I mentioned recently that I learned from an MR James ghost
story that in 1286 King Eric Glipping of Denmark was murdered by a man with
a funny name. And I learned from another MR James ghost story what the Latin is
for ‘if you won’t come to me, I will come to you.’ (I even used that one in a
story I wrote about going to Philadelphia
to meet a special lady.) Tonight I learned, from yet another MR James ghost
story, that ‘puddock’ is an old English West Country dialect word for a toad.
‘What the hell’s a puddock?’ somebody might ask me one day.
‘It’s an old English West Country dialect word for a toad,’ I will reply nonchalantly.
‘My word, don’t you know a lot?’ my inquisitor will enthuse. And I shall be in the unaccustomed, but quite delightful, position of having received a compliment.
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