PASSIONATE RATIONS

I’m a watcher, not a player.  At least when it comes to most games.

That is, unless they involve words.  Boggle.  Scrabble.  Crosswords.  Word searches.

I’m a word geek.

Sometimes, usually to procrastinate on doing something more vital, I make up little word games to play.  Today’s game is “open-the-dictionary-at-random-and-see-what-food-related-words-are-revealed.”

Today’s words (coming at you from my personally embossed Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, pp.984 and 985) are:

Pretzel \’pret-səl\ n [G Brezel, ultim. Fr. L brachiatus having branches like arms, fr. Brachium arm — more at BRACE] (ca. 1838) :  a brittle or chewy glazed usu. salted slender bread often shaped like a loose knot (Makes you want to go right out and eat one, doesn’t it?  Not.)

Prey \’prā\ n, pl prey also preys [ME preie, fr. AF, fr. L praeda; akin to L prehendere to grasp, seize – more at GET] (13c) : … 2a : an animal taken by a predator as food

Priapus \prī-’ā-pəs\ n [L, fr. Gk Priapos] (14c) : a Greek and roman god of gardens and male generative power

Prickly Pear n (1612) 1:  OPUNTIA; esp : any of those with flat spiny joints—called also prickly pear cactus; compare CHOLLA 2 : the pulpy pear-shaped edible fruit of various prickly pears (as Opuntia ficus-indica)

Eat your dictionary!