"That's a great deal to make one word mean," Alice said in a thoughtful tone. "When I make a word do a lot of work like that," said Humpty Dumpty, "I always pay it extra."
Showing posts with label fribbler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fribbler. Show all posts

Saturday, 20 August 2011

Fribbler

   
To fribble means to act in a foolish or frivolous manner; to trifle.

A fribbler sounds like a candidate for counselling but it was actually an eighteenth century term for a man who expressed profound infatuation for a woman but was unwilling to commit himself to her...... (Perhaps he did need counselling, after all.)