The Ordinary Texture

Do this one together

“Together: compile the dictionary of us.”

A set-piece. One table, two pens, the same evening, one joint artefact. These are the pages people photograph.

Why this question

Every word, phrase, nickname and noise that means nothing to anyone else on earth. Spell them properly for the first time. Definitions, etymology, usage examples.

And once you’ve both answered

Mark the entries still in daily use — and the archaic ones due a revival.

Answering it honestly

  • One table, two pens, the same evening. This one doesn't work by correspondence.
  • Argue about the details out loud before anything gets written down. The arguing is part of the artefact.
  • Finish in the sitting. A half-built set-piece has a way of staying half-built.

And the house rule, whatever the mode: leave a blank rather than write a lie. A blank can be filled later; a lie sits in the archive forever, and you both have to live with the paperwork.

More from The Ordinary Texture

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“State, for the permanent record, your side of our longest-running pointless argument.”

“How do we greet each other — and how do we say goodbye?”