Saturday 12 March 2011

Weasel words

I found a dead weasel in amongst the raised beds. Its wee sel' was pale brown with a white underbelly, and was barely six inches long even though full-grown. It's incredible to think that it can kill and drag a rabbit. The neck and shoulder area was crushed and the fur matted, probably by one of the cats. If only they did something useful like killing the voles instead of killing the voles' predators. And how to tell the difference between a weasel and a stoat? Well, a weasel is weasily recognised, and a stoat is stoatally different! Alternatively, a stoat is twice as big, and has a dark tail tip.

Which brings me to the Word of the day:
tergiversation (ˈtɜːdʒɪvəˌseɪʃən)
Turning dishonestly from a straightforward action or statement; shifting, shuffling, equivocation.
Origin 1570, from Latin tergiversationem, from tergiversari turn one's back on, evade, from tergum the back + versare to spin, turn.

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