Monday, March 15, 2010

So Here's a Random Thought:

I was thinking about the word hepatomegaly, like you do, and it occurred to me that if you add an “r” it becomes herpetomegaly. So, like, giant lizards or something. And then I realized that the suffixes hepa- and herpe- are very similar and when used interchangeably can create a great amount of amusement (for dorks like me). Observe: hepatology, herpetitis, herpes. Wait, I don’t think that last one works. Actually, though, it does make you realize that maybe herpes is a pretty darned good moniker (see attributes of a lizard, below).

Also, the words liver and lizard are pretty darn similar as well. The two things don’t really seem to have all that much in common: livers are soft and squishy, and they bleed a lot if you smack them too hard. Lizards are scaly and bony, and they like to lie in the sun. I’ve never smacked a lizard though, so I don’t know how much they bleed. On the other hand, if you cut off part of a liver it will regenerate, and if you cut off part of a lizard’s tail it will grow back. So maybe they’re more similar than I thought.

1 comment:

merritt said...

...and this kind of analysis is precisely what i love about you...and why I am delighted that you have a blog. xoxo