Two For One

Good Morning!

I am currently en route to Halifx, Nova Scotia this morning. It's a very impromptu road-trip with my flatmate. We decided to do this, well, last night. It is apparently, my extremely early birthday gift.

Which is good, though I'm a little nervous about sitting in a car for that long. You see, Sunday afternoon-ish, as my friend K.R. and I were heading to a Jeff Dunham show in Kanata, we were rear-ended. Hard.

I'm in great shape, all things considered, and I'd like to put that down to training. No, my (unimpressive) kung fu skills did not save me. However, I'm pretty sure the strength of my body due to training did. I came out of it with nothing more than a slight headache and a sore neck.

I thought I wasn't going to be able to move Monday, but as it turns out, I just had a slightly stiff back. My neck is fine. All in all, I'll be OK.

Incidentally, we still made it out to the show, and it was awesome. What a way to start my week off, no?

As I reviewed a book yesterday, you missed out on your daily dose of Forgotten English. Luckily, I took note of them all before I left the office on holidays, and so have two for you here today.

I thought ahead.

Something's wrong.

Aleconner

An officer appointed ... to look to the assize and goodness of bread, ale, and beer.

- John Kersey's New English Dictionary, 1772

The aleconners are authorised to search for, destroy seize, and take away all unwholesome provisions, false balances, short weights and measures ... and examine the quality of beer, ale, &c. and the materials of which it is made.

- William Robinson's History and Antiquities of Tottenham High Cross, 1818.

Gleek

A joke, a jeer, a scoff. On some of the notes of this word it has been supposed to be connected with the card game gleek; but it was not recollected that the Saxon language supplied the term glig, ludibrium, and doubtless a corresponding verb. Thus glee signifies mirth and jocularity; and gleeman or gligman a minstrel or joculator. Gleek was therefore used to express a stronger sort of joke, a scoffing. It does not appear that the phrase to give the gleek was ever introduced in the above game, which was borrowed by us from the French and derived from an original of very different import from the word in question... to give the minstrel is no more than a punning phrase for giving the gleek. Minstrels and jesters were anciently called gleekmen or gligmen.

- Rev. Alexander Dyce's Glossary to the Works of Shakespeare, 1902