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https://theconversation.com/kris-kringles-and-yuletide-jingles-unboxing-the-wonders-of-christmas-lingo-171114>
"“Kondo-ing” (de-cluttering) has become all the rage. But languages are
hoarders that hang onto every used bit of clothing, threadbare cushion
or musty old piece of luggage. You never know, these might be useful one
day.
Christmas is a great reminder of how important it is to hang onto some
old stuff – decorations stowed in closets, dusty words lingering in our
brains. At Christmas, we drag out boxes of tinsel, baubles and fairy
lights. We also trot out words, meanings and even grammar that we
stopped using in our everyday language long ago.
So, let’s unpack this dusty box of Christmas lexical curiosities. We’ll
toll trolls,
blaze yules,
graze mules, and then finish with a
Christmas cracker of a linguistic joke (well, it’s no worse than any
other you’ll hear this holiday season!)"
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
