Word of the Week: daggle

13 Wednesday May 2015

Posted by Zoetic Words in LIFE, Word of the Week

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bedraggled, draggle, draggled, muddy, word of the week

Now in contiguous drops the flood comes down,
Threatening with deluge this devoted town.
To shops in crowds the daggled females fly,
Pretend to cheapen goods, but nothing buy.

from “A Description of a City Shower” by Jonathan Swift

Oh look! Last week’s word “Contiguous” and this week’s word is Daggle. What a great word! Unfortunately archaic, from the 1500s but could we bring it back? Meaning? To drag or trail through mud, water, etc.; draggle; bemire.

Draggle is similar in meaning: to soil by dragging over damp ground or in mud.

Bedraggled, now that’s not archaic, meaning to make limp and soiled, as with rain or dirt.

When was the last time you daggled your shoes or hem? Not too long ago for me. Friday the First of May this year. Record breaking “rain event” as the call them these days. Ruined my shoes, had to throw them out after a four and a half hour adventure between work and home.

Now we know exactly how to describe that feeling with a choice of three words: daggled, draggled or bedraggled.

So, tell me, if you wish, what are some of your favourite words?

Word of the Week: contiguous

07 Thursday May 2015

Posted by Zoetic Words in LIFE, LOVE

≈ 1 Comment

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contiguous, dictionary, favourite words, word of the week

Who are you contiguous with as you read this? A friend? A family member? A co-worker? A lover? More than one? Lucky you! It’s a nice place to be, close beside someone you care for.

I don’t remember where I first came across our lovely word, contiguous. I have a suspicion that I might have been reading the dictionary. What? Didn’t you ever read a dictionary? For fun? Me, strange? I don’t know about that… just because I read a dictionary? Sorry where was I? Yes, reading the dictionary. It just happened to be at the time when my Dear Husband and I were “courting”. Another old fashioned word.

According to the dictionary, contiguous means things like “near”, “touching”, “close proximity”. I fell in love with the word, even named a teddy bear my DH bought me “Con” for contiguous for hand holding and all those lovely new sensations.

The next time I came across my favourite word was in a completely different context. I was working for a veterinary pathology laboratory, typing along merrily when all of a sudden I was typing my favourite word, describing a tumour and it’s site.

So, what would you prefer to use? Near, tangential, adjacent, abutting, adjoining, juxtaposed, neighbouring or contiguous? It sounds so much better, don’t you agree?