merrieeee

Word of every Christmas Day, even this one, is the beautiful ‘confelicity’: joy in the happiness of others. I hope you get to feel some confelicity today, if only from afar. Merrie Christmas.

WONDERCLOUT These are showy items that look highly promising but turn out to be worthless upon closer investigation. They are a festive example of trumperiness: something of far less value than it seems.

Phrase of the Day: YULE HOLE (Scots, archaic) — the last hole to stretch one’s belt to at a Christmas feast.

Word of the Week: Did you know that the word ‘tinsel’ comes from the Latin scintilla, a “spark”. From where we also get 'scintillating', to mean fascinating, attention grabbing. Which something bright and sparkling would indeed do.

Word of the day: TOE-COVER (1940s slang) - an inexpensive gift that is completely useless

Hee! Word of the day (on repeat) is the 17th-century ‘latibulate’: to hide oneself in a corner in an attempt to avoid reality

Xmas songs for 2020: 'SINGLE BELLS' 'I SAW MOMMY MISSING SANTA CLAUS' 'THE HOLLY OR THE IVY' 'O DON'T COME, O DON'T COME, EMMANUEL' 'BABY IT'S ILLEGAL OUTSIDE' Feel free to add to it!

‘Fooler’, ‘foolane’, ‘foolatum’, ‘fooliaminy’ and ‘fool-fool’ are all acceptable alternatives to ‘fool’ for describing a person lacking in judgement.

If you need a smile from the dictionary this morning, here are a few favourites: arseropes: 15th-century speak for the intestines. ill-willy, 16th century: grumpy and mean (good-willy also available).

In the past, you could be reckful (considerate) as well as reckless. People were also gormful (careful); feckful (responsible), ruthful (compassionate), wieldy (agile), ept (adroit), and definitely gruntled.

It was adorable! I watched on their website.

Just right for today I think: Here's a word to slip into conversation: 'CALLIPYGIAN' - 'having well-shaped or finely developed buttocks.'

Word of the Day: MORGENFRISK (Danish) - the feeling of refreshment after waking from a good night's sleep No, I don't know what that's like either.

Hee Hee. Hot! Not ho!

Word of the Day: SCURRYFUNGE - to panic clean just before a guest arrive This is my favourite Christmas decoration. It’s 50 years old. I put it away very carefully but underneath there’s lots of ho glue!

It was 70 degrees! But I think it’s getting colder in the next few days.

My daughter desperately misses going to concerts with her friend. So tonight one of the groups she likes (The Decemberists) are having a virtual concert. She bought a ticket, bought posters and has projector set up in the backyard to stream the concert. Her friend is over and they are now sitting in the backyard with popcorn acting as normal as possible! I told them to not get too high on the smoke around! 30 or so years ago I took her to a Rolling Stones concert, she was about 12! The air in the Astrodome was so thick she got a contact high and was so sick. She asked me what the funny smell was! We often joke about that.

Word of the day is ‘boondoggle’ (1940s): an entirely unnecessary, expensive, and wasteful undertaking (often the result of ‘hornswoggling’: bamboozling and hoodwinking

I could have sworn I posted this! I must be........ WABBIT (Scots) - tired, exhausted (The Scots usage predates Looney Tunes.)

Word of the Day: IRUSU (Japanese) - Pretending not to be home when an unwanted visitor knocks at the door.

WOD: A ‘toady’ - a fawning flatterer - began as the ‘toad-eater’ of the 17th century: a quack’s subservient assistant who would eat a ‘poisonous’ toad before a gathered crowd and be ‘miraculously’ cured by the quack’s potions

This video popped up on Facebook and not many have seen it.

Word of the day: clamjamphrie: spoken nonsense

Word of the day, useful for all video meetings, is 'nod-crafty': a 17th-century adjective meaning 'given to nodding one's head with an air of great understanding' when you're really not listening at all.