Spot the Frippet: oof.

In PG Wodehouses's Jeeves and Wooster books there's a member of the Drones club called Alexander Charles "Oofy" Prosser.

Oofy Prosser about as dumb as the rest of them, but he does have exquisitely-tuned antennae for one thing.

You see, Oofy Prosser is a millionaire, and, this being his only truly distinguishing factor (apart from his pimples), he is thoroughly determined to carry on being absolutely filthy rich. He is a man, in fact, "in whose wallet moths nest and raise large families".

This means that long practice has made Oofy Prosser morbidly, famously, sensitive to anyone even thinking about wanting to borrow money.

For oof is money.


photo: Revised by Reworked

You don't see as much oof about as we used to. Nowadays it's all plastic cards and typing numbers online.

But you must have a purse or a wallet or a pocket filled with jingling dosh somewhere.


photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/68751915@N05/6736142729

Find it, get it out, and admire it.

And then put it away again against a time when you're finally allowed to spend it in a shop.

Spot the Frippet: oof. This word comes from the lovely Yiddish word ooftisch, from the German auf den Tische, on the table, referring to gambling stakes.

If you have no cash around the place at all then just watch an old person sit down. 

I don't know why they always say oof when they do it. But they do.