When I was thinking about this prompt, the only thing that jumped into my head for the suffix “-wich” was that a lot of town names in England end in it, or in “-wick.” I knew there had to be some significance to the suffix, so I looked it up, and learned it’s an Anglo-Saxon suffix for towns that had a lot of artisans in them, and also for towns that had a brine spring or well. How salt and artisans are connected, I don’t know, but the Old English word “wic” meant both. Some examples: Northwich (Norwich, also a brand of aspirin back in the day), Ipswich, Middlewich, Droitwich, etc.
Amazing what you learn in this job.
I watched a video that explained the difference between what and which. Those of us that speak English understand, but the video was aimed at non-English speakers. Basically, if I said “What witch are you talking about?” I’m asking about picking a witch from the universe of witches, but “Which witch are you talking about?” limits the choice to a specific group of them.
An example of a specific group of witches is the witches from the movie The Wizard Of Oz. There are three of them there: The Wicked Witch of the East, on whom Dorothy’s house fell; The Wicked Witch of the West, the main antagonist of the story, played by the incredible Margaret Hamilton; and The Good Witch of the North, played by Billie Burke. Ms. Hamilton, incidentally, deserved an Oscar for her performance. Can you imagine that movie without her?
Now, I think I’ll have a sandwich…
Stream of Consciousness Saturday is brought to you each week by Linda Hill and this station. Now a word about Peptans, made by the Norwich Pharmacal Company.
I love your proper stream of consciousness with this one John!
LikeLike
Yeah, it’s usually improper, ain’t it?
LikeLike
Ha Ha!
LikeLike
Your soc and creativity work well together. Your posts are always fascinating, John!
LikeLike
Thanks!
LikeLike
I wonder if Peptans was Pepto Bismol? Have you ever seen the Witches of Eastwick? Funny movie with Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer. Hard to figure which was the good witch in that one 🙂
LikeLike
My guess is that Peptans and Pepto were about the same, though I don’t know if the former had bismuth (the bismol in Pepto-Bismol) in it.
Never seen The Witches of Eastwick. It’s not really the kind of movie we enjoy, and I don’t care much for the cast.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is definitely not a movie for everyone.
LikeLike
I sure could use some Peptan’s today! I learned something new too! Another great post. Makes we want to watch the Wizard of Oz again.
LikeLike
I haven’t seen it in years, not since Ted Turner bought MGM and took it off free TV.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That might be when I last saw it too.
LikeLike
I really enjoyed your post and I also covered the Old English word “wic” meaning a town and having to do with brine.
LikeLike
Great minds think alike. Thanks!
LikeLike
Great post, John. I learn something new every day by reading your posts. 🙂
LikeLike
I do, too. Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person