Thursday, April 19, 2018

Blogging From A to Z Challenge: The Most Overlooked Letter in the Alphabet, Q

Hello and welcome to the Focused on Story Blog by J.Q. Rose. We have arrived at my favorite letter of the alphabet--Q. (Please note my pen name. Q is for my maiden name.) Q is an overlooked letter. Maybe because it's so Quirky. It's rather plain, but not as plain as O. 


I have a Question for you. There’s Only One Letter That’s Not in Any U.S. State Name. Can You Guess It? I won't keep you in suspense. It's Q according to the Reader's Digest article. Click here to read it. 

Believe me, Q is the most neglected letter of the alphabet. Because my family name started with Q, it was difficult to find a Q on monogrammed products such as towels, mugs, napkins, and even a cut-out Q to hang on the wall. Look for yourself when you're picking up your A, B, C, D, etc gifts for friends. I hope you don't know anyone whose name begins with Q!!
Q--The Overlooked Letter in the Alphabet.
~quiff~
(Brita prominent tuft of hair, esp one brushed up above the forehead, Dictionary.com

If you’ve been reading my challenge posts, you’ve seen I've “lifted” a few words from British romance author, Helena Fairfax. Quiff is another word from her feel-good read, Felicity at the Cross Hotel. (You may have figured out it’s one of my favorite reads now.)
Elvis Presley's hairstyle with a quiff.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
According to the Urban Dictionary, some of the celebrities who have worn quiffs are Elvis Presley, Travolta in 'Grease', Chris Isaak. 

Evidently, the meaning I used here is in the British dictionary. To my surprise, Dictionary.com and the American Heritage Dictionary defined quiff as a promiscuous woman. The term originated in the 1920’s

Are you familiar with this word? What is your Q blog post today?

of all participants who signed up

for the #AtoZchallenge 2018.




7 comments:

Helena Fairfax said...

Hi JQ, another fascinating post! I had no idea the word quiff - meaning the hairstyle - was mainly used in British English. When I think of a quiff, I think of Little Richard and Elvis Presley, who set the fashion, and who are both American.
Quiffs were worn by what we called Teddy Boys in the 50s here. I notice they're back in fashion - David Beckham has recently been seen sporting a quiff.
Thanks for another great post, and thanks so much for your kind words about Felicity!

J.Q. Rose said...

Hi Helena, Thanks for more insight into the word quiff. Glad you enjoyed the blog post and thank YOU for Felicity's story. Love it!

Joselyn Vaughn said...

I wonder if quiff is related to coif, which describes a hairstyle also I think.

Roseanne Dowell said...

I actually have a cousin whose last name begins with Q. I'm surprised it's not used more often. Q is usually followed by U, except in the worda Qats and Qaid (learned that from my Scrabble playing days) There are a few others. Oh and don't forget the famous Q word Queen.

Janet Lane Walters said...

Never heard of quaff but it's a fascinating word, especially if you've a Brit in your story.

Marsha said...

Hey, JQ. Loved this post. "Quif" is a cool word.I agree. Helena's Felicity at the Crosswords is one of my favorite books, too. I shared. :)

Victoria Chatham said...

To quaff is to drink something - usually beer or ale - and guzzle it down in a hurry. Good idea!

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