Spain

Happy New Year (?)

.........

All fur coat and no knickers. Origin unclear, although it sounds pleasing with an Irish accent. Conventionally someone who is superficially impressive, especially on personal appearance, but below the surface is vulgar. Being clever folk you will immediately see how it can be adapted, for example into over-promising and under -delivering. As the world post-World Cup is momentarily interested in Argentina, I am happy to share their version: 'Big hat, no cattle'.

I am afflicted by deformation professionnelle (and before I go further I must say that there would be an acute on the first 'e' if I could find some way of doing it with this programme). The condition is not physiological, as might appear from the name. It translates roughly as occupational hazard. It is, for someone who teaches legal writing and drafting, the tendency to want to correct/sub-edit other's text where there is a mistake.