FLOPSY, MOPSY and -- DROPSY?



Easter brought new nicknames from Meg for Father, Mother and Daughter. When I pointed out that Dropsy was a medical condition with which she wouldn't necessarily want to be associated, Meg asked what it was and I had to admit to not being sure. So we googled it --



"Dropsy is a term used to describe the swelling of a fish's body. This causes the scales to stand away from the body like a pine cone in the forest, ... this is why it is also called pine cone disease. It is normally fatal...."



"Definition: \Drop"sy\, n.; pl. {Dropsies}. [OE. dropsie, dropesie,

OF. idropisie, F. hydropisie, L. hydropisis, fr. Gr. ?

dropsy, fr. ? water. See {Water}, and cf. {Hydropsy}.] (Med.)

An unnatural collection of serous fluid in any serous cavity

of the body, or in the subcutaneous cellular tissue.

--Dunglison."



"General Edema / Oedema Information

Edema, also known as water retention and dropsy, is the accumulation of fluid in spaces between the cells of the body. It may affect all parts of the body although it commonly occurs as swelling in the feet, ankles, and legs. The bloating and swelling causes muscle aches and pains and may affect the brain, causing headaches and irritability."



But then Dropsy is also a Bay Area band:



"Dropsy has many musical tendrils, emanating from the vicinity of a funky lounge, sometimes snaking into dark caverns. The band sounds friendly enough, but displays its canines at unexpected moments. Cooper's droll lyrics brim with invective, taunts, boasts, disturbing delusions and bad advice. Yet we feel that Cooper is somehow singing on our behalf, to a mutual enemy, in a bar on a tropical island. Things go swimmingly. Dropsy will entertain those who have outgrown the posturing of cool bands, craving instead the square thrill of well-delivered diatribes over cold martinis. -- Esther Caldwell, MULCH Magazine, September 2003."



Sounds just like Meg, eh? Maybe it comes from being an only child of square, older parents, tho am quite sure neither Leslie nor I crave well-delivered diatribes let alone cold martinis.



Regardless, this just came in my email from Meg, who is at her desk and on her computer all of five feet away from me....







Dumpkins? As in dumb? dumpy? But probably better than Flopsy!