“Flush.” What a toilet does–yeah. But this word has several other meanings. You might have known that to flush can mean turning red, like blushing. You may even have heard the slang “feeling flush,” as in, having pockets full of money. That might be related to holding a “flush” in your poker hand, which is a pretty good thing, I’m told. (Not a huge poker expert.)  BUT did you know that “flush” can also mean level with, or even, as in “when you fold the paper, make sure that the two ends are competely flush before putting it into the envelope”?

That kind of “flush” is a term used by carpenters. And here’s something I just learned yesterday: the opposite of that kind of “flush” is “proud.”  “If you glue that box wrong, one edge will be proud.” Don’t you love that this meaning of  “proud” means sticking out where it shouldn’t be? I think that’s cool.

I learned that from my friend Bruce, who makes lovely things out of wood.