The photo challenge this week for photofriday was “Shades of Gray”. Yes, I could do the obvious, but I would only be a poser. Given that I haven’t read the books…. Besides, I love texture and perspectives. To get a sense of what to capture. I did some research, with my fingers and with my feet, out and about in Coeur d’Alene, ID. Quite impressed when you sit and look, in its totality, at the definitions of shade.
Shade as a surname:
- Olde English pre 7th Century “sceadu”, Middle English “shade”, (shadow) have been given as a nickname to a very thin man.
- Topographical name for someone who lived near a boundary, deriving from the Olde English “scead”, boundary (from “sceadan”, to divide)
Shade, according to Merriam-Webster:
- comparative darkness or obscurity owing to interception of the rays of light
- shelter (as by foliage)
- evanescent or unreal appearance
- disembodied spirit : ghost
- Used to signal the similarity between a previously encountered item and one at hand ; usually used in plural (shades of my childhood)
- something that intercepts or shelters from light, sun, or heat
- device partially covering a lamp so as to reduce glare
- reproduction of the effect of shade in painting or drawingcolor produced by a pigment or dye mixture having some black in it
- color slightly different from the one under consideration
- a minute difference or variation : nuance
Gray – Interestingly, much like my spelling bee post about “necessisary“, B. Zimmerman blogged about his spelling bee memory of gray vs grey. He had a more fortunate outcome (winning!) but still seemingly has some baggage. Essentially gray and grey mean the same thing, so don’t over think it. It has more to do with which side of the pond and popularity, Grammarist explains. Gray however, does have the added distinction of indicating a unit of measure of imparted energy and kerma, quantified in 1975 by Mr. Louis Harold Gray. Kerma? Karma? Kermit? Kerplop. It just doesn’t stop…. at least I can stop worrying about how to spell gray.
Additional research is notable for Christian Grey (of 50 shade’s BDSM fame) was born in Detroit, which borders Canada, is not particularly thin though but does have a “dark side” … hmmmm, probably should read it now.
Odds & Hens : Ramblings. Creations. 