This blog is for everyone who uses words.

The ordinary-sized words are for everyone, but the big ones are especially for children.



Monday 2 June 2014

Spot the frippet: gallimaufry.

There's no real reason for anyone ever to use this word.

Well, not except for a bit of harmless fun, anyway: but then what better reason could we have for anything?

(Feel free to ramble on for ages here about all the better things there are to do than having a bit of harmless fun. As far as I'm concerned on this dull Monday morning a bit of harmless fun sounds jolly attractive.)

Anyway.

A gallimaufry is a jumble or hotchpotch of useful, good, or interesting things.

You'll find a gallimaufry in almost any kitchen drawer (unless there's such a gallimaufry in there that you can't get the drawer open).

Market stalls are good for gallimaufries:

File:Swansea market seafood stall - geograph.org.uk - 220160.jpg
photo by ceridwen

 as are artists' studios:

File:Artist's Paint Brushes Adapted With Photoshop. Surrey UK.jpg
picture: Si Griffiths
 
and fabric shops:

File:Colourful fabrics in Hereford market - geograph.org.uk - 1757836.jpg
photo by ceridwen

And then, if all else fails, there's always sheds. And attics.

Or even a randomly assembled language blog...

Spot the frippet: gallimaufry. This word comes from the French galimafrée, which means a stew or a hash. No one is sure where it came from before that.

 

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