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caasbrey

@caasbrey.bsky.social
4.5K followers 2.8K following 2.1K posts

C. A. Asbrey is a Scottish mystery author. Fan of all things Victorian, obscure, forensics, jaywalking, ordering the best meal, and dropping out of society. caasbrey.com www.facebook.com/mysteryscrivener

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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 8h
Austensibly 1. “Her own thoughts and reflections were habitually her best companions.” 2. (Pauses in thought.) 3. Also chocolate.
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 8h
Heanling 1. A base, abject, or wretched person. 2. A self-abasing person.
“Hadley Hogwood, the hapless heanling, has a horrible hibernal habititude of hurriedly helping himself to heapings of Hogmanay honey baked ham.”
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
What to do if invited to a social gathering. Step One. Ask, “Will there be books?” Step Two. Send your regrets.
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Rendling 1. The process of transforming milk into cheese.
“Blessed are the cheesemakers, for through the holy mystery of rendling they transform humble lactate into curds of glory: yea: from vat cometh fromage, and from fromage cometh gladness, so let us bow our heads in praise of cheese.”
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
“Experience is the hardest kind of teacher. It gives you the test first and the lesson afterward.” Oscar Wilde Irish poet.
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Beneficent 1. Doing or producing good: performing acts of kindness and charity; characterised by kindness.
“Few stars have been as beneficent as Dolly, transforming a lifetime of success into a legacy of gentle munificence.”
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𝕬𝖓𝖆 𝕽𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖓 @nims06.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
ok woke my husband up laughing is way too good lmao. been meaning to check this series out a Pinkerton detective as lead is such a good pick. Curious to know what made you go with that era? and is she loosely based on a real agent or all you? and yeah .. congrats, so well deserved 🙌 😊
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Jess Piper Fan Page 💙 📚 @jesspiperfanpage.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I Bought it 😀 Should be on New York Times Bestseller Check it out 👉 www.amazon.com/dp/B0CV8YZV2... Debbie a resident of Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri My Home area @piperformissouri.bsky.social @stegenmodem.bsky.social @iquitcigs.bsky.social @mrsdeborahlynn.bsky.social @papillonjaune77.bsky.social
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Author: After all  . . .why not? Why shouldn’t I interrupt the love interests right before they kiss?
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Keeve 1. A large tub or vat for holding liquid, especially for brewing or fabric dyeing. 2. To set in a tub for fermentation.
“Unable to locate a tub capricious enough to suit his peculiar purposes, the eccentric doctor commissioned one from a local cooper, who knew better than to ask questions.”
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Write like the ghosts of all the women who weren’t allowed to write are standing next to you wondering what a laptop is and why you’re still in your pyjamas.
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Gozzan 1. An old wig grown yellow with age
“The press assembly was treated to a clear view of the dumpy dottard attempting to board Marine One as his greasy gizzard took flight and vanished into the rotor assembly in a brief but gratifying explosion of yellow horsehair.”
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
 
