Dictionary Word of the Day: Panjandrum
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at 05:49AM Today's Dictionary Word of the Day comes with a story:
pan-JAN-druhm\ , noun;
1.An important personage or pretentious official.
Origin:
Panjandrum was coined by Samuel Foote (1720-1777) in a piece of nonsense writing:
So she went into the garden to cut a cabbage-leaf to make an apple-pie; and at the same time a great she-bear, coming up the street, pops its head into the shop. "What! No soap?" So he died, and she very imprudently married the barber: and there were present the Picninnies, and the Joblillies, and the Garyulies, and the grand Panjandrum himself, with the little round button at top, and they all fell to playing the game of catch-as-catch-can till the gunpowder ran out at the heels of their boots.
It was composed on the spot to challenge actor Charles Macklin's claim that he could memorize anything. Macklin is said to have refused to repeat a word of it.
Reader Comments (2)
:) This made me smile!
One talked last night on TV ;-)