I Never Knew There Was a Word for It - Adam Jacot De Boinod [143]
mugwump (New York 1884) one who holds more or less aloof from party politics, professing disinterested and superior views
girouettism (1825) frequently altering one’s opinions or principles to follow trends
TWO CHEERS FOR DEMOCRACY
We live, after all, in the finest political system yet devised by man:
pot-waller (Somerset) one whose right to vote for a member of Parliament is based on his having a fireplace on which to boil his own pot
flusher (US slang 2008) a volunteer who rounds up non-voters on Election Day
astroturfing (US slang) a PR tactic in which hired acolytes are used to offer ostensibly enthusiastic and spontaneous grassroots support for a politician or business
barbecue stopper (Australian slang 2002) an issue of major public importance, which will excite the interest of voters
WORD JOURNEYS
opportune (15C from Latin via Old French) (of wind) driving towards the harbour; seasonable
bounce (13C) to beat, thump; then (16C) a loud, exploding noise
borough (Old English) a fortress
the devil to pay (1783) from the time of old sailing ships when the devil was a long seam beside the keel of a ship which was sealed with tar (if there was no hot pitch ready the tide would turn before the work could be done and the ship would be out of commission longer)
SCURRYFUNGE
Domestic life
A lyttle house well fylled,
a lytle ground well tylled and
a little wife well wylled
is best
(1545)
Pundits talk of the global village, but the world is still a huge and deeply varied place, offering any number of environments for people to settle in:
Periscii (1625) the inhabitants of the polar circles, so called because in summer their shadows form an oval
Ascians (1635) inhabitants of the Tropics, who twice a year have the sun directly overhead at noon (hence ‘without shadows’)
antiscian (1842) a person who lives on the opposite side of the Equator
epirot (1660) a person who lives inland
paralian (1664) a person who lives near the sea
owd standards (Lincolnshire) old folk who have lived in a village all their lives
carrot cruncher (UK slang) a person from the country, a rural dweller
BRIGHT LIGHTS
Countryside, town or something in between, take your pick:
agroville (1960) a community, a village stronghold (relating to South Vietnam)
tenderloin district (1887) the area of a city devoted to pleasure and entertainment, typically containing restaurants, theatres, gambling houses and brothels
huburb (US slang) its own little city within another city
HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER
Local features may add to or subtract from the desirability of one’s residence:
hippo’s tooth (US slang) a cement bollard
witches’ knickers (Irish slang) shopping bags caught in trees, flapping in the wind
urbeach (US slang) an urban beach generally built along a riverbank
generica (US slang) features of the American landscape (strip malls, motel chains, prefab housing) that are exactly the same no matter where one is
packman’s puzzle (Wales) a street or housing estate where the house numbers are allocated in a complicated fashion which causes problems to visitors, tradesmen etc.
SOILED BY ASSOCIATION
If you stay too long in one place you might saddle your children with a nickname they never asked for:
beanbelly (17C) a native of Leicestershire (a major producer of beans)
malt-horse (17C) a native of Bedford (from the high-quality malt extracted from Bedfordshire barley)
yellow belly (18C) a native of Lincolnshire (especially of the southern or fenland part where the yellow-stomached frog abounds)
LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR
It’s generally wisest to try and meet the neighbours before you actually move in; though the horrid truth is that the people next door can change at any time:
baching (New Zealand 1936) living usually apart from a family and without domestic help, ‘doing for oneself’ (especially of a male)
scurryfunge (coastal American 1975) a