Word of the Day
baksheesh
noun
a tip, present, or gratuity.
More about baksheesh
Baksheesh “a tip, present, or gratuity” is adapted from Persian bakhshish “gift,” a noun derived from the verb bakhshidan “to give.” Because Persian is a member of the Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family, bakhshidan comes from a Proto-Indo-European root, bhag- “to share out, apportion, receive a share”; we learned about this root previously as the source of the Word of the Day nebbish, which comes from a Slavic term meaning “poor”—or, originally, “not having received a share.” As we saw earlier this week with the Word of the Day auriferous, the Proto-Indo-European sound bh (“buh” pronounced with a puff of air) often becomes ph in Ancient Greek, which explains how bhag- becomes phagein “to eat,” as in esophagus as well as the combining form -phage, which is used to designate cells that eat foreign particles and bacteria. Baksheesh was first recorded in English in 1620.
how is baksheesh used?
It didn’t take long before my rapidly thinning wallet made me see I had to modify this habit. What’s more, I discovered there were many parts of the world in which my New York City-style baksheesh was considered inappropriate, even eccentric. In tip-free Japan, where cash is king, and prices, by custom, include all services, I’ve actually had hotel housekeepers chase after me with the tip I’d left for them in the room.
The sidewalk thrummed with relentless energy. I was immediately enshrouded in a scrim of shouts, laughter, arguments, haggling, vigorous demands for baksheesh. The Cairenes shoved past in djellabas and jeans, T-shirts and head scarves. You could still see men wearing red fezzes, tassels wagging as they rushed by. The temperature was well over 100, but no one wore shorts.
tantivy
interjection
used as a hunting cry when the chase is at full speed.
More about tantivy
Tantivy “used as a hunting cry when the chase is at full speed” is of obscure origin, but the prevailing theory is that the term is of onomatopoeic origin, based on the sound of galloping or blowing a horn. While it may seem odd that a complex word such as tantivy, in comparison to far simpler onomatopoeias such as tap or toot, would result from imitating a sound, tantivy is far from the only term to blaze this trail. Compare the similar interjection tantara, which represents the sound of a trumpet or horn; the noun clippety-clop, which refers to the sound of a horse trotting on pavement; and the noun tarantara, which imitates the sound of a bugle. Tantivy was first recorded in English circa 1640.
how is tantivy used?
Tantivy! Tantivy! Tantivy! He felt now Joe’s pride that he was bringing his coach in on time. How they dashed over the cobbles, how the roans tossed their heads, how through the murk and gloom one could dimly feel figures sliding, horses slipping, voices shouting to be out of the way.
Whilst cheery sportsmen hunt the fox / As blithely as they can, / ‘Tis mine, as I “Tantivy!” cry, / To hunt the missing Plan!
colcannon
noun
an Irish dish made of cabbage, kale, or other greens, and potatoes boiled and mashed together.
More about colcannon
Colcannon “an Irish dish made of cabbage, greens, and potatoes” is an anglicization of the Irish Gaelic term cál ceannann, in which cál means “cabbage” and ceannann means “white-headed.” Cál comes via Old Irish from Latin caulis, of the same meaning, which is the source of cauliflower as well as cole, a catchall term for plants of the mustard family. Ceannann is a compound of ceann “head” and -ann, a weak variant of fionn “white,” and has an unexpected cognate in English: penguin. While ceannann means “white-headed” in Irish Gaelic, penguin may derive from Welsh pen gwyn “white head.” Irish Gaelic and Welsh belong to two different branches of the Celtic group of Indo-European languages: Q-Celtic and P-Celtic, respectively. Many c-words in Q-Celtic correspond to p-words in P-Celtic because of an ancient sound shift; also compare Irish Gaelic cúig to Welsh pump “five.” Colcannon was first recorded in English circa 1770.
how is colcannon used?
This delectable mixture of buttered greens and potatoes is yet another way of foretelling the future at Halloween. A heaped portion is served on each plate. A well is made in the center of the heap to hold a generous lump of butter. The colcannon is eaten from around the outside of the heap, each person dipping his fork first into the colcannon and then into the melting butter. The perfect accompaniment to colcannon is a glass of fresh buttermilk.
My instinct at this time of year is to write about colcannon, an ancient pagan dish originally made as a gift for fairies and spirits. I also consider mashed potato rippled with cabbage, with a pool of golden melted butter in the centre, to be an absolute gift. So not much has changed. I have made colcannon many different ways over the years and have shared the recipes, from kale colcannon to a buttery leek and ham hock version.