The Online Word-Hoard of David Foster Wallace

The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas-Austin has listed all the words David Foster Wallace circled—apparently, he did not underline—in his American Heritage Dictionary. Slate published the long list yesterday. Since I have not read a lick by DFW, I won't comment on his writing—nor will I make fun of him for wearing bandanas (look to the left) or having hipsterish author photos taken of him in the middle of cornfields.

But back to the list. While I was thrilled that the first word he circled is an alliterative grammatical term—ablative absolute—I was surprised to see that he circled words as basic as "bisque" and "citronella" and "sateen." (That he, a man not fluent in women's shoe speak, circled "espadrille" is not so odd.) His list has some great words, such as "coxcomb"—a fop or dandy; and "lucubrate"—literally, to study by lamplight. Fun fact: Lucubrare, the Latin verb from which "lucubrate" derives, was Cicero's favorite verb.

And how can one forget the splendid word for the small scraps we leave after a meal, our "orts"? The next time my dogs beg and stomp their tiny feet for food from my plate, I'll say, "Be patient, animals, and you shall have a portion of these orts."

Not So High Tea

Since fashion houses sell us not just style but "lifestyle," it makes sense that even one's tea can now be designer.

As reported at the Editor's Blog at W, Prada sent packages of tea based on its two new scents—Infusion de Tuberose and Infusion de Vetiver—to various beauty editors. The tea boxes are nearly identical to the perfume boxes, and the tea itself is not looseleaf. It is in a bag the size and shape of a ketchup packet (note image to the left). I found this most strange. Should not designer tea be beautiful and exciting and clever? And shouldn't it be looseleaf? What saddened me most is that the folks at W put the tea in ... paper cups. But perhaps they realized this tea was not special enough to put in a porcelain cup.

I do not think the tea can be purchased by the masses/myself, at least for now. The French designer and "perfume icon" Lolita Lempicka, however, has crafted a few teas, which can be purchased at Cambria Cove, at 25 sachets for $68. You might as well buy a tea by Mariage Frères, the oldest tea company in France whose impeccable leaves are far better in quality and cost and come in a lasting, truly iconic container.)

In the meantime, I think I'll order these excellent German tea people. There's nothing like having Angela Merkel, Putin, and Obama—or Humphrey Bogart!—in your cuppa.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

And all his family and friends.