Not so nice

Words of the day: I was just reading an Internet story about someone's intemperate behavior. First, I see the word temper in there. And, from context, I could tell that the man was angry and verbally abusive, but I decided to look it up.

intemperate
Adjective
1. unrestrained or uncontrolled: intemperate remarks
2. drinking alcohol too much or too often
3. extreme or severe: an intemperate climate

Yes, I think that's close to what I thought it was.

... I just used the word dissect — I said that everyone dissects what the president says; yes, I was talking about the Harvard professor — so I decided to look it up.

dis·sect (d-skt, d-, dskt)
tr.v. dis·sect·ed, dis·sect·ing, dis·sects
1. To cut apart or separate (tissue), especially for anatomical study.
2. To examine, analyze, or criticize in minute detail: dissected the plan afterward to learn why it had failed. See Synonyms at analyze.
[Latin dissecre, dissect-, to cut apart : dis-, dis- + secre, to cut up; see sek- in Indo-European roots.]

Blogs to watch: If you're into poetry, you might check out Diane Lockward's blog. She calls it Blogalicious. ... Here's Angela Booth's blog on finding inspiration.

Contact: I can be reached at tgilli52@gmail.com or nc3022@yahoo.com. Also, my Twitter handle is EDITORatWORK.

More EDITOR@WORK blog entries

• You really DO need an editor

• Reminders for would-be novelists

• What I do when I'm editing

• What I charge (it's a deal) and what I edit

• Slogging through the Internet

• J-school: More eyes on your stories

• J-school: Go out and learn

• Rookie mistakes for magazine writers

Entries from The Dog Blog

• Katie cried

• Growl and pull

• 13-plus years with my dog Lady

• ... said the spider to ...

• The Dog Diary (2014)

• YIP! YIP! The stereo-sound huskies

• What Lady and Michael Jackson had in common

Blog entries from The Auto Racing Journal

• Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr.

(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)

• Then Junior Said to Jeff...

(the book of great NASCAR stories)

• My best day as a sports writer

• Jeff Gordon's milk toast to Dale Earnhardt

• Wayne Auton: A life in racing

More blog entries by Tom Gillispie

• Resume for a writer and editor

• An editor's views on powerful writing

• Advice for be and would-be novelists

• Links to TG's stories online

• Favorite quotes

• What I do when I'm editing

Anecdotes by Tom Gillispie

• Wipeout at Death Valley

• Days with rainbows

• A desperate writer working in the dark

• Yer outta there!