Word To Use Today: curry..

Yes, you've bought a bird too big to fit comfortably into your oven, let alone your stomachs, and now you've eaten it roasted, cold, in a pie, cold again, and now it's time for the curry.

That's right, bung a bit of spicy sauce over the stuff to try to disguise the flavour, because you certainly never want to eat turkey again.

(Let's face it, you didn't really want to eat it in the first place, but, hey, it's traditional.)

So, give them all curry (unless you live in Australia, where to give someone curry means to assault them).

If your rug is full of mince pie crumbs from the festivities then you could curry that, too - not, I hasten to add, by pouring a sauce over it, but by hitting it to get it clean.

If you have a horse about the place then that too can be curried - no, again, not the sauce! but by giving it a good grooming.

I don't suppose too many of us have spent Christmas turning hides into leather, but currying is part of that process, too.

Lastly, if you fancy a ride on the horse - or the last mince pie - or something other than turkey for dinner - then you'll need to be very very nice to those in charge.

Yes. that's right. You'll need to curry favour.*

Word To Use Today: curry. The sauce word comes from the Tamil kari, which means sauce or relish. The cleaning word comes from the French correer, to make ready.

*Sorry.