[Northkeep] FW: doch-an-dorris: M-W's Word of the Day
Niewoehner, Hugh
hughn at ssd.fsi.com
Fri Mar 17 13:14:29 PST 2006
The Word of the Day for March 17 is:
<http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/audio.pl?doch_a01.wav=doch-an-do
rris>
doch-an-dorris \dahkh-un-DOR-is\ noun
Scottish & Irish : a parting drink : stirrup cup
Example sentence:
Our kind host supplied us with a wee doch-an-dorris, and then we set off
on our journey feeling happy and grateful.
Did you know?
In Scottish Gaelic, it's spelled "deoch an doruis"; in Irish, it's
"deoch an dorrias." In either case, it means, literally, "drink of the
door" and it refers to the time-honored practice of sharing a parting
drink with one's host or guests. But lest you think this custom is
practiced only by the descendants of the Gaels, know that
"doch-an-dorris" (as it's spelled in English and used primarily by the
Scots and the Irish) has an English synonym: "stirrup cup." Originally a
small drink of wine or something else taken by a rider about to depart
on horseback, "stirrup cup" later acquired the general meaning of "a
farewell drink."
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