Category: humour

The origin or etymology of words is often fascinating. So much of our spoken and written communications contain phrases with accepted meanings but long forgotten origins. A favourite example of mine is codswallop.

–noun British Slang.
nonsense; rubbish.

The origin of this phrase is obscure but it may have it’s root in the invention of a 19th century bottle maker called Hiram Codd. The story goes that Codd invented a bottle with a neck that was suitable for storing fizzy beverages. Brewers weren’t so impressed and suggested it was only good for the worst quality beer, for which the slang term is “wallop”.
Recently I got an email about the Chapeau Blog Awards asking for nominations for different blogs in different categories. They included a link to a BlogOhPedia containing a small collection of new phrases relating to blogging.
Here’s a few suggestions:

• Blogarrhea – a painful condition where someone must blog each and every thought
• Blogpocracy – posting contradictory opinions with no justification for the change of mind
• Blogswallop – the kind of totally indulgent rubbish that could only exist on a blog
• Blarcasm – an ironic taunt posted to a blog
• Blogtroll – someone who actively attempts to create conflict with blog owners and other posters through inflammatory comments.

I feel very bad for olympic medal hope, Dennis Lynch, after he was disqualified from the games when his horse failed a dope test. From this article it seems that an over-the-counter remedy may have been to blame. Still, I’d love to see the statistics that demonstrate that the chilli-pepper derivative found during the horses drug test provides a serious boost in performance.
It would be nice to see some conclusive proof that the Equi-Block rub which was used on the horse actually led to the positive drug test. It seems inconceivable that another Irish olympian would run the risk of their horse being tested positive after the embarassment in Athens. I just don’t believe Dennis Lynch would have jeopardised his medal hopes so stupidly, riding what is one of the top ranked horses in the world. Without wanting to be conspiratorial, it stinks…

Those who think Leonard Cohen is depressing know little of his wry humour. During the septagenarian’s recent gig in the Manchester Opera house he apologised for his long absense by saying he was last there when he was “just a 60-year-old kid with a crazy dream”
Brilliant!

I’ve become fascinated with economics again, must be the celtic tiger’s mysterious disappearance after the last election. The dismal science just seems juicier when the financial auguries are being read for signs of impending salvation or damnation. Be it property busts or peak oil, a financial apocalypse seems only a few years around the corner. I was going to read Adam Smith’s seminal Wealth of Nations again but PJ Rourke’s helpful critical review and analysis is an entertaining starting point and several hundred pages shorter. There’s a great line in it defining an economist as

“someone who knows 101 ways to make love but doesn’t have a girlfriend”

Seems about right. I’m in Athens at the moment, the birthplace of (pseudo) democracy. It’s a fun city to spend some time with an attractive mix of history, weather, affordability. Reminds me of home 🙂