Spot the Frippet: sage.

The fashion at the moment is to fry sage leaves in butter until crisp and then throw the results over something bland. Traditionally, though, a British person was most likely to come across sage inside a chicken as sage and onion stuffing.



There's also a cheese called Sage Derby. 


photo by Jon Sullivan

And the only thing wrong with it as far as I'm concerned is that it tastes of sage. And looks like marble.

Ah well.

Sagebrush describes one of several sage-like plants which grow in North America and have a vaguely sage-like sort of smell.


photo by Peemus

Sage grouse live in the sage brush and perform their incredible mating displays there.


photo by Pacific Southwest Region

This leaves us with the other sort of sage, which is a person revered for his or her wisdom, which isn't going to be an easy spot because we're not too good at reverence nowadays. 

Mind you, that might be because practically everyone is an idiot.

I suppose to find a sage you'd have to look out for someone whom age has mellowed rather than caused to become bitter and twisted; someone whose mind has been enlarged by experience rather than narrowed by disappointment; someone who has learned to extend a wide charity and understanding towards the whole world instead of being eaten up by frustration; someone who is still fascinated and charmed by life.

Well, good luck with that one.

Spot the frippet: sage. The plant word comes from the Old French saulge, from the Lain salvia, which means safe or in good health (it was used a lot in medicine). The wise-person word comes from the Latin sapere, to be aware.