February 13, 2007
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Tarradiddle
Wah Wah! I’ve got a nasty head cold and a wicked sore throat. My son’s school is on autopilot and I’m tucked into the recliner sucking Vitamin C drops, sipping water, solving Sudokus and savoring Anthony Trollope. But the day cannot be listed among the liabilities if we have learned a new word, can it? Tarradiddle ranks up there with canoodling and tchah! Here is the context:
O Lady Lufton! Lady Lufton! did it not occur to you, when you wrote those last words, intending that they should have so strong an affect on the mind of your correspondent, that you were telling a — tarradiddle?
[...]
In these days we are becoming very strict about truth with our children: terribly strict occasionally, when we consider the natural weakness of the moral courage at the ages of ten, twelve, and fourteen. But I do not know that we are at all increasing the measure of strictness with which we, grown-up people, regulate our own truth and falsehood. Heaven forbid that I should be thought to advocate falsehood in children; but an untruth is more pardonable in them than in their parents. Lady Lufton’s tarradiddle was of a nature that is usually considered excusable — at least with grown people; but, nevertheless, she would have been nearer to perfection could she have confined herself to the truth. ~ Anthony Trollope in Framley Parsonage
Comments (4)
New word for me. And I do hope you feel better soon. I’m thinking a hot toddy may be in order
Dana in GA
PS Let me know if you need a recipe!
I hope your cold succumbs to the Vitamin C quickly. And Dana’s suggestion of a hot toddy sounds good to me!
Meanwhile, that word is interesting. Taradiddle indeed! I wonder if Trollope coined the word himself, or if it was in general use in his day.
Oh, I hope to incorporate this word. When you can snag Jennyben by herself, ask her about the terradiddle regarding an elk. We were just discussing it this morning! We still get a good chuckle out of it….
I will try that word on Terry, he has a large vocabulary and I love to stump him. We came across one in SAT prep a couple of weeks ago that stumped him, but I can’t remember the word right now.
I hope your head cold and sore throat will be gone soon. I was fighting one early in the week but made it through the night without cough drops last night. I pray that you will also be well very soon.
Blessings,
Sandy