Ha-ha Follies

Sometimes you come across the most interesting words. For instance, yesterday in a meeting, in which us reference librarians learned how to use a nifty new product to sort our serial holdings, we came across a journal called The Follies Journal under the architecture subject heading. I found this amusing for multiple reasons. Follies, people, follies. Well it turns out that folly has two meanings which are not related to the generally used variation. A folly can also be a noun meaning “a clump of Fir Trees on the crest of a hill” or “a popular name for any structure considered to have shown folly in the builder”.

Another librarian brought up the term ha-ha which the OED defines as “a boundary to a garden, pleasure-ground, or park, of such a kind as not to interrupt the view from within, and not to be seen till closely approached; consisting of a trench, the inner side of which is perpendicular and faced with stone, the outer sloping and turfed; a sunk fence.”

I think that is hilarious. Just think of all the sentences you could write. Haha, did you see that crazy ha-ha? What a folly that designer made of those follies! The possibility for fun is endless!

–Jane, is it time to go home yet?