A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg

spoonerism (SPOO-nuh-riz-em)  noun  The transposition of (usually) the initial sounds of words, typically producing a humorous result.  Examples:  “It is now kisstomary to cuss the bride.”  (Spooner while officiating at a wedding)  “Is the bean dizzy?”  (Spooner questioning the secretary of his dean)  After William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930), clergyman and educator, who was prone to this.  Earliest documented use:  1900.

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From:  Ellen Siegel  Subject:  spoonerism  Years ago a friend was talking about the musical Hair.   said it had “noodle frontity”.  It has stuck with us ever since.  From:  James Hutchinson  Subject:  spoonerism  A spoonerism is attributed to French General Charles de Gaulle, who meant to say “la population du Cape” (the population of Cape) in a speech, but instead said “la copulation du Pape” (the Pope’s sex life).  From:  James Zimmerman   Subject:  spoonerism  I think any discussion of Spoonerisms should include mention of the story of Rindercella, who slopped her dripper.  The first time I heard this story was in 6th grade, when the teacher read it to our whole class, and we daughed in lelight.

Drib is known in some English, Irish and Scottish dialects from at least the eighteenth century, meaning an inconsiderable quantity or a drop and most probably is a variant form of drip or drop.  It was taken by emigrants to the US and at one time was fairly common there.  The English Dialect Dictionary quotes a letter written by Abraham Lincoln in 1862:  “We are sending such regiments and dribs from here and Baltimore as we can spare to Harper’s Ferry”.  The experts are undecided whether the second half is a mere echo of the first, as in reduplicated compounds like helter-skelter, see-saw and hurly-burly, or if drab is a real word in its own right.  Drab certainly existed as a dialect term that could mean much the same as drib, though it was used in particular for a minor debt or a small sum of money.  The first example in the Oxford English Dictionary is from a glossary of the dialect of Craven in Yorkshire of 1828 with that meaning:  “He’s gain away for good, and he’s left some drabs.”  [He has gone away for ever and he’s left some debts.]  The limited distribution of drab suggests that the word in the phrase is indeed a mere variation on drib for the sake of a neat and bouncy phrase.  http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-dri1.htm

5 Writing Tips by Barbara Kingsolver  "The enterprise of writing a book has to feel like walking into a cathedral."  Tip # 1:  To begin, give yourself permission to write a bad book.  Writer’s block is another name for writer’s dread—the paralyzing fear that our work won’t measure up.  It doesn’t matter how many books I’ve published, starting the next one always feels as daunting as the first.  A day comes when I just have to make a deal with myself:  write something anyway, even if it’s awful.  Nobody has to know.  Maybe it never leaves this room!  Just go.  Bang out a draft.  Read other four tips at https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/tip-sheet/article/78305-5-writing-tips-barbara-kingsolver.html?consumer

3 Historic Cakes from America’s First Ladies You’ll Still Want to Bake Today by Ann Byrn  https://food52.com/blog/18125-3-historic-cakes-from-america-s-first-ladies-you-ll-still-want-to-bake-today

The “hurly” in “hurly-burly” is almost certainly a form of the noun “hurling,” the primary meaning of which, logically enough, is “the act of throwing in a forceful or violent manner.”  More relevantly, “hurling” back in the 14th century also meant “strife or commotion,” perhaps because in such a context there was likely to be literal hurling going on.  So by about 1600, “hurly” was in use meaning “strife or turmoil.”  The “burly” was added through a common process called “reduplication,” in which a word is repeated with a slight variation (in this case the switch of the initial letter), as is found in such inventions as “hokey-pokey,” “boogie-woogie” and “super-duper.”  In “hurly-burly” the second element (“burly”) is meaningless, as it is in most reduplications (although in some, e.g., “walkie-talkie,” it’s an essential part of the term).  http://www.word-detective.com/2014/07/hurly-burly/

