WOTW 12/10/06

Howdy, all! In honor of the recent onset of very, very cold weather here in New England, I have decided to bring back an old word of the week for your reading pleasure this week. Remember to use it as much as is humanly possible in your everyday conversations! Here it is:

-cheimaphilic (kī"mu-fĭl'ĭk) adj. --> fond of winter, or of cold
Ex: Because the man was not cheimaphilic, he departed from Alaska to live in the Northeast. He quickly realized his mistake and returned to Alaska.

And now, keeping with our winter theme, here is this week's random fact:

Mistletoe - the lover's leaf, the kissing plant - is a parasite. It grows high above the ground in the branches of a tree, and is totally dependent on the host for its survival. If that doesn't dampen your Christmas spirits, consider that the plant's name comes from Old English mistil tan which means, literally, "dung twig," since it was originally believed to generate from bird-droppings that had landed high up in the trees.

Alrighty folks, enjoy your week, and try to stay warm (unless you're one of those lucky people in a warm state. In that case, we are no longer friends.)! Bye.

With fondest regards,
Dr. J