incoherent \in-koh-HEER-unt\ adjective
: lacking coherence: as a : lacking cohesion : loose *b : lacking orderly continuity, arrangement, or relevance : inconsistent c : lacking normal clarity or intelligibility in speech or thought

Here’s hoping today’s word is not a sign of things to come today.

… is apparently just for me.

elflock
noun A lock of hair tangled as if by elves. Often used in the plural.

From personal experience, I can tell you that this is one of the more horrific things that can happen to one’s hair. Tears will ensue.

tricoteuse
? noun (pl. pronounced same)
one of a number of women who sat and knitted while attending public executions during the French Revolution. origin French, from tricoter ?to knit?.

That’s very disconcerting that there’s a specific word for that.

Today’s word is obviously for John Scalzi.

chawbacon \CHAW-bay-kun\ noun
: bumpkin, hick

Did you know?
“Chaw” is an alteration of “chew” that is still used in some English dialects, especially in rural areas. Cured pork, or bacon, was a staple of some rural folks’ diets in the past. Since the 16th century, “chaw” has been combined with “bacon” to create a ludicrous name for an uncultured yokel. Over the centuries, the word has lent its delicious dialect flavor to a wide range of publications, but it has become less common in recent decades. Today, city dwellers are as likely as country folk to chow down on bacon, and the word “chawbacon” isn’t often on the lips of either group.

It my personal guiding word:

non sequitur \NAHN-SEK-wuh-ter\ noun
1 : an inference that does not follow from the premises
*2 : a statement (as a response) that does not follow logically from or is not clearly related to anything previously said

Did you know?
In Latin, “non sequitur” means “it does not follow.” The phrase was borrowed into English in the 1500s by people who made a formal study of logic. For them it meant a conclusion that does not follow from the statements that lead to it. But we now use “non sequitur” for any kind of statement that seems to come out of the blue. The Latin verb “sequi” (“to follow”) has actually led the way for a number of English words. A “sequel” follows the original novel, film, or television show. Someone “obsequious” follows another about, flattering and fawning. And an action is often followed by its “consequence.”

for erin:

gravid \GRAV-id\ adjective
*1 : pregnant
2 : distended with or full of eggs

Did you know?
“Gravid” comes from Latin “gravis,” meaning “heavy.” It can refer to a female who is literally pregnant, and it also has the figurative meanings of “pregnant”: “full or teeming” and “meaningful.” Thus, a writer may be gravid with ideas as she sits down to write; a cloud may be gravid with rain; or a speaker may make a gravid pause before announcing his remarkable findings.