Friday, October 10, 2008

DO YOU HAVE A VISUAL ON THIS ONE??

Word of the Day
Collop (noun)
Pronunciation: ['kah-lêp]
Definition: (1) A lump or slice of meat or fat; (2) a fold of body fat.
Usage: Today's word is an endangered word, another lexical orphan without any known relatives, used occasionally in Scotland but rare elsewhere in the English-speaking world. We think it worth salvaging.
Suggested Usage: If you are ever asked to describe a pig, try, "A pig is the larval stage of a football with dollops of collops all over it." That should get you bounced out of the club house. Or, should your mum ask your pleasure at the dinner table, impress her with, "I would love maybe three collops of the roastbeef."
Etymology: The origin of this word is obscure, to say the least. It is possibly related to Swedish kalops "beef stew" but no one knows how. In Scotland it has been used to refer to a dish made of chopped meat, too. The original meaning was "eggs fried on bacon," and Shrove Monday was called "Collop Monday" in some areas because eggs and bacon are eaten on that day. Collops as a name for bacon may be related to the Irish use of the word: "the number of animals that an acre of Irish land can support" (one horse, one cow, or six sheep). The problem is that none of these seemingly relevant bits of information form any pattern. –Dr. Language, YourDictionary.com

1 comment:

  1. Had a visual that wasn't so pleasant. ::sigh:: Also had to laugh at the thought of trying to use the word.

    Monica

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