Thing Not To Do Today: bound.

 Did you bound from your bed this morning with a cry of joy and enthusiasm?

You did?

Really?

How annoying that must have been for everyone else in your household.

Ah well.

There are four kinds of bound - the jumping kind, the tied-up kind, the direction kind (as in homeward bound) and the edges-of-an-area bound (as in beating the bounds, or boundary).

I suppose it would be just about possible with bound arms to bound over the bounds of a town while homeward bound, but that wouldn't make it a good thing.

In any case, the tied-up kind of bound is a part of the verb to bind, so that's cheating.

I suppose the jumping kind of bounding is all right if you're a young dog or a deer or something. Or possibly a small child newly released from a car or a buggy or a classroom. But for the rest of us...

...I don't know, though. It might make the world a livelier place. Think of old ladies bounding merrily to church, or the business-men bounding determinedly along to their offices in the city, or policemen bounding heavily along the streets.

Think of everyone bounding around supermarkets and cafes (you'd have to stick your cup to your tray, though).

I fear this isn't practical. But still, I can dream. Just one day a year, perhaps. October 27th: National Bounding Day.

It would make the world a happier place.

Thing To Do Today: bound. This word comes from the Middle French bondir, to rebound or resound or to echo, from the Old French bondir to jump, from the Latin bombus, a booming sound.  It's also connected to the word bomb.