Tuesday, March 21, 2006
No more whining allowed (or aloud, for that matter)
I don't know why I was whining yesterday. Please excuse me. I'm here in my bookshop living the good life, after all. And even though it's a slow time of year, I've still had plenty of pals stopping in to chat and buy books in the past week: Ben, Todd, Vicky and Mimi, and Michael, to name a few. Books sold include The Quotable Book Lover, The Odyssey, Stuart Little, a few of the Foxfire books, a nice late 1800s Arabian Nights (the Richard Burton translation), Rodale's Cut Your Bills in Half, all kinds of good stuff.
The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology tells us that the word whine comes from Old English: to utter a low somewhat shrill protracted sound (once the droning flight of an arrow); and from Old Norse: to whistle in the air. I like the British variant, whinge, a more pleasing word, somehow. No more whining, or whinging, I promise!
Happy first full day of spring, everyone.
The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology tells us that the word whine comes from Old English: to utter a low somewhat shrill protracted sound (once the droning flight of an arrow); and from Old Norse: to whistle in the air. I like the British variant, whinge, a more pleasing word, somehow. No more whining, or whinging, I promise!
Happy first full day of spring, everyone.
