It's so hot at the moment here in Australia, with many floods, bush fires and temperatures at an all time high all around the country. Apart from Global Warming, it makes me also think of my childhood days spent in central European winters, with snow knee high and soft it makes you want to jump into it and play snow angel. I sometimes look at old photos and they bring back that feeling that only cold, winter days evoke.
#4
Flindrikin adj. n., v. Also flinderkin, flindrekin; flinderskin, flinterkin (Ork.); flinri(c)kin, -en,flim-; flandrikan (Uls.2 1929); and curtailed form †flyndrig.[′flɪn(d)rɪkən]
I. adj. Light, flimsy, unsubstantial, esp. of material (Ork. 1929 Marw.; Abd.28 1952); showy, gaudy (Uls.21929); of persons: frivolous, empty-headed; flirtatious (Fif. 1808 Jam.) (http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/flindrikin)
II. n. Something light, flimsy and unsubstantial, esp. of cloth or garments (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.; Kcb.c.1900; ne.Sc. 1952); also fig., of persons (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.), “an impudent woman, a deceiver” (Ayr. 1825 Jam., flyndrig), of a very thin oatcake or scone (Bnff.13 1914), of a slight snow-shower (Ork.51952).
†III. v. To beguile (Ayr. 1825 Jam., flyndrig).[O.Sc. flindrikin, c.1580 in Watson's Choice Coll. II. 54, in the sense of frivolous, a frivolous person. The word appears to be orig. a noun, of Du. orig. with dim. -kin ending, meaning “a butterfly,” cf. E.Fris. flinderke, flinnerk, id., cogn. with Flinder, v.2 In Sc. the form seems to have been confused with that of the ppl.adj. in -in(g) and to have been used as such.] (Dictionar o the Scots Leid)
English is limited when it comes to the description of snow. For example, in German, there are definitely more words than one for snow. But there is a language that describes the different forms of snow so intricately, that puts even the Inuit myth of having fifty words to shame and that is the Scottish language.
Who would have thought that the Scots have more words for it than the Inuits? In fact, Alison Flood in an article in the Guardian claims in an article in the Guardian that the Scots have 421 words for the white stuff.
Flindrikin is one of my favourites. First, I like the sound of it. Flindrikin - it sounds fun. Second, its meaning, a ''slight snow shower is just one of my favourites natural winter phenomenon. It is so soft and dry it is hard to even build a decent snow man with it or have a snowball battle. It doesn't take any other shape than a powdery form. It's a lot of fun to ski through it when it's on top of a more firm snow layer, leaving a dramatic snow 'wave' in one's wake.
I'm not sure if I will ever use it in a story - but it would make a cool character name (if the description fits). Otherwise, I guess it would have to involve at least a Scot or the story set in Scotland. I've never been to Scotland, but it's on my travel wish list!
Thank you:-)
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