It’s been a dark week, a dark month, a dark year for news. Countless writers are covering current stories—some with intelligence and sensitivity, many without—and after I absorb what I can, my eyes wander and my mind leaps at the chance to follow.
While perusing news-lite this morning I came across the word “rejiggering”—think it was in the Huff Post—and that made me think of jiggering, meaning a person or thing that jigs, and before you picture someone dancing wildly, remember that to jig means to manipulate or alter something in order to get things done (often illegally). I’m still not sure what the re- adds to jigging. But it seems to imply someone who jigged now rejigs, or alters something slightly, illustrated by an example in an online dictionary: “…rejiggering his stump speech,” and, although I’m still not sure he needed to rejig his stump speech, instead of just jigging his stump speech, both are appropriate for this and all election years.
Which naturally leads me to imagine drinking something measured in a jigger—1.5 US fluid ounces, although from my bartending years, even using the jigger, the hand-pour lingered so the end result was more like 2.0 US fluid ounces.
Which brings me to jiggery-pokery and we all know there’s a whole lot of trickery going on in general but especially during election years.
The final straw (or definition) for my morning investigation of rejiggering was when Google offered me “jigger bugs.” I know of no one who wants to be reminded of jigger bugs, or chigoe fleas, parasitic sand fleas found in Sub-Saharan climates. These nasties burrow so deeply into feet they must be surgically removed. If you need more information you can watch the video on YouTube. I would rather reach for my jigger and pour a generous 1.5 to 2.0 US ounces of something strong and well-aged. I take mine neat, and, while I’m at it, I’ll make mine a double. At least before I face another jiggered or rejiggered Trum—(oh weaselheaded idiot) I mean stump speech!
Which leads my feckless mind to thoughts of Scotland and my ancestors and their imaginative facility with insults. Stay tuned for next week’s exploration of “Cocksplat!”
I will add this postscript: “butt pepsi” and “steaming Klingon” are trending.
Remember to practice your words and expand your vocabulary this week and beyond with a bit of rejiggering!
Cheers! Sarah
Related posts:
How To Focus and Hone Your Ideas Without Taming Them: 10 Easy-Peasy Strategies to Get to the Heart of the Book(Story, Essay, Blog) You Want to Write
My January 2014 post for Algonquin Redux on “How Dilemma is Vital for Storytellers”
A Public School Education–a Gift Worth Paying For
Transformation–the Stuff of Life and Fiction