Seussian Word Play

H A P P Y  B I T H D A Y,  D R.  S E U S S !

I was watching snow flurries swirl and float lightly in circles as I ate my lunch, when a brilliant new word formed in my head (well, I thought it was brilliant!).

Swirligigs = snowflakes flying in circles, just like the whirligig beetles that look as if they're spinning on the lake surface.

Swirligigs on my shoulders make me happy ... (move over John Denver!)

Talking about inventing new words, did you know that the first documented use of the word 'nerd' is from Dr. Seuss in 1950? Actually, it's not known if he created the word, or just came across some little-known slang that he incorporated into his story If I Ran the Zoo. The verse goes like this:

"And then, just to show them,

I'll sail to Ka-Troo

and bring back an It-Kutch,

a Preep and a Proo,

a Nerkle, a Nerd and a Seersucker, too!"

The context for the word 'nerd' is not quite the same as we use it today, but nevertheless, next time you hear of a Swirligig, remember, you heard it here first! 😀