Louring

The problem with being able to enjoy such nice heavy clouds and low-slung light is that eventually the threats have to be backed up with action. Today, there is no longer any beach visible from my window, as the rainwater runs from the top of the town down to the beach and meets the sea coming up. Impossible to photograph without getting too wet to make the experience enjoyable. I'm not that dedicated to my small but loyal public.

In other news, the Times Literary Supplement has finally started being delivered. And I have found some nice (probably fake) etymologies. The Gaditanos claim that lunch is derived from 'l'once' - 'food eaten at eleven am'. It might really have something to do with the Spanish for 'slice', 'lonja'. The online etymology dictionary backs me up on this: 'luncheon: 1580, nonechenche "light mid-day meal," from none "noon" + schench "drink," from O.E. scenc, from scencan "pour out." Altered by northern Eng. dial. lunch "hunk of bread or cheese" (1590), which probably is from Sp. lonja "a slice," lit. "loin." When it first appeared, luncheon meant "thick piece, hunk;" sense of "light repast between mealtimes" is from 1652, esp. in ref. to an early afternoon meal eaten by those who have a noontime dinner. Type of restaurant called a luncheonette is attested from 1924, Amer.Eng. Slang phrase out to lunch "insane, stupid, clueless" first recorded 1955, on notion of being "not there."'

The more interesting one is 'rasher', which the etymology dictionary has no idea about. The Spanish for 'slice of meat' is 'raja' - maybe the slices of meat came over at the same time as sherry. Tapas imported to English as an integrated unit?