Walking around the windy streets this morning, I thought with a big smile (in bold), “Il fait frisquet ce matin!”
Always loved that expression in French, meaning that the air is just a bit brisk. As the dictionary says, “petit froid vif et piquant” (a little chill, sharp and energizing). [Etymology: frisquet comes from the Flemish, Frisch, meaning fresh.]* From there I wondered, “Is frisquet connected to frisky, maybe?
(Always loved that word too, ever since a beloved childhood show called “Frisky Frolics.” Anybody remember that??! a quick search found nothing but confirmation that it existed, a children’s show at 7am on KVOS, but I found a link to a 1932 cartoon by the same name which is cute too!]
About “frisky,” our friendly Oxford English Dictionary reports**:
frisky, adjective, “given to frisking; lively, playful” and sends you to the main entry frisk
frisk, adjective, verb & noun. [Etymology: Old French frisque, vigorous, alert, lively, merry, var. of fri(s)che, perh. rel. to Old High German frisc, fresh, lively.]
- adjective. Full of life; spirited, lively.
- verb intrans. Skip, leap, dance, in a lively playful manner; gambol, frolic.
- verb trans. Search (a person or place); esp. feel quickly over (a person) in search of a concealed weapon. Orig. slang.
Wow! See why words are so interesting! It is strange to see how a light and playful concept has morphed into an action that is widely feared at least among Americans. (Hmm. There’s another random, sort of interesting topic …)
On that note, here’s the pic of yesterday’s mask production. Back to work!
Daily Joy with Honey Girl 