Monday, February 16, 2009

Spoony

Did you know?

In 19th-century British slang, "spoon" meant "simpleton" (a meaning that may have been influenced by the "shallowness" of some spoons). That use of "spoon" brought about the adjective "spoony" to describe a silly or foolish person. In time, the foolish manner implied by "spoony" began to take on sentimental and amorous overtones, and it soon became the perfect word for those foolishly head over heels in love. Another "spoon" is a verb referring to love-making or necking. That use of "spoon" may stem from a Welsh custom in which an engaged man presented his fiancé with an elaborately carved wooden spoon.

*This was the Merriam-Webster's word of the day for the Valentines. I liked all the mental pictures it created, all very sweet.
Happy (a little belated) Valentine's Day friends.

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