Bon Mots

By recommendation of a kind twitter pal (thanks Joanne), my next bon mot is gobsmacked. This is one of those words I like simply for the memory of the first time I heard it. It was 1997 and I’d been chatting online to a nice guy from England. After exchanging dozens of emails we agreed it was time to swap photos. I had just been to Ireland for work (in fact, he and I exchanged our first emails while I was there). I’d done a bit of sightseeing with colleague Meg, and had a few pictures of myself. I chose a more casual one of me standing in front of Dublin Castle. When he got it he told me he was gobsmacked. Um, what? After a hasty explanation, I learned that in England “gob” is slang for mouth, and being gobsmacked means being astounded or left speechless. In other words, it was a compliment. In case you’re wondering, he sent me one of a very tall, smiling chap, with a Patrick Stewart hairstyle. Unfortunately, he took it at an odd angle in a mirror and the effect was more eerie than attractive. Future photos were far more flattering though, including our wedding one, and his smiling eyes still make me grin. Are you familiar with gobsmacked? Where did you first hear it?