Monday, June 6, 2016

An endless, roiling sea

It hit me when I was reading James Franco’s list of favorite books in The New York Times : roil . In all its forms, it’s a vogue word. I started searching in the Times and in Google News:

June 5: “Slosberg roils fellow Democrats,” “roiling the financial markets,” “roiling markets.”

June 4: “a day already roiled,” “roiled by an alarming rise,” “roiled the architectural establishment,” “Norris’s gut was roiling,” “roiling around an expansive field” “secessionist movements roiling Scotland,” “the roiling cauldron of ambition,” “the roiling blood of a colonial past,” “the roiling column of black smoke,” “roiling confusion,” “a roiling generation,” “flame roiling out of the open garage door.”

June 3: “roils the Republic of Congo,” “Sugar Land roils over Selfie Statue,” “may roil financial markets,” “roil Oregon’s outdoors,” “severe weather and tornadoes roil plains,” “digital technology roiling education, publishing, and visual culture,” “political crisis roiling Venezuela,” “roiling changes,” “Iraq’s roiling impatience,” “the roiling melody,” “roiling rivers,” “roiling sexual scandal,” “a roiling storm,” “a roiling tale of desperation, love and struggle,” “roiling waters,” “currently roiling Europe,” “roiling through the city,” “the emotions roiling.”

June 2: “set to roil Democratic convention,” “roiled the city,” “roiled the Qatif area,” “roiling controversy,” “roiling fury,” “roiling global financial markets,” “a roiling national debate,” “a roiling sea,” “that roiling sea of clouds,” “a roiling sea of volatile nitrogen ice,” “roiling sexual scandal,” “roiling the medical community,” “roiling with divisiveness,” “roiling the waters,” “roiling beneath its surface.”

June 1: “diesel scandal roils,” “school district roiled,” “stocks, sterling roiled,” “the roiling aftermath,” “roiling bass,” “roiling cells of nitrogen ice,” “roiling debates,” “roiling emotions,” “the roiling magma,” “a nation roiling,” “a roiling national debate,” “that record’s roiling title track,” “roiling social debate,” “roiling tensions,” “roiling water,” “the roiling waters,” “roiling the city,” “roiling the fashion industry,” “roiling Libya’s politics,” “a storm roiling underneath the surface,” “a steadily roiling competition,” “an endless, roiling sea of numbers.”

An endless, roiling sea of vogue words! I rest my case.

[A Nation Roiling would make a nice title for a Bob and Ray news spoof. Roiling Tensions would be good for a soap-opera spoof.]

comments: 2

Sara said...

So do you have a list of ten books you'd take with you? I think I'd like at least one of my books to be about how to survive on an island, preferably with a section about how to get back to civilization.

Michael Leddy said...

I’d have to think about it. I will.