(Okay, fellow babies, here we go again with "David'Z RantZ!")
First of all, this is a "viola."
Need more? The following info is excerpted from Wikipedia, with a few typically smart-alecky interjections from the Silver Fox:
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello. [Gotta love those "middle children."] The casual observer may mistake the viola for the violin because of their similarity in size, closeness in pitch range (the viola is a perfect fifth below the violin), and nearly identical playing position. [Last time Yours Truly had a "perfect fifth," it was a bourbon liqueur known as Jeremiah Weed!] The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin but is larger in size and more variable in its proportions. A "full-size" viola's body is between one and four inches longer than the body of a full-size violin (i.e., between 15 and 18 inches, with an average length of about 16 inches). [Huh. Size queens.]
Okay, now, this is another example of "viola." Well, one variety, that is. I've followed it with another edited Wikipedia entry, and I'll keep my pithy comments to myself this time, so you won't get... errr... pithed off.
Viola... is a genus of flowering plants in the violet family Violaceae, with around 400–500 species distributed around the world. Most species are found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, however viola species (commonly called violets, pansies or heartsease) are also found in widely divergent areas such as Hawaii, Australasia, and the Andes in South America.
"Okay, Foxy," you may be saying, "One's a musical instrument. The other is a bunch of freakin' flowers. Who the hell cares?"
Well... I just told you what "viola" is (or are).
What "viola" isn't, is "voilà" (or "voila"), an interjection which is "used to call attention, to express satisfaction or approval, or to suggest an appearance as if by magic."
And I really tried to find an appropriate illustration for the word "voilà," but... well... You try doing a Google image search for that word, which'll give you crap like this:
I mean... seriously? WTF?!?
Anyway, I've seen far too many online instances of people confusing the two lately, and it simply has to stop. Now. Or I'll slap you silly.
And by the way, if you're one of those people who writes "villians" when you mean "villains," I'm coming for you, next!
Just sayin'.
You've been warned.
Thanks for your time.
that was a viola post david...villians rule...lol. i have a friend that plays the villian....
ReplyDelete@ Brian: A "friend who plays the villian?" Ha! That's priceless! Honestly, I never made that connection!
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm just stuck on the "V" words this week. Next week could be words that start with a "W." Then I could go after all those people -- and there are a lot of them lately -- who far-too-casually confuse "were" and "where," or "waist" and "waste!"
I can see it now: "Part Two of a Twenty-Six-Part Series..." Oy.
That last pic looks like there are violas on the backside of that towel or fabric or whatever that is that person is whereing. (did that last word just for you, David) But I don't see any voilà there...unless pulling fish from a sack is like pulling a rabbit from a hat?
ReplyDeleteYou could have dramatically flung your cape when you say voilà. :)
Yeah, I've seen a few violas whre voilà was meant. Mostly my mind just translates for me.
ReplyDeleteBlowing a fuse again as I can see!Leave Voilà to the french!We'll leave you the F word.It's the only condition :P
ReplyDelete@Betsy: Hm. I'll have to use my spare cape, obviously.
ReplyDelete@Roy: Translate? Screw 'em. Too much work! I'd rather write one of my RantZ!
@Candie: Which "F" word is that? And please make sure to read my Sepia Saturday entry this week, where I'll be talking about the iconic comic movie actor that the French called "Charlot."