Onomatopoeia

Tonight, I was talking to Anna on the phone while she was driving to a friend's place. The phone call started off with her explaining a mishap she had with one of her close friends. Somehow the path of our conversation shifted towards talking about Cranium and FOB's in general.


Then out of the blue, Anna asked me, "Do you know what "scaffold" means?" as a test to see if I was still a FOB. Of course she didnt ask in a skeptic way, but girls are a mysterious species and you know what what to expect with them! :oD

Scaffold (skaf'eld, -old')......... Dammit! What does it mean? I had heard the word many times before and I was pretty sure I've used it a couple of times - but for some strange reason, the word slipped from my data bank. Perhpas the word went into hiding since my everyday vocabulary consists of words such as atelectasis, zygomaticofacial complex, and cholecystoduodenostomy - damn my life is sad, aint it?

"You know what it means, right?" Anna urged on.

Not wanting her to think I was a FOB at heart, I tried faking my way. Scaffold............probably doesnt mean something that can fold, just because it would be stupid and too easy? Scaffold......probably some kind of makeshift thing since it can fold? That's when I remember the book, Scarlet Letter. It turned out that the adulterers had to stand on some kind of platform, called a Scaffold. Having been in New York, where most buildings have been standing around for centuries and in need of crazy reconstructing, for the past 4 years, I remember seeing a lot of these Scaffolds. Scaffold.........must be some kind of makeshift construction platform.

Onomatopoeia...........never know when it will come in handy! Thanks Mrs. Kuno (9th grade English teacher)!!