Gainstrive 1. To contend or struggle against: to oppose, resist, or withstand
“As I passed the patisserie, I fund myself powerless to gainstrive it intoxicating aroma; in I went, leaving my diet behind like a dog tethered to a ’No Parking’ sign.”
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
When a character you didn’t like (so you killed them) presets the perfect ending for your book
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Writers trying to clean up the chapters they edited when they were drunk.
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Impudicity 1. A lack of humility or shame; immodesty
“The gamboge grifter’s ridiculous fusion of imbecility and impudicity makes him a blundering laughingstock as he rage-sweats his way through another cack-handed interview.”
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
How your character reacts to your carefully plotted outline. 
S̶p̶r̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶A̶n̶a̶r̶c̶h̶y̶ Don’t tell me what to do!
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Bespoke 1. Custom made for a particular customer or user
“Having cultivated an aristocratic horror of anything so vulgar as prêt-à-porter, Percival would entrust his wardrobe to none but the bespoke tailors of Saville Row.”
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kaceykells.bsky.social @kaceykells.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
#FriYAY💃💖💋 @jordanagreene.bsky.social @lisettebrodey.bsky.social @joannepaulson.bsky.social @caasbrey.bsky.social @cynleader.bsky.social @darbooks.com @browneyedsusan.bsky.social @alhanda.bsky.social @bluetauri.bsky.social
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Melsh-Dick 1. A sylvan goblin believed to guard hazelnuts from premature gathering
“‘Now, mind you keep well away from those hazel trees or the melsh-dick’ll take you away! came the familiar warning as her grandson scampered out the door.’”
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Nothing humbles a writer more than reading something they wrote yesterday.
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Palpebrous 1. Having thick or bushy eyebrows
“Victor, whose palpebrous physiognomy had long been a source of considerable vanity, met a macabre end when his luxuriant eyebrows; pushed beyond endurance by the curling iron, rose up and strangled him.”
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
“Lucent and delicate, drama entered, mincing like a cat.” Dorothy Dunnett
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JoeD55 @joed55.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Yep! I do that!
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Carry Cockburn @carrycockburn.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
You forgot that they should help to hide the body!!🤪
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Farouche 1. Having a fierce, wild, or cranky temperament. 2. Marked by shyness and lack of social graces; sullen and gloomy.
“Let us not forget the cautionary tale of the good Dr. Jekyll; aesculapian by day, fiendishly barouche by night.”
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I’m not saying that books are better than people. But I can return a disappointing book.
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Nequient 1. Unable or incapable of doing something; lacking the necessary mean, skill, power, or opportunity
“Barnabus was not unwilling to assist with the repairs; he was simply nequment, being deficient in tools, practical knowledge, and any inclination to acquire either.”
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Things You Can do to Support Authors:
Buy their books
Leave reviews online
Request that your local bookstore or library cary their books
Do their laundry
Watch their kids for a few weeks
Do their taxes
Lie to the police for them if they are ever in trouble
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Obstreperous 1. Clamorously unruly or boisterous; noisily resistant to control, restrain or authority.
“An orchestra of obstreperous owls outside our oriel orchestrated an ostrobogulous obnoxity of an outrageously operatic osprey.”
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Lost Protest Scenes in Literature
1. Dracula (Signs: Count me Out & Fangs off our blood) The local chapter of TRAP (Transylvanian Rural Antivampire Peasants) pickets Castle Dracula.
2. Lord of the Rings (Sign: sign here) Gandalf collects signatures for his “replace Sauron the Dark Lord with a Democratically elected council” petition.
3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Signs: Workers’ Rights & Wonka Plonka) Locals boycott all Wonka products to protest about Oompa Loompa working conditions in the factory.
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Mystic Muse @cloudrider53.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Someone who is an avid reader (as pictured) should not properly be called lurdan. Reading is certainly an activity that is often enlightening . And it would be unlikely that such person would be “dull”.
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Brian Terence - Science Fiction Author 🪐🚀👻🐉📚 @brianterence.co.uk · 05/09/2026
More to the point, I've several to write....
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Warflight @warflight.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Nice use of "macaronic". Traveling college students from England saw macaroni, and thought it fancy, so anything fancy, they called "macaroni", from feather in a hat, to foppish dress, to a freshly powdered wig. The word caught on.
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William D. Prystauk @prystauk.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Absolutely! It's about priorities!
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Carry Cockburn @carrycockburn.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Nooooooooooooooooooo... you made that up🤯
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Subtext: Writing in which there’s an indication of what the writer is actually hinting or discussing.
Domtext: When a writer will tell you exactly what they damn well mean and you’d better just take it in like the good reader you are.
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Gleimous 1. Slimy; full of phlegm.
“That feeling when you’re trying so hard to be glamorous, but it’s allergy season so you’re just gleimous.”
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
1. “Make sure you destroy all sensitive documents.”
2. “Gotcha.”
3. *Shreds poetry . . .*
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Runagate 1. A deserter; a fugitive; a runaway. 2. Escaped, deserted or run away; wandering, roving.
“Keep your eyes peeled for a runagate poltroon; I’ve received word that he’s headed in this direction.”
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
‘Slang’ is short for ‘short language.’
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Wallydraigle 1. A pejorative meaning of a feeble or slovenly animal or person. 2. The youngest family member.
“He grew up with a chip on his shoulder because he was treated like a wallydraigle hobbledehoy.”
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Preparing dinner isn’t a priority when the fate of a literary character hangs in the balance.
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Fop 1. A man concerned overmuch about his appearance with his clothes and appearance in an affected way; a dandy.
“With his misguided macaronic mannerisms and absurdly affectatious attire, he’s trying to be a fop, but he’s really just a fop.”
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Jess Piper Fan Page 💙 📚 @jesspiperfanpage.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Sept 7, 2026 🧑‍🏫🧑‍🌾👩‍🍳🧑‍🔧👩‍🏭👩‍💼🧑‍🔬🧑‍✈️👩‍🚀👩‍🚒👮‍♂️👷‍♂️
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The Duke of Brittany 2 @dukeofbrittany2.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
👌👌👌👌👌
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Mystic Muse @cloudrider53.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Exactly!
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Me: *Sits down to write*
Computer: ohhh I smell an update.
Me: Don’t you dare.
Computer: Update right now. Okay?
Me: I will dethrone your god.
Computer: after you watch this circle spin, peasant.
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caasbrey @caasbrey.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Slangwhanger 1. One who verbally attacked others; usually politicians, newspaper columnists, or in-air personalities.
“He’s been a slangwhanger for so long that he’s forgotten to how to have a normal conversation anymore; he literally can’t help himself.”
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JULIE @rarebeef.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I know, my OCD has a hard time shelving these incongruities....
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