Thing To Do Today: business.

Richard Adams, in his book Watership Down, came up with the term tharn to describe the way a rabbit will cower in the approaching headlights of a car instead of taking action to save itself.

Yes, I've just been reading about the world economy. Sometimes I wish all these experts would follow the example of the Welsh Football Team and get down to business.

Oh yes, always keen to get down to business under any circumstances, the Welsh Football Team. To quote the BBC Wales radio commentary on the recent Wales-Montenegro soccer match:

The Wales team look very comfortable doing their business on the pitch.

Hm. On the whole I'm glad that was on the radio...

Anyway, business: things people make, things people do (not always for a reward: think of mind your own business). It may mean effective (this cough medicine does the business) or extremely fast (going along like nobody's business).

It also describes, oddly, a collection of ferrets.

Now, please excuse me. Guilt has kicked in as I write, and I'm either going to have to go and write a bit more book or start a collection of ferrets.


Thing To Do Today: business. This word is from the Old English bisignis which means solicitude, from bisig, busy, plus nis, which is the same as our ness.