The Pritzker Architecture Prize is awarded annually "to honor a living architect or architects whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture".  Founded in 1979 by Jay A. Pritzker and his wife Cindy, the award is funded by the Pritzker family and sponsored by the Hyatt Foundation.  It is considered to be one of the world's premier architecture prizes, and is often referred to as the Nobel Prize of architecture.   The prize is said to be awarded "irrespective of nationality, race, creed, or ideology".  The recipients receive US$100,000, a citation certificate, and since 1987, a bronze medallion.  The designs on the medal are inspired by the work of architect Louis Sullivan, while the Latin inspired inscription on the reverse of the medallion—firmitas, utilitas, venustas (English:  firmness, commodity and delight)—is from Ancient Roman architect Vitruvius.  Before 1987, a limited edition Henry Moore sculpture accompanied the monetary prize.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pritzker_Architecture_Prize

“By George!” is a mild oath or exclamation that had its beginnings in the late 1500s.  The word “George” here is a substitute for “God,” as are words like “golly,” “ginger,” “gosh,” “gum,” and so on in other similar euphemistic oaths.  The expression began life as “fore (or for) George” and “before George,” according to published references in the Oxford English Dictionary.  These were milder versions of “before God,” “fore God,” and so on.  The OED’s earliest example is from Ben Jonson’s 1598 play Every Man in His Humor:  “I, Well! he knowes what to trust to, for George.”  The next citation in the dictionary is from John Dryden’s 1680 comedy The Kind Keeper:  “Before George, ’tis so!”  The OED’s first “by George” quotation is from a 1694 translation of Rudens, a comedy by Plautus:  “By George, you shan’t be a Sowce the better for what’s in it.”  Sometimes, according to the dictionary, “George!” is used by itself, minus all the prepositions.  In case you’d like to read more, we’ve had several items on the blog about such euphemisms, including a posting a few years back about “gol dang it,” “gosh darn it,” “dag nab it,” and others. (And, as we’ve written on the blog, you can add “For Pete’s sake!” to the list.)  You didn’t ask, but some readers may wonder who the Scott is in “Great Scott!”  This interjection, too, is a believed to be  euphemistic, the OED says, a mild form of “Great God!” that originated in mid-19th-century America.  But in this case, the “Scott” was probably real.  Evidence suggests, the OED says, that the name inserted into the oath was that of a revered American general, Winfield Scott.  As Oxford explains:  “Winfield Scott, Commanding General of the United States Army (1841-61) and Whig party presidential candidate (1852), was a popular national figure in the United States in the mid 19th cent., celebrated as a hero for his role in the Mexican-American War (1846-8).”  https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/01/by-george.html

"Saving face is the strongest motive in the world."  Swan Song, v. 6 in The Forsyte Chronicles and v. 3 in A Modern Comedy by John Galsworthy

Danes, often hailed as some of the happiest people on Earth, love nothing more than to hygge.  That could mean reading a book while snuggling in a blanket (likely made from wool from a sheep on the Faroe Islands, also part of Denmark), or a cosy night in with loved ones, laughing in the velvety candlelight with a cup of hot chocolate, gløgg (mulled wine) or coffee, depending on the time of day and year.  But this picture is almost too idyllic.  Too perfect.  As a hygge-loving Dane, I can say for sure that even Danes have rainy days.  So what do we do, then, when there isn’t any help to be had from these cosy accompaniments?  We say the magical word:  ‘pyt’ [‘pyd’].  Or press ‘pyt-knappen’(the ‘pyt’ button).  Karen Rosinger  http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20190217-what-to-do-when-hygge-no-longer-works   “Pyt”--which sort of sounds like “pid”--was recently voted the most popular word by Danes, beating out “dvæle” (to linger) and “krænkelsesparat” (ready to take offense).  Pyt doesn’t have an exact English translation.  It’s more a cultural concept about cultivating healthy thoughts to deal with stress.  Pyt is usually expressed as an interjection in reaction to a daily hassle, frustration or mistake. It most closely translates to the English sayings, “Don’t worry about it,” “stuff happens” or “oh, well.”  There might be an English equivalent:  the reset button.  Marie Helweg-Larsen  http://theconversation.com/a-danish-word-the-world-needs-to-combat-stress-pyt-112216

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2069  March 25, 2019