Fipple, Snit and Mote

 

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

 I know that sounds like a firm of solicitors, but all will be revealed.

 I don't find scrabble easy, but when you come across random words like Fipple and Snit, it becomes a lot more fun. 

For those who don't know, and I'm curious as to how many do know the definition - a fipple is not a cute furry creature on the distant planet of Ny, or a dance that young people do when they've had too much sugar, it's the part of some musical instruments, such as a recorder or pipe, that the player puts into his or her mouth and blows 

 And now I'm sure that you are desperate to know what a snit is? It's a wonderful word isn't it? It sounds suspicious and wrong, maybe because it sounds like snitch but then again it is a negative word, it's another word for someone being in a sulk 'Edmund is in a snit because he lost, yet again, at monopoly.

But that's not all ; it's also the term for a small amount of beer consumed with or after a bloody Mary - apparently according to the website Demitiris - the snit is a smooth pairing for the piquant spiciness of Bloody Marys - and that's because in the 1950's when vodka was in short supply, beer was used in the cocktail Bloody Mary's instead, and what do you do with the left over beer? You serve it as a chaser alongside the beer. I'm not a fan of Bloody Marys and I'm not a fan of beer, I'm more a cider man, but it's a fun story.

And whilst we are talking about random words, I'd like to throw in the word mote - a small particle or speck - you see thousands of them dancing and swirling in the light after you've had a shower or if you see a sun beam in a library or somewhere there's lots of dust.

 I came across the inspiration for this word whilst reading a wonderful book called My Name is Mina about a young girl who is home-schooled and one day finds an abandoned notebook and starts a journal. It's the prequel to another wonderful book called Skellig about a boy who finds an angel living in his garage. 

And that's where I'll leave you, as my blog is due tomorrow and I'm running out of time, but call this a cliff-hanger as I feel I may write my next one on My Name is Mina as I'm only a quarter of the way though and it really is a fascinating book. 

 Before I go, in Mina's book, there are Extraordinary Activities - so I thought maybe you could write a sentence using the word, Fipple, Snit or Mote. I'd love to read them if you do, share them in the comments or on Facebook.

Until next time, keep reading and writing....

Martin is a writer, baker, photographer and storyteller. He's been published in the ACW Christmas anthology and Lent devotional. He's currently honing his craft at flash fiction and you can find him on Twitter here.