“I don’t know what you mean by ‘glory,’ ” Alice said.
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. “Of course you don’t—till I tell you. I meant ‘there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!’ ”
“But ‘glory’ doesn’t mean ‘a nice knock-down argument’,” Alice objected.
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”
“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”
“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master that’s all."
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. “Of course you don’t—till I tell you. I meant ‘there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!’ ”
“But ‘glory’ doesn’t mean ‘a nice knock-down argument’,” Alice objected.
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”
“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”
“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master that’s all."
Some say "brillig" refers to four o'clock in the afternoon, or the time you begin broiling things for dinner. I say it can mean whatever you choose it to mean. So in this blog, "brillig" can mean a number of different things. In making "brillig" mean so many different things, however, I am not trying to be master. Rather, I'm recognizing that "brillig" is a made-up word from a nonsense poem, and, as such, lies outside the shared conventions that govern our ordinary use of language. (There's glory for you!)
Thus brillig can mean the time of day when I write for this blog. That could be in the late afternoon, around four o'clock, or it could be later in the evening — which is when when broiling things for dinner tends to happen in my household. I find it best to write, though, when the time is available and the inspiration strikes. When that happens, tis brillig.
Brillig can mean the state of mind I experience when I come to understand something better through writing about it. I've found that explaining something to other people leads me to deeper learning than just reading or taking personal notes. So when I understand something well enough to write a short, coherent article, tis brillig.
And so I will continue to write, whether I have many readers, few readers or none at all. I write for an audience in order to write for myself. While writing to learn, though, I also seek to add something new — whether it be information, humor, juxtaposition, stimulation, explanation, interpretation, or just my personal opinion (though I try not to put too much stock in that). When I can add something usefully new, tis brillig.
Brillig also can mean a time or a state of mind for you, the reader, when you visit this site. Perhaps a search engine has brought you here quite by accident. Perhaps you followed a link on a social site because you have a little time on your hands while broiling something for dinner. Perhaps you were actually seeking information on a subject I've written about. However you got here, if you find information of use to you, understand better, see differently, make a new connection, or find something that makes you smile — tis brillig!
