Mosquitoes killed off the dinosaurs? Meh…
(Something’s really bugging me…)
There’s that old comforting lie that women have been telling their male partners forever. You know the one: That size doesn’t matter.
Well, at times it does, at times it doesn’t, I suppose – but I was thinking of size when I read the story about the latest entrance in the Collins dictionary, which made me reflect on another story that made the news, at the start of this year.
First, that much older story:
They included some of the largest and most powerful creatures to ever roam the earth, but the downfall of the dinosaurs may be attributable to nothing more fearsome than the humble biting insect. Disease spread by mosquitoes, ticks and mites could have been a major factor in the demise of the ancient reptiles, according to a new theory.
Talk about a David and Goliath scenario – and a highly embarrassing way to go, if you’re a dinosaur.
I mean, when you have the street cred that comes with a name like ‘Tyrannosaurus Rex’, it’s more or less okay to be killed in a drive by meteor incident. Getting wiped out by a gnat is not really good for any decent monster’s rep.
Anyway, so, yes, size does matter, occasionally. Not that small always equals embarrassment, in bed or in Bedrock. No, small can also be beautiful, joyful and absolutely spot on, as the following story shows:
“Meh” started out in the US and Canada as an interjection signifying mediocrity or indifference and has evolved, via the internet and an episode of The Simpsons, into a common adjective meaning boring, apathetic or unimpressive in British English. The word was chosen over hundreds of others nominated by the public for inclusion in the 30th anniversary edition of the Collins English dictionary, to be published next year.
I know it’s not really cool to express a deep love for a word that has been overused, from time to time. Familiarity breeds contempt – or so they say. Still, I think it’s such a perfect little word and I’m very happy it has made it into one of the respectable dictionaries.
I love dictionaries. They’re full of the very mundane, day to day vocabulary we use without ever really noticing but there are also all those quaint old words that no-one really uses anymore.
Dictionaries are like those second hand stores, where useless but sometimes mysterious looking old tat sits next to cardboard boxes, filled with ugly cutlery and where old, moulding paperbacks no-one will ever open again are vying for space with discarded, old ladies’ underwear, all sorts of dodgy but colourful costume jewelry and the occasional true gem.
Like ‘meh’.
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