February 2010

Notable and Quotable: Amy Lowell

American poet and critic Amy Lowell, born February 9, 1874, was not the only writer in the family (poets Robert and James Russell were kin) but her quotations make up the majority of the entries (71 of 129) found under the author's search for "Lowell" in the Unabridged. Her poetry is recognized for its imagery, its vitality, and its opulence. Check out the colorful examples.

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adverse adjective
"an adverse wind had so delayed him that his cargo brought but half its proper price"

assail verb
"the faint smell of copper assailed my nostrils"

cameo verb
"polished basalt cameoed upon malachite"

dress verb
"then I dress my hair with the little chrysanthemums"

dumb adjective
"I beg that you remain dumb, that you write no more poems"

ensky verb
"that wonderful voice is forever enskying him"

feckless adjective
"what strikes most at first, frequently turns out to be feckless"

free verb
"flower scents, that only nighttime frees"

fructify verb
"its seeds shall fructify"

knockdown adjective
"his schemes have met a knockdown blow"

leering adjective
"she had run in fear of him, his evil leering eye"

piece bag noun
"silk and ribbon from her piece bag"

quirk verb
"the coachman lets fly his whip and quirks his off-wheeler on the thigh"

smarten verb
"smarten into color as the sun rises"

springy adjective
"a springy fellow, well set up"

sproutling noun
"his little sproutling of a poem"

sunsetty adjective
"give the appearance of something sunsetty and gorgeous"

unreave verb
"the web is plaiting which nothing unreaves"

vaudevillian adjective
"a certain vaudevillian flavor has crept in"