spot marked by the X and bring back the flag.

The first one to bring it back won a prize.

Of course we also played "Steal the Flag", and Flag Football.

In all those games, the flag represented a prize or a goal.  As I grew, I learned the meaning of my nation's flag, and it came to represent so much more to me than just a prize.

It stood for an idea, an ideal, a nation.  It was the flag that my forefathers had fought for and fought under, the symbol of the principles which they held true.

So when I set out to design the logo for the next round, a flag was an obvious theme.  But since our blog represents so many people from so many different places, it was hard to choose just one flag, so I squeezed in as many as I could fit.

So, it is with great pride that I unveil the logo for ABC Wednesday Round 11.

You can copy it from here, or within a few days, if I know Roger, it will be available in different sizes on the blog under "Badges"

And as a side note, if I did something wrong when I uploaded it, you will see a box with a red X in it.

After all, ...
X marks the spot.

What spot does X mark in your life today?

Let us know in your ABC Wednesday post, and link it below.

X for X-MAS & XXIV !!

Welcome to the XXIV post of this season!!  I am Xtremely Xcited to greet you all after X-MAS
even though the celebration still continues as Xpected. Hope you had an Xhilarating  time with your family and the blessings also spreads to the X's in this blessed season ;) I am not xactly and technically correct with the letter today but then I am not a Xynophobic either. I am not that smart to pursue Xylology however, so  if u wanna talk to me then hop on aboard, at your own risk of course.  On the bright side I am quite normal and not in the an X-Men category either...

Today's letter also reminds me of my all time magician hero Mandrake whose dream home was called Xanadu. However Xanadu is also a 1980 romantic musical fantasy film written by Marc Reid Rubel and directed by Robert Greenwald. Too much of information perhaps??? Xactly !! Lets chk ur Xciting posts and as you would Xpect its gonna be visited by us obviously

I have been having an Xtreme time till now and do not plan to stop. Hmm by the way is it getting too Xeric in here or is it just me?? Let me Xpedite the process of removing my thirst immediately... The "spirits" await me ;)

Merry X MAS Folks and a very Xciting      HAPPY NEW YEAR

PHENO


Let X Be the Unknown

X=?

Naming something "X" makes it not only cooler, but more mysterious.
The fact that X represents a single unknown, generic value in mathematical equations may be partly responsible for this fact.

From Planet X to Project X. From Generation X, to Brand X, for years, we have used X to identify something that we couldn't really quantify.

X stood for mystery, challenge and the unknown.

But way back before that, X had a much simpler meaning.

In Roman Numerals, X represents the number 10.

Why is this significant you ask?

Because as we near the end of round nine and prepare to begin round 10, I have been given the rare privilege once again, of devising a logo or badge to represent this blog in the next round.

So, without further ado, allow me to unveil the badge/logo for Round 10.

Display it proudly on your sidebars, or include it on your ABC Wednesday posts.

It is available under the Badge heading in various sizes.

It is now, no longer the unknown.

We have solved for X.

TROY

X is for Longhorns?

X is always the most difficult letter. So few words start with X and working them into a sentence requires great patience.

In trying to write this intro, so many times I started to type a word, only to realize it started with the "X" sound, but not with X. Exciting or Ecstatic, for Example. It was exasperating.

It seems most words that start with X are either scientific terms, or names of prescription drugs.

But X has a colorful history. (for example the prefix "Xan" generally refers to the color yellow).

We use it in life to denote the things we want out of our life, like our former mates, or Ex's, who presumably live in Texas, (per the country song All My Ex's Live in Texas, George Strait, 1987).

I can't hear that song without picturing a bunch of longhorn "X's" running around.



The red X in the corner of your screen right now would simply shut this page out of your life temporarily, (so please dont click it right now.)

X is used in cartoons to show poison and to indicate the proof of moonshine. A string of XXX's indicates Porn. In fact, the letter X has become synonymous with the "Bad Boy" dangerous or wild side image.

X no longer marks the spot for treasure, but more likely in modern times marks the spot for trouble.

Let's see what you can come up with for "X" and let's see if you can do it and still stay out of trouble.

x

Welcome, friends, both old and new. We're glad you found us!

Now that ABC Wednesday has moved to this new home, I guess we can say that the old one is an eX blog! However, I'm sure this new place will be eXtra special, and I know all of you will make it eXtremely welcoming and an eXciting place to be.

So, without overtaXing yourselves, let's see what you can all eXtrapolate from this eXtraordinarily difficult letter. Dig deep into your leXicographical storage and let's see what you can eXtricate from your memory and eXtract from the 24th letter of the alphabet - the letter 'X'!

I know this letter isn't easy, but I'm sure you'll all find something noteworthy to share - a photo, a treasured object, maybe a street sign or a plant with an interesting botanical name? Go on - eXperiment!

Jay from the Depp Effect