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A Blue Norther
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The Arctic Express, a Blue Norther, or a frigid blast arrived overnight leaving a heavy dusting of snow on the ground. Every time I step outside my face feels the bite of the wind that penetrates my light clothing. Why dress lightly in bitterly cold weather? I go out to spread a little more seed for my wild avian friends who scarf it up with gusto! I don't stay long! I can see the snow blow by horizontally in the high winds flying by out my window. The birds hang on to the feeder for dear life, as they fight to find a few seeds to warm their little bellies.
Yes, I've written this blog with gusto! It gives you both fluent English and a chance to learn.
Vocabulary:
Arctic: the north pole
Arctic Express: slang for a strong cold front (weather)
Avian: related to birds
Belly: ventral side (scientifically speaking), stomach, front side
Bird feeder: a thing that holds bird seed for wild birds
Bite of the wind: how the winter wind makes you feel very cold
Bitterly cold: extremely cold or very, very cold
Blue Norther: an Arctic Express in south Texas
Dress lightly: wearing very few clothes
Dusting of snow: very light snow on the ground
Express: a fast train or bus with few stops
Fluent: to speak or write easily
Hang on for dear life: hold on tightly as if your life was in danger.
Frigid: very cold, frozen
Frigid blast: very cold weather
Gusto: eagerly, gladly, happily
Hang on: to hold on or to stay in one position
Horizontally: the opposite of vertical (up and down); east to west; across; level with the horizon
Penetrate: to get inside
Scarf it up: eat quickly when you are very hungry
Can you tell I'm a professional writer and editor? In November and December, my wife and I edited more than 80 scientific research papers, resumes, articles, letters, etc. for people in China.
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Post comment Comment (7 replies)
- Reply ocean0721
- The birds must be happy to see you. Thank you for the interpretation of those words above. I can't understand the passage at all without the glossary.
- Reply sunnyv
- OMG, just by reading what you have written scares the wits out of me. I can't stand cold weather and what you have here is so terrifying for me. Sometimes, I wonder why people choose to live in such cold regions. Personally, I would rather be hungry than suffer such extreme cold.
Seems you are quite proficient in writing and as to whether you have professional writing skills requires proper assessment. It is not necessary to be professional to write well. I have seen some folks write so attractively that you automatically want to read on. That is what I call good writing. I don't have that.
- Reply sedgehead
- You write very well yourself. I have been told the US Army simply asks new soldiers, "Would you rather be hot or cold?" Those who say cold, are sent to cold regions and those who say hot are sent to hot regions. I would definitely say "hot" although I don't like hot weather either. But if I have a choice, it would be hot.
sunnyv: OMG, just by reading what you have written scares the wits out of me. I can't stand cold weather and what you have here is so terrifying for me. Somet ...
- Reply sedgehead
- Yeah, when I write I sometimes get pretty verbose (wordy) and poetic (talk like a poet). So, since my goal is to help people learn English, I sometimes include a glossary. Today, I really knew it was needed. I used too many unusual expressions (idioms and so on).
ocean0721: The birds must be happy to see you. Thank you for the interpretation of those words above. I can't understand the passage at all without the glossary.
- Reply sedgehead
- PS: I made one correction and added one idiom's description.
ocean0721: The birds must be happy to see you. Thank you for the interpretation of those words above. I can't understand the passage at all without the glossary.
- Reply rich
- Thanks for teaching us the unusual but useful expressions. The meaning of scarf it up seems quite different from the original meaning.
