Snippets and gleanings - words, words, words

A many gendered thing

My Spanish husband is struggling with the concept of non-binary personal pronouns - or not so much the concept as their practical application in interpersonal relations. The problem arises out of Spanish being (as with most Romance languages, apart from Romanian apparently) so heavily gendered. Some neuters have crept into modern Spanish, such as chice instead of chico/chica for boy/girl. But in standard Spanish even they/them are (is?) gendered: ellos/ellas. Conjugating the verb 'to be' in the third person in a gender fluid era has become a veritable minefield, linguistically and socially. As I approach my seventy-second birthday I think I'll settle on the personal pronouns ho/hum!

Betwixt and between

I've never known how to refer to that dead patch between Christmas and New Year. Although strictly part of the Twelve Days of Christmas the nameless void from 28th to 30th December inclusive (ie after Boxing Day and before New Year's Eve) is a sort of festive no-man's land; a mere layby on the road from one period of gross excess to the next. However, a neologism has sprung to the rescue (to be honest it may not be that new but I've only just noticed it): Twixtmas. I don't know if it'll catch on but it's quite jolly and I'll undoubtedly still be using it when it's thoroughly passé.

For the avoidance of doubt

My use of the French word is, so to speak, apropos. One of the joys of language is the new words and idioms that constantly arise, though pedants despair. The British have long bemoaned Americanisms but, like the notorious lexicological purists at tL'Académie Française, those linguistic Canutes of the Francophonie trying to hold back the tide of Anglo-Saxonisms, they are doomed to failure. In the UK these days replies to questions invariably begin with 'so' or 'look', an irritating habit I resist, although I'm generally open to new usages. I once sneered at impacted being used in the sense of having an impact, just as I did hopefully being synonymous with to be hoped, but frankly life is too short. There is, however, one neologism I steadfastly refuse to adopt: undoubtably (see above). It's wrong and an abomination I utterly deprecate. Or is that depreciate?

Looking for a cure

It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good. Niche British charcuterie producers are discovering a Brexit bonus - maybe one of the only sectors, apart from sparkling wines, to do so - created by the onerous paperwork now required for smaller continental exporters to be able to sell their cured meat products to the UK market. Perhaps the French banner for the product range isn't helping. It seems odd, when even the Spanish venerate York ham, that meaty Anglo-Saxon words are spurned in favour of prosciutto, salami, saucisson etc. I remember a posh aunt disdainfully referring to "a chapel ham salad". Well, times have changed. Bring back cold cuts!

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