Word Woman

Welcome to another mind-altering episode of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! While you're out enjoying these last gorgeous days of autumn, maybe by taking a walk or raking leaves, don't forget to do a little maintenance on your mind as well. Here's the Word of the Week to get you started:

Trope:

Pronunciation: \ˈtrōp\

Function: noun

Etymology: Latin tropus, from Greek tropos turn, way, manner, style, trope, from trepein to turn

Date: 1533

1 a : a word or expression used in a figurative sense : figure of speech b : a common or overused theme or device : cliché s>
2 : a phrase or verse added as an embellishment or interpolation to the sung parts of the Mass in the Middle Ages.

-- "trope." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009.

Merriam-Webster Online. 22 October 2009

Example: The trope of the bumbling but lovable fool is a staple of TV sitcoms. Gilligan of "Gillian's Island" is a prime example of this type of character.

Want to find out more about tropes? Here's a website that gives me something new to laugh at every time I read it. The example on this link is one of my favorites: The Big Red Button!

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BigRedButton

Or, check out their main page and scroll down for more amusing options:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage

Happy browsing!