Footling

[Slava]

I came across this one in an article in The Economist. I thought I'd share.

It means trivial, piddling, foolish, ridiculous. The etymology might prove tricky, but I'm sure the Dr. can handle it.

[Philip Hudson]

A footling is also a kind of breech birth where the feet come out first. The etymology of this word is obvious.

The etymology of footling, as suggested by Slava, is less sure. It may come from a French word for f**k. Perhaps the Good Doctor will take footling as a Good Word, although it doesn't seem to be a very "good" word to me.

[Perry Lassiter]

I should think a good word would be one that becomes easily understood and useful for calling to mind that to which it refers.

[Philip Hudson]

Touché, Perry.