Anatomy of a Research Paper -- essays research papers

Wodge: A Definition "I don't want a great wodge of prose, but about double what we have at present." (Ezra Pound, 1913) The word wodge, whose meaning can be surmised from its heavy, lumpish sound, is not particularly common in American usage. It is, however, a wonderful word that ought to be given more recognition. It offers a more vivid description than its synonyms, for example, blob, cluster, or clump. A highly descriptive word, wodge is developed from a combination of the words wad and wedge, the sound of which evokes images of weight and sedentariness. The word wodge has sprung from a combination of two other words, wad and wedge, but is vastly more entertaining than either. A wedge is generally two principal faces of hard material meeting at an acute angle to be used for raising, holding, or splitting an object; or also to squish or cram oneself or another object into an ill-fitting space in the manner of a wedge. A wad, on the other hand, is a small lump, mass, ball, roll, or bundle of some matter, usually soft or fibrous, i.e., cotton, wool, straw, cloth, paper, or money. Wodge embodies both of these concepts. Resting somewhere between wedge, which has a more mathematical, precise, and triangular meaning, and wad, which is crumpled, disorderly, and usually made of paper, wodge seems to be lumpy, u...