Portentous

The Word of the Day for November 25 is "portentous."

portentous:(adjective)

1. Of great or ominous significance
2. Marked by pompousness; pretentiously weighty.

Synonyms:

1. Ominous, foreboding, fateful
2. Overblown, pompous, grandiloquent, pontifical

Usage: His hands, large and coarse, were plentifully bedecked with rings; and he wore a heavy gold watch-chain, with a bundle of seals of portentous size, and a great variety of colors, attached to it.

Relevance to my life: It appears that I am blind to the portentous signs which precede disater; time and again I am struck dumb with shock at what unfolds in my life. Others ask, "How could you not have known it was coming?" and I have no answer. Unlike in the movies, there is no ominous leitmotiv to clue me in when the shark is on my trail.

Speaking of portentous leitmotivs, here are some of my favorite musical themes which presage disaster:




Darth vader's Theme (Imperial March )
I love how in the newer trilogy, as Anakin gets older and suffers, you hear the strains of this theme developing.







Jaws, baby
My kids love it when I sing this theme as I wave a forkful of food in front of them. It's a good way to get them to eat food which they find repellent. Even the 9 year-old gets a kick out of it. Yes, we are silly.







The Isengard/Uruk-hai theme from LOTR
The Lord of the Rings has such a developed use of leitmotivs, it's almost Wagnerian, but I love it. It offers that extra textural element to the feel of the story.







Psycho
Ok, this is portentous only for a second or so before the knife plunges, but still. Good music.







The Exorcist
This theme creeped me out before I even saw the movie. Whenever I hear it I still get the shivers.









There are so many more, but I can't think of any others at the moment.