My friend Martin wants to know:
'Where does this "whinge" come from? I know it's a real word, a very old word, but what's it got over the more sensible "whine"? What have I missed?'
From the American Heritage Dictionary:
whinge
(WAV file of correct pronunciation available on their site)
INTRANSITIVE VERB: Inflected forms: whinged, whing·ing, whing·es
Chiefly British To complain or protest, especially in an annoying or persistent manner.
ETYMOLOGY: Dialectal alteration of Middle English "whinsen", from Old English "hwinsian".
OTHER FORMS: whinger ?NOUN; whinging·ly ?ADVERB
I like it because it is vaguely alliterative -- like an old door squeaking back and forth on a rusty hinge in the wind.
MopeFest 2002 continues here at the hovel. I did, however, manage to get myself cleaned up and dressed. Yay, me. Next step would be to leave the hovel and get some air.