flibbertigibbet
Feb. 18th, 2026 07:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prettygoodwordflibbertigibbet (FLIB-er-tee-jib-it) - n., a silly, scatterbrained, or garrulous person.
Typically used only for women. This dates to Middle English flepergebet, meaning gossip, and got an extended meaning as an imp or minor devil from Shakespeare's use in King Lear. Origin unclear but suspected of being imitative of gossiping.
---L.
Typically used only for women. This dates to Middle English flepergebet, meaning gossip, and got an extended meaning as an imp or minor devil from Shakespeare's use in King Lear. Origin unclear but suspected of being imitative of gossiping.
---L.
no subject
Date: 2026-02-18 07:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-02-18 09:44 pm (UTC)THAT's where that stray line is from -- it floated through my head while writing this, but couldn't place the song.