Monday, February 14, 2005

Bole to?

I’m finding that Dorothy Sayers sends me scurrying to the dictionary rather often. Learnt a new word this week from The Nine Tailors: widdershins.

“He turned to his right, knowing that it is unlucky to walk about a church widdershins.”
Main Entry: wid·der·shins
Pronunciation: 'wi-d&r-sh&nz
Function: adverb
Etymology: Middle Low German weddersinnes, from Middle High German widersinnes, from widersinnen to go against
: in a left-handed, wrong, or contrary direction : COUNTERCLOCKWISE.
Source: www.m-w.com
And I didn’t know it was considered unlucky in churches too, or even that you circumambulate (bah, what a word) them. Nice, no?
Incidentally, what a katti book it is! Am much loving.

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