I’ve told you before about my favorite pet I had as a youngster – a rooster whom I named Pecker. My mother tried to discourage that name but didn’t go into any details as to why.
Pecker’s involvement in this blog is a bit convoluted, but here goes: as we all experience the impact of the spread of the coronavirus, Andy and I wanted to send out an extra blog – just hoping to offer something upbeat during this unsettling time. We both thought of the expression – “Keep a stiff upper lip.” And then we both wondered how that expression came to be.
Lo and behold, the first thing that came up in a google search was this from a UK site: If you try to hold your upper lip stiff your facial expression will appear aloof and unsmiling, betraying little of any feeling you might be experiencing. That demeanour is the source of ‘keep a stiff upper lip’. The phrase is similar to ‘bite the bullet‘, ‘keep your chin up‘, and (to the amusement of many Americans) ‘keep your pecker up‘.
This brings me to Janet, our English friend who lives in London. Janet and I were emailing about the virus and checking in to see how everyone was holding up. So it was easy for me to verify with her that even today in England – especially from us older folks – “Keep your pecker up!” might be offered as a bit of encouragement. No blushing or giggling here; it’s just that “pecker” is the English slang expression for your chin – or mouth or even nose.
So there you are – and that’s what Andy and I hope y’all can do. Keep your pecker up. And we hope thoughts about Pecker (RIP) will make you smile. Out of respect for Pecker, we will avoid mentioning all of our good chicken recipes, but we will remind you of our appropriately-named Longevity Noodle recipe (which happens to have chicken in it – but also has shiitake mushrooms, which are supposedly helpful in fortifying your immune system).
And, in case you need another smile, be sure to read today’s Andy’s Corner. He too is having a bit a snicker, remembering a canal trip we took in England a number of years ago. And he’s the recipe-provider today!
Do your minds sink into the gutter when looking for humor in our lives – and when stuck in the house 24/7?
Now carry on.
That photo of you and Pecker is just too adorable! Have I mentioned that I (with the help of my behavioral psychologist father) taught a chicken to dance for my fourth grade science project? Wish I had a photo (or video) of that!
Andy here: I hope you got a blue ribbon for your science project. Sorry you had no video or photo to share. It just so happens that I have one of my own chicken dance videos, although probably not up to snuff with your trained chicken – https://biglittlemeals.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/chicken-or-egg2.mp4 Always good to hear from you.