WordWealth: osculation

os·cu·la·tion , n.

I must confess to being confused by my reported quote of what a character actor kisses. The quote had me saying, ''I'm the guy who kissed the girl who kissed the guy who kissed the horse.'' But I should have said that I ''kiss the horse that kissed the girl that kissed the star.'' The food chain of osculation for character actors is bovine, equine, feline, canine -- but never distaff divine. —— M. Emmet Walsh; Cats and Dogs, Yes. But a Girl? Never!; The  New York Times; Nov 10, 1996
 

The other minor irritant is Franzen's fondness for riffs. There are a good number of these, never less than entertaining, but after a time you see them coming: a bright idea early on in a paragraph - Alfred enjoying an afternoon nap as though sleep were his mistress - and bing! Franzen is away, until every last drop has been squeezed from the analogy ("There was no mess in their affair, no romantic osculation, no leakages or secretions, no shame. He could cheat on Enid in Enid's own bed..."). Narrative excitement isn't the point of this novel; we're happy to go where Franzen takes us. But even saintly readers may feel twinges of impatience. His writing sometimes tries too hard. —— Jonathan Franzen; All-American Family Romance; Guardian; Nov 24, 2001

My new cute, hairy spouse, married recently obviously, abominates exceedingly unharmonious, argumentative, overemphasized, straightforward, pre-revolutionary misunderstandings, unsatisfactorily reconnoitered...understandably, outstandingly appropriates stimulating osculation, energetic embraces, amiable smiles, quiet love for us. —— Ups And Downs; A contest, a creative writing in which the words go up and down, each word being one letter longer than the preceding word--up to a point at which the sequence reverses and each word becomes one letter shorter than the last; The Atlantic; April 5, 1996

He had engaged in nervous osculation with all three of Lord Flamborough's daughters. —— Thomas Sutcliffe; The Art of Seduction, the Skill of the Tackle; Independent, June 13, 1994

Their incessant onstage osculations during her last concert tour seemed to offer public proof of their passion. —— The Big Boom in Breakups; People, Nov 13, 1995

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