Squiffy, that British slang term for drunk, has also come to mean “askew.” At a Roman orgy, for example, you might have found people wearing squiffy laurel crowns. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Squiffy Askew”
We were talking earlier about the term squiffy and how that means inebriated.
And you already knew the term, even though it was new to me.
I’m a little squiffy now.
How are you? No thanks. I was going to do a show here.
I had mentioned that, especially in the 19th century, it meant inebriated,
But more recently it’s also come to mean askew.
And my favorite use of this that I’ve found is in the definition of an orgy.
This writer describes it as a Roman profusion of grapes, wine, buttocks, breasts,
Marble chaise longue, and squiffy laurel crowns.
There’s just something about that image of squiffy laurel crowns.
You can just see it, right?
There’s a little askew, right?
Yeah.
I guess they’re askew while the people are squiffy or something.
I don’t know.
I just love that.
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