A Non-Forswunkeish Weekend

We have been utterly slackish this weekend, which was pleasant, particularly with the first winter storm coming in last night. Did go up to San Francisco briefly to look at an open house in the Glen Park neighborhood; we couldn't quite put our fingers on what we liked about the area until we drove down the world's most unassuming street. There is something about the trees and the coziness of the houses, mixed in with the unpretentious yet completely useful shops...in a way, it felt a bit like Boston or Philadelphia or some similar East Coast city, which sat right with me. On the other hand, we were pleased to see that we were the only heterosexual couple with children at the open house...clearly Glen Park is not seen as a hidebound bastion of conservatism, which is nice. So, we shall see. First we need to endure a little forswunkitude and get this house ready to show. And what, pray tell, is "forswunke"? Well....

Middle English past participle of forswinke, "exhausted from physical exertion," most commonly in the performance of household chores. Terms with similar meanings included dwang and snool, "to oppress or exhaust one's vital energies by overwork," while tireling denoted a person who was easily fatigued by physical exertion. The sixteenth-century toilful was used of a hardworking individual or one who was characterized by toiling, and the related verb thripple meant to "to toil ceaselessly." Titteravating was an early dialectic variant in eastern England for "tiresome."

Word for Monday: FLITCH