Three Word Thursday

Three Word Thursday #3

Quilly has started a fun new challenge for those of us that like to write. What is it about? We are given 3 rarely used, or old, outdated words to find the meanings for and then use in a story. Not only is it fun to write to this challenge, but also to visit other bloggers who have written to it too, and read their stories.



Definitions of the 3 words for this week (from Dictionary.com):

opprobrious (op-pro-bri-ous) [uh-proh-bree-uhs] - adjective
1 - conveying or expressing opprobrium, as language or a speaker: opprobrious invectives.
2 - outrageously disgraceful or shameful: opprobrious conduct.

quondam (quon-dam) [know-duhm, -dam] - adjective
- former; onetime: his quondam partner.

casuistry (ca-su-ist-ry) [kāzh'ōō-ĭ-strē] - noun {pl. ca.su.ist.ries)
1 - Specious or excessively subtle reasoning intended to rationalize or mislead.
2 - The determination of right and wrong in questions of conduct or conscience by analyzing cases that illustrate general ethical rules.


Gail flicked a switch, effectively lighting the room she'd just walked into. It was a cold, dark, stormy night out and she was grateful to be home for the duration. Usually, on a Wednesday evening, she was out at the class she was taking, and tonight she'd even actually had all her homework done, or very nearly all of it anyway. However, she had dreaded going out into the storm to make the 10 minute drive (likely a 20 minute drive on a night like this) to where the class was held. She had gotten ready and gone out into her yard, prepared to get into her car and make the possibly dangerous drive when suddenly her feet were in the air and WHAM!!! her butt was on the ice that had a mere second ago been underneath those feet. Gail made some opprobrious, and less than lady like statements as she carefully got back onto her feet and started to collect the book and papers that now lay in the snow. The wind was whipping them around and she knew it soon would blow papers across the yard where she would not be able to retrieve them... and grabbed up all sheets in a fury.

Having called in on her cell phone and discovered that the class was canceled for tonight due to the raging storm, Gail had happily returned to the warmth of her home, relieved to not be out on the highways with the crazy drivers trying to get home from work. She now entered her den with the plan to watch a bit of TV and to read her book during commercials. The book was "War & Peace" by Leo Talstoy, a classic novel that she'd recently picked up at a second hand store for a measly $1.50, plus taxes of course. There were always taxes to add on to everything one purchased these days, even some food items.

With book in hand, Gail took a seat in her comfortable arm chair, clicked on the TV and began to watch "Bones". All was going well until they just had to show a guy that looked so much like Tad, Gail's quandam lover. Of course, Tad didn't have all those tattoos, but he did have that trim, muscular body. Oh.... what a body. They had been together several years in a 'no commitment' relationship. Friends with benefits, they'd called it. It suited them both well, and they'd both known that one day it would come to an end. The only surprise, ultimately, was that they had been together as long as they had. Now Gail caught herself thinking casuistry, thoughts in regards to why she'd spent so much of her life with Tad. Oh, they got along well enough, and if they were having a difference of oppinion he would leave and she would be relieved he was gone, then in a few days he'd be back and all would be as if it had never happened. Yet, they really didn't have much of anything in common. Yes, she would miss those muscles and that beautiful body of Tad's, and she knew that she would not actually miss the man himself.

She turned her attention back to the television. Though she had missed part of the story, she was able to quickly get back into what was happening, getting lost in the world of crime solving and forgetting about her personal life.


Now, you can leave your comments and then, if you have time, click on the link above and whisk off to Quilly's site to check out more participants. NOTE: Quilly's wont post until 12:00am Hawaii time... she lives in the very last time zone in the world. If you want to know when that will be, check my clock on the side bar. My time is 3 hours ahead of Hawaii time... you do the math.