Moved by bnj's comments under Saltate and his being reminded of Saltimbocca, I note another great Italian dish, Caponata, which resembles Ratatouille in its ingredients (if not in its word origins) but with a bit of sweet/sour/spicy to pep it up. Delicious. Or as bnj might say in Tokyo, oishii.

"There are times...". Really, Slava! It's not just some times - it's all the time(s).

Scoring points against the opposition is the Government's main business. Who cares about the interests of the people or the country?

I despair.

Certainly, but maybe such usage was a metaphorical extension from an orbit origin? Still trying.

Lugubrious is not all that far from Forlorn. viewtopic.php?t=5499

Extraordinary! And yes, very sad.

Not sure why, but I have always associated kilter with orbits. If something is on its correct repetitive path, it is in kilter. A bicycle wheel with some loose spokes is out of kilter; it has that wobble as it rotates. Is there some possible association with another word in this area? A kilt can swi...

So how did the prefix 'hip hip' develop? It seems to be an invocation to those around to join in the congratulatory noises. But whence did it come?

On bnj's point about tone of voice, here in Australia the word (if I can be forgiven for using it) Bastard, is often used as a term of endearment - "You old b..." usually accompanied by a slap on the back. It can be used to express envy of someone's good fortune - "You lucky b..."...

I shall be very stroppy if Wordle uses SAMEY. Terrrible word. A bit like this week's Wordle choice of LEGGY. I know we can have Toey and Heady and Nosey and Handy but they have meanings beyond the original word. Leggy - bah! I just wanted to get that off my chest. Perhaps I am being chesty.

It's not the first time I have lost my keys. Perhaps they are forelorn

Thanks for the Gwendolyn research, Slava. Interesting. Yes, Debby, handsome is somehow a deeper quality than mere skin-deep beauty. Elegance and bearing are in there somewhere. More of an overall package. Either way, I am afraid I can't currently lay claim to any of these qualities. I ran to catch t...

I can't see any reason why it shouldn't be applied to men and boys - certainly from the word history as propounded here. I guess it's just that men aren't generally as lovely as women. Much like beauty, I suppose. A beautiful man... Interested that Wyn is a common part of first names - particularly ...

I can confirm that they are nearly always Pharmacies in Australia too, although some older fashioned people (including I) still refer to them as chemists. Drug stores or druggists, never.

Sorry for slow reply. Yes indeed. It is Melbourne. Sunny Melbourne, where it is forecast to be 34 Centigrade on Sunday.