Conversations recently with R have touched on the Xmas party theme. Neither of us is particularly enthusiastic about the festive season, but since I shall be going back to the UK for my first Xmas in 8 years I think I may be able to find a little seasonal spirit for the occasion.
Anyway, we were talking about celebrations, and R mentioned that once I get back from my trip, we should have our own mini-knees-up at my house, with a matasuegras to tease the cats. Now, this was a completely new word for me and given its literal translation - "mother-in-law killer" - I was a little hesitant to agree. Just what exactly was he planning to do to my six, little, mischievous, balls of fur? As it turns out, a matasuegras is one of these:
Bernard Manning would've loved it, I'm sure.
Anyway, we were talking about celebrations, and R mentioned that once I get back from my trip, we should have our own mini-knees-up at my house, with a matasuegras to tease the cats. Now, this was a completely new word for me and given its literal translation - "mother-in-law killer" - I was a little hesitant to agree. Just what exactly was he planning to do to my six, little, mischievous, balls of fur? As it turns out, a matasuegras is one of these:
Bernard Manning would've loved it, I'm sure.
4 comments:
Ooo a new blog post!
I'm sure this will provoke either terror or bemused indifference in your cats (uust like everything else then), probably based on whether it has the little feathers attached to the end.
Come to think of it, this has just made me realise I have absolutely no idea what these things are called in English. A quick google suggests "party blower" but that seems too generic.
I suspect it will depend on the cat, as well as the feathers of course. And I had to Google the name in English too and came up with the same, which is why I put the photo up there instead. I'm sure they were called something else when I was little, but can't for the life of me remember what.
From wikipedia (so it must be true):
"Unusually, the item is not known consistently by any term in English, also being known as a blow-out, blower, noisemaker, jolly Jonathan, tweeter, blow tickler, squeaker or a fizoo."
None of those are familiar, but from this day forth I'm definitely calling it a Jolly Jonathan.
And I wonder who jolly Jonathan was.
Fizoo sounds faintly familiar, but I'm with you on this one - it really has to be a JJ.
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