A Source of Learning.

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.