Library Leaves - 26

Published on 18 November 2020

Wiyabu.

This edition of Library Leaves is brought to you by the words ‘Bulahdelah’ and ‘jaguar’ and the number 2.

Feature Library: overlooked by the impressive Alum Mountain, Bulahdelah is a charming town and a favourite ‘let’s-have-a-break’ point for travellers. I had heard the name came from the Worimi people and meant ‘meeting place of two rivers’ (the two rivers being the Myall and the Crawford) but I’ve recently been informed it could mean ‘Two teeth’ as a reference to the appearance of Alum Mountain.

Bulahdelah Library owes its ongoing success to a wonderful collaboration between MidCoast Council and the Bulahdelah Rural Transaction Centre. Definitely include it on your Tour of MidCoast Libraries.

The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly neologism contest, in which readers were asked to supply alternative meanings for common words.

My favourites were:

Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline

Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.

Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.

Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.

Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.

Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.

Thanks to Joyce for submitting a rare and endangered word of her own creation - ‘tgitaia’ standing for ‘Thank God I’m the age I am’ which is very relevant in these trying times.

That leads me to think we might have some fun with acronyms some time, like, what was the original meaning of OMG and LOL.

Portuguese phrase: ‘Se você pudesse ser um animal, o que você seria?’ (‘If you could be an animal what would you be?’)

French phrase: ‘Il n'y a aucun doute là-dessus. Le jaguar, bien sûr.’ (‘No question about it. The jaguar, of course.’)

What’s your animal?

Djurumi gapu.