Monday, August 22, 2016

Feisty?


Willa, whose breed is Mountain Feist, is feeling a little sad now that she knows the derivation of the word feisty.

From A. WORD. A. DAY by Anu Garg

feisty

PRONUNCIATION:
(FY-stee)

MEANING:

adjective:
1. Spirited; full of courage, spunk, or energy.
2. Touchy, irritable, or ill-tempered.

ETYMOLOGY:
From feist, variant of obsolete fist, short for fisting cur, a contemptuous term for a dog, from fist, from Middle English fisten (to break wind). The word fizzle is ultimately derived from the same source. Earliest documented use: 1896.. 


She's fine with the first meaning -- it's the origin of the word she dislikes. She would like it known that she never -- well, hardly ever -- breaks wind.

Unlike her buddy Ali Ali who can clear a room in seconds.


6 comments:

Stella Jones said...

Ha ha, that made me chuckle. Millie has her moments too!

Frances said...

Willa, you are a lovely pup, with an elegant profile. Feisty may need to have its definition amended in the next dictionary edition.

xo

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

Willa is such a beautiful dog! What a sweet face and expression. Dogs are such wonderful pets.

Martin said...

She looks far too cultivated to ever break wind.

Vicki Lane said...

And she is.

Carol Crump Bryner said...

Your dog stories and pictures always brighten my day.