Garish Rune Goldenrod

Middle English garen, to stare — adjectival suffix -ish. As a color modifier, garish implies a saturated-and-eye-stunning-and-overdone quality, the bright color of Las-Vegas-and-Coney-Island over-the-top neon-marquee display. Sits at the bright-and-flamboyant end of the grid, parallel to gaudy and lurid in usage.

Old Norse rún, secret-or-runic-letter. As a color modifier, rune implies a Norse-runic-letter-and-Futhark-and-incised-stone quality, the visual register of Elder-Futhark-and-Norse-runic-stone hand-Norse-runic-letter-and-Futhark-and-incised-stone Elder-Futhark-and-Norse-runic-stone-and-Viking-grave-marker rune-and-Norse-runic-letter-and-Futhark surfaces under Elder-Futhark-and-Norse-runic-stone-and-Viking-grave-marker Jelling-stone-and-Rök-runestone runic-incision-light. Sits at the modifier-and-myth end of the grid, parallel to omen and sigil in usage.

Solidago, the late-summer wildflower of North American meadows whose tall sprays of small yellow flowers signal the end of the growing season. The color refers to the flower head at full bloom: a warm, slightly muted yellow-orange with the matte finish of small clustered florets. Cooler than mustard, deeper than dandelion. The state flower of Kentucky and Nebraska, a pollinator magnet, and the original native dye for early American homespun.