New word of the week
Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 11:41AM
When I was in Selfridges last week, looking around the Ocean Project, I was horrified by the idea that there is so much rubbish in our sea. Sadly, I was unsurprised, because when we are miles away from land, sailing along on our comfortable cruise ship, there is occasionally a little bunch of rubbish floating in the water. This particular cruise company, like others, places huge emphasis on caring for the environment and abides by the international conventions when it comes to keeping our seas clean and free from rubbish. Still, it’s a drop in the ocean, so to speak.
What particularly intrigued me, however, was this.
The concept of the ocean currents sweeping much of this rubbish up and concentrating it all in “swirls” in particular parts of the world. My understanding of ocean currents was sufficient for me to express a quiet “well, duh…” to myself. Of course this would happen. I recalled the progress of the plastic ducks and the story book about the sandwich box lost by a Japanese girl and how it ended up in British Columbia.
Then, this morning on the news, I heard about this and an expert on ocean currents use a word that I’d not come across until last week, when I read it in Selfridges, referring to the “swirl” in the Pacific ocean which is the size of Texas.
Gyre.
That it should crop up again within days is uncanny.
So there we are. My word of the week.
Gyre.
Much better than “swirl”, don’t you agree?
life
Reader Comments (6)
Jabberwocky got there first. 'Did gyre and gimble in the wabe'. What L.C. thought it meant I don't know.
Well I hope you were both watching Nicholas Crane on Coast Thrs 30th. A full explanation and on land demonstraton of a gyre - definitely word of the moment.
And Yeats in The Second Coming...
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
Also. I didn't know you had read the Orzeki book. I loved that one on so many levels.
Just goes to show what clever and well read friends I have ;-) Very impressive - thank you all! (I'm off to read a poetry book now)
Great to read this post. I still have not had the heart to throw away my old School Atlas, which gives all the currents and their names etc. I do have a new one, because there have been so many changes in names of countries etc.
Not to dwell too much on this word, but looking in up in both an old and new dictionary, my husband said that the air can gyre around the wingtips of an aeroplane.