Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Wednesday Word: Conker



conker |ˈkäNGkərnounBrit. the hard shiny dark brown nut of a horse chestnut tree.• (conkerstreated as sing. ] a children's game in which each child has a conker on the end of a string and takes turns trying to break another's with it.
I Had no idea conker was another name for horse chestnut until I came across "dead rat conkers" reading Terry Pratchett. I missed these guys from the old country–when I was growing up they were everywhere. The trees lined majors streets, their cones of white flowers signaling spring, and their seeds littering parks and sidewalks in the autumn. When the spiky pods open the seeds that emerge are warm brown and shiny–irresistible for small children. Unfortunately, the shine dulls within a few days.


Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Wednesday Word: Tiffin



tiffin |ˈtifinnounIndian or dated light meal, especially lunch.ORIGIN early 19th cent.apparently from dialect tiffingsipping, of unknown origin.
I don't remember where I picked up this word, but it must've been something British.