When I see cranberries, I think of the Ocean Spray commercial with the farmers standing in the bog. Like this one. And before I go on and follow my thoughts, I just want to mention that Ocean Spray is a farmer owned co-op. That means the company is owned by the growers. So support your farmers!
Bog.
Now that is not a really positive word now, is it?
I’m bogged down with work.
Those kids make me feel bogged down.
Don’t bog me down, man.
You get the point. So I looked it up. (I do that sort of thing, as you know.) From Definr:
Bog: Wet spongy ground of decomposing vegetation; has poorer drainage than a swamp; soil is unfit for cultivation but can be cut and dried and used for fuel [syn: peat bog]
v 1: cause to slow down or get stuck; “The vote would bog down the house” [syn: bog down]
2: get stuck while doing something; “She bogged down many times while she wrote her dissertation” [syn: bog down]
And then there’s the game Boggle. Think that’s related? If so, because it’s easy to get stuck? Or because it has poor drainage?
No, it’s actually not (as you probably guessed):
boggle (http://definr.com/boggle)
v 1: startle with amazement or fear
2: hesitate when confronted with a problem, or when in doubt or
fear
3: overcome with amazement; “This boggles the mind!” [syn: flabbergast,
bowl over]
Oddly, these are both from French, both late 1500′s words.
It boggles my mind that I get bogged down with this shit.
And of course there is chicken bog, which is another thing entirely. It’s a wet, rice, chicken and sausage dish that sticks to the fork (so it’s kind of boggy) rather than looser grains like a pilau (from pilaf).
I get tied up in words, too. I’m extremely big on connotation.
That sounds delicious, Heather!