A is for Ambergris
Ambergris. The word looks pretty. Like Amber, right? It’s a lovely girl’s name. It’s my cats name. (Amber, not ambergris. That would be mental.) I’ve seen the word before, but not really paid that much attention to what it meant. It would sometimes pop up in a role-playing game as a required quest item or some shit, but I didn’t really care what it was. So I looked it up.
[am-ber-grees, -gris] – noun. A waxy substance consisting mainly of cholesterol secreted by the intestinal tract of the sperm whale and often found floating in the sea: used in the manufacture of perfumes
Seriously people. Eww. Ick. But at the same time, wow. This means someone saw a waxy nasty bunch of grey slime floating around in the sea and said, “You know what…. I have an idea. Perfume!” My hat is off to people like that, to the people who figured out how to make rubber plants into rubber, how to make aspirin from bark…but also to the people who learned the hard way that licking one of those cute little blue rainforest frogs would make you high, but that the innocent looking amanita phalloides was the deadliest mushroom on the planet.
Sometimes I hear things like, “There’s nothing on earth but the sea-beds left to explore, and that’s out of reach. It’s not like the old days when people could get on a ship and go to uncharted lands.” Well, they’re right. It’s not like those days. These days we have airplanes and antibiotics. But hey, there’s always frogs to lick.
This frog-licking post is the first in the April A-Z Challenge. (Hence the A-word highlights. I need the extra credits.) The idea is to post every day (minus Sunday) for the entire month of April. Honestly, between the book launch, guest posts, and generally losing my mind with everything going on, I have no idea if I’ll make it. So if I’m missing a random J or Q, well, you’ll just have to bear with me.
Oh, and speaking of A-words, Ordinary Angels is coming out Monday. Holy crap! So expect to get an India-overload on Monday as I take to the social networking even more than usual. Join me! For everyone who wants to help out by posting, tweeting, and sharing Monday, all you have to do is look out for my babble and retweet and FB share. If you want to do a blog post, drop me a line and I’ll be sure you have everything you need, or you can take anything you want from my press kit and repost it.
And lastly, sometime later today, I’ll be appearing on Toni Sweeney’s blog, talking about “What If?”, the most powerful phrase in our language. I’m not sure what time she’s posting it, so keep an eye out on Twitter and I’ll announce it when the post is live.
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Hi – I got here from Talli Roland’s blog. Thanks for the new word and congratulations on your forthcoming publication. My word for today is appoggiatura, I think.
Wow, did not know that about ambergris. Thanks for sharing, and happy A to Z!
Good luck for Monday:)
[ Follow me on Twitter: damyantig ]
Nice post & very original! I learned something new today by reading this.
Thanks for visiting my blog & for your comment on my poem.
You rock! Thanks for coming to visit.
OK, this is really gross. It does sound like a nice word and now that I know what it means I need a barf bag!
Licking frogs. If they weren’t stoned before they licked it, what would posses them to lick it?
Happy Frog Month!
HMG
I would of guessed ambergris was a grape or alcohol. Guess that’s just the way my mind wanders.
With Heather on the frog licking. Had to have been either stoned or double-dog-dared!
Such a pretty word for such a gross definition, lol!
[ Follow me on Twitter: LauraMarcella ]
Oh you write in my favourite genre, as am I. Though yours is all but published while mine awau=its my serious attention. How wonderful for you!
Great to have met you today – thanks for stopping by.
Shah from wordsinsync. X
[ Follow me on Twitter: http://www.google.com/profiles/shahwharton. ]
Oops! Forgot to put my Twitter in it? comment sections vary like fingerprints!
[ Follow me on Twitter: http://www.google.com/profiles/shahwharton. ]
You’re so right about perfume inventors and frog lickers…who thinks of these things? But it’s a good thing more than just people who think like me exist, or we’d still be stuck in the stone ages sitting around campfires telling stories
Interesting…I had completely forgot about that word. My poor neglected vocabulary! >_< Congrats on the book release!!! Always great to learn something new.
I will be thinking about perfumy gray goo and licking frogs for the rest of the day. I learn something new everyday.
[ Follow me on Twitter: TORRESpamela ]
Oh, and congratulations on the release of your book! So exciting!
[ Follow me on Twitter: TORRESpamela ]
Happy A Day!
Your post of “why would someone think of that?” gave me hope for my son who will try anything. Lick a frog? Why not? Maybe he will invent something. Let’s go with the positive!
oh, and i almost used that word today too for the A-Z challenge.
totally not. Cool word though!
[ Follow me on Twitter: laurapauling ]
The word is so pretty! The description makes me go ewwwwwwwww tho
Always wonder how perfume makers walk through the world. They must smell every darn scent there is, good and bad!
[ Follow me on Twitter: Sylviavbruggen ]
What a brilliant A post! I thought perfume was made of rose petals in water in a jam jar (Or it was when I was small – a chemist in the making)
Have a great A – Z month
[ Follow me on Twitter: rebeccajbradley ]
Oh there is still the moon and beyond. And for those who whine about it all there is always the option of licking the frog!
Congratulations on the release of your book on Monday. I will be on the look out to purchase.
I knew what ambergris is from Futurama. Who says cartoons aren’t educational? haha
[ Follow me on Twitter: thenonreview ]
Pretty nasty stuff!! It has also been used to flavor foods, and worn as jewelry. Crazy.
Fun post and great way to kick off A to Z challenge! Aloha
http://www.tobyneal.net/
[ Follow me on Twitter: tobywneal ]
Hi, India! Thanks for stopping by my blog early today. I enjoyed your musings today. I love little bits of trivia like that. Good luck with Ordinary Angels!
What a pretty word for such an icky thing. Very fun post!
A-Z Fellow Challenger
I hadn’t thought about that but yes! So much stuff we took for granted today had to be discovered and now I’m wondering just HOW some of this stuff was picked up on. Great post!
[ Follow me on Twitter: katiemills18hotmail.com ]
Great post and congrats on your upcoming book – hurray! I’ll keep checking in with you during the A to Z challenge and thanks for visiting Quill or Pill!
[ Follow me on Twitter: katheejantzi ]
here’s my twitter link
Kitty
[ Follow me on Twitter: katheejantzi ]
I love the smell of ambergris, especially when I don’t think about where it comes from.
Fun post, and congratulations on your novel coming out!
[ Follow me on Twitter: KC_Woolf ]
I love the smell of ambergris, especially when I don’t think about where it comes from.
Fun post, and congratulations on your novel coming out!
[ Follow me on Twitter: KC_Woolf ]
I often think the same way. Who realised you could extract ore from rocks, and make metals? How did that crop up? Why did someone decide to spend a few hours burning copper ore at extreme tempratures. We humans are very curious, and very inventive. Ambergris; great word.
Enjoyed reading your post. Sounds like you are one busy lady!
From Amber to whale goo!! LOL!!! Love it!!!!!! Yay for whale goo!!!
Take care
x
Great word, India! It reminds me of a Paul Jennings short story called Greensleeves. It’s very funny.
Congratulations on releasing your book
.
[ Follow me on Twitter: sl1605 ]
I love the thought in here — from eww to aww! Very much like the frog turned into a prince or would it be better if the prince turn into a frog?
Blessings to everyone!