New to Me
I've been toying for some time with the idea of keeping a record of words and phrases that are new to me and might come in handy one day. Many of these are likely to be ephemeral but nonetheless be worthy of a permanent record. I have to admit that worthiness is not a priority; wit, inventiveness will probably be more important. We shall see.
I was moved to acting upon this long nursed idea by a word I heard on the telly the other night. In a repeat of QI Stephen Fry introduced the word listerine into a discussion of rhyming slang. This was explained as follows: Listerine is an anti-septic; a septic, or septic tank in full, is a Yank; so listerine equals anti-American. I'm sure I'll be using that in the future.
Another expression I heard from one of my sons was also new to me. I'd bought some singlets, the type of vest my wife usually calls "Freddy Mercurys". My son called them wife beaters, apparently because men who go about wearing these items of clothing with nothing over them look like the kind of people who indulge in domestic violence. This is stereotyping, of course, and not to be encouraged, but is a good example of how one's appearance can arouse prejudice in others.
The term may have featured in the Viz comic, whose creators are great promoters of these sneering and snobbish attitudes, though it's "all in fun", of course, and not to be taken seriously.
Both my sons are avid readers. I'm not.