Jactation
I�ll have to be careful with today�s Word of the Day, because our Member �Jayho� is from the opposite side of the world to me, where everything is upside-down. I remember from the days of my Primary School, I was taught that when Ozzies say: �Oy, Oy!� it�s their way of referring to a yo-yo.
Moreover, Newcastle airport has an Acrobat Flying School. I remember their toilet advice: �Leak before you Loop!�
We frequently forget what we learn! That�s why I often give my students �Drill Exercises�. But then I heard a teacher comment that �drilling� is �boring�!
I have developed a theory about Memory. I believe that there is a tiny muscle that connects our Brain to our Bum (bottom, rear end, Gluteus Maximus).
We go upstairs to do something. When we arrive upstairs, the Brain has forgotten what it was that we wanted to do. Cursing our Bad Memory, we come downstairs and sit down. The instant that the Bum touches the cushion � the Brain remembers what it was we wanted to do!
�I rest my case!�
I place my valise on the floor.
The German language has borrowed many words from English � �delicatessen�; �kindergarten�; and �rendezvous� are words that instantly spring to mind.
Jactation is another �loan word�.
�Ja!� = �Yes!�; �CT� = �computerised tomography� (a complicated medical process which give a three-dimensional X-Ray of the organs of the body as if you were looking at the dissected body from numerous directions); �ation� = �action� or �condition�.
Because, in German, this description contains so many long words, a fluent German-speaker needs 37 seconds, timed with a stop-watch, to say it.
But, many Germans speak beautiful English. Consequently, highly-skilled German medical teams who face an emergency use this loan word.
�Jactation� = �OK, yous guys! That�s an Affirmative!�
Les Douglas
