THE DUMP OF JOEY ARNOLD, THE ORIGINAL OATMEAL: Letter C

Thursday, June 6, 2013

C in Print and Proverb

(in literature) By my life, this is my lady's hand. These be her very c's, her u's, and her t's, and thus she makes she her great P's. —William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, II.v.86-88. (Said of handwriting. The speaker here has unwittingly spelled out the word cut, slang for the female pudenda. The joke is carried further by great P's.)
(in literature) C is where murder took place. —James Joyce, Ulysses.
n. the third letter of the alphabet.
n. any spoken sound represented by this letter.

<The sound vibration of the consonant C means "beauty, beautify." —Joseph E. Rael, Tracks of Dancing Light: A Native American Approach to Understanding Your Name.>
n. a written representation of the letter.
n. something having the shape of a C.

<She had this very distinctive shape, seemingly comprised of interlocking 'S's and 'C's that made her look like she would fit exactly against him if he were to embrace her. —Jeremy Dyson, Never Trust A Rabbit.>

Generous Amounts

In Third Place

n. something arbitrarily designated C (e.g. a person, place, or other thing).
n. a grade in school indicating "average."
n. one graded with a C. <a C student>
n. the third in a series.
n. someone called C.

<Mr. C glad-handed the boss-men of the ship-breaking concern that would be scrapping the vessel. —Iain Banks, The Business.>

Scientific Matters

n. a vitamin (ascorbic acid).

<Vitamin C is widely reputed to prevent and/or cure the common cold. Although this has not been proved scientifically, it does help the body fight and resist infection. Like beta carotene and vitamin E, vitamin C is an antioxidant. It helps wounds heal, improves the body's absorption of iron, and is involved in the growth and maintenance of bones, teeth, gums, ligaments, and blood vessels. ... Vitamin C is found almost exclusively in fruits and vegetables, although breast milk and organ meats contain small amounts. Citrus fruits, tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, and cantaloupe are all excellent sources. —American Medical Association.>
n. (chemistry) the symbol for the element carbon in the Periodic Table.
n. (biology) cytosine, one of the four nitrogenous bases found in DNA nucleotides.
n. (physics) the velocity of light c in vacuum as in Albert Einstein's relativity equation E = mc2.
n. (electronics) a battery, as in "C supply."
n. a high-level programming language.
n. a high-level perception of cosmic unity, beyond causality.

<[A]ctually A, B, and C are all part of a pattern that can be truly understood only by opening the doors of perception and experiencing it... in this moment... this supreme moment... this kairos. —Tom Wolfe, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.>

The Key of C

n. C clef: a symbol placed upon a staff to indicate the location of middle C.
n. the first note in a C-major musical scale.
n. a written or printed musical note.
n. a string, key, or pipe tuned to the note C.
n. a future event caused by something in the present.

<[A] feeling of timelessness, the feeling that what we know as time is only the result of a naïve faith in causality--the notion that A in the past caused B in the present, which will cause C in the future, when actually A, B, and C are all part of a pattern that can be truly understood only by opening the doors of perception and experiencing it... in this moment... this supreme moment... this kairos. —Tom Wolfe, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.>