THOUGHTS FROM THE FIELD

Today’s TV weather-forecasters delight in using the floweriest of English with which they litter their meteorological-inspired guesswork. However, using esoteric language to describe whether it rains or shines is no modern phenomenon. Old English is filled with words and phrases to describe the weather, most of which have now sadly fallen into disuse. For example, in 18th-century south-east England, an overcast sky was described as being ‘bengy’, a word thought to be derived from the word ‘binge’ — what

Punch is one of the very oldest Habano brands, and it is an iconic name in any humidor. Known for being full-bodied cigars, they have a tendency to be on the strong side, something I wouldn’t advise for the new smoker. If it feels like to have a hangover. In the 19th century a ‘gleamy’ day was intermittently sunny, and ‘foxy’ weather was misleadingly bright. ‘Hunch’ weather meant a day of drizzle, presumably named after the body shape employed to keep out the leaks. The king of all onomatopoeic weather terms has to be ‘swullock’. Such day is one of high humidity, thunderstorms and clammy sweating. The campaign to reintroduce swullock back to our vocabulary starts here.