Adam Jacot de Boinod’s Wide World of Words
to drive turkeys to market (19th century English) to walk in a drunken, unsteady manner (the turkey-driver is forced to follow the birds’ meandering course along the road)
wayzgoose (1731) an entertainment given by a master printer to his workmen, marking the beginning of work by candle-light, usually about Bartholomew-tide (August 24) consisting of an annual outing and dinner
slavermagullion (Scottish dialect) a foolish and lubberly person
Nottingham goodnight (1950s) the loud slamming of doors and saying of Goodnight by a courting couple: this supposedly reassures the listening parents, and the couple, neither of whom have left, then retire to the sofa
bunting time (1699) when the grass is high enough to hide young men
Adam Jacot de Boinod worked on the first series of BBC Television’s QI for Stephen Fry, and is the author of The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words from around the World – Penguin Books, £10.
to drive turkeys to market (19th century English) to walk in a drunken, unsteady manner (the turkey-driver is forced to follow the birds’ meandering course along the road)
wayzgoose (1731) an entertainment given by a master printer to his workmen, marking the beginning of work by candle-light, usually about Bartholomew-tide (August 24) consisting of an annual outing and dinner
slavermagullion (Scottish dialect) a foolish and lubberly person
Nottingham goodnight (1950s) the loud slamming of doors and saying of Goodnight by a courting couple: this supposedly reassures the listening parents, and the couple, neither of whom have left, then retire to the sofa
bunting time (1699) when the grass is high enough to hide young men
Adam Jacot de Boinod worked on the first series of BBC Television’s QI for Stephen Fry, and is the author of The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words from around the World – Penguin Books, £10.
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