Word of Mouth

The series ended in January with the winners of the competition to find words for things we don’t already have a word for. If you get me! So, for example we don’t have a word for what happens when you put your jumper on over a shirt and the shirt sleeve disappears up your arm. Listener Kathryn Bellchamber wrote: 

When my daughter was young she invented a word for when you put your coat on and the sleeves of your jumper  get caught up inside the sleeves of your coat... "flaggered up." I'm not sure if there is already a word for this action, but our family has always used my daughter's phrase.

We don’t have an exact word for when you swing back on your chair. Kathy Desmond said it should be called ‘kweedling’. ‘Don’t kweedle, dear! It ruins the floor!’

We don’t have a word for when you try to put on a pair of tights and you end up hopping around trying to get your foot in the leg of the tights. (I did once play the ‘Servant’ in a production of  ‘Romeo and Juliet’, don’t you know!). Listener Jane Murray suggested ‘nolly-nolly’ for that as in: ‘I was trying to put my tights on but I got in a nolly-nolly.’

John Ramsay said that someone who preaches protection of the environment but who nevertheless drives everywhere and flies off on exotic holidays several times a year is an ‘eco-crite’.

Alison O’Neill said that when you’re hungry and a bun – and only a bun – is what will satisfy you, should be known as ‘bungry’. ‘Oooh I was really bungry and nipped into the bakers on the corner.’

Brian Clover wrote:

MEDIOCRACY: a perverse system of authority whereby power is vested in those who are less competent than the people they rule. This could apply to national government or, say, a broadcasting organisation. Although you may think it is simply a synonym for 'management'.

There were hundreds more. Wonderful stuff. New series starts in April.