Eeek, eeek, and thrice eeek I haven’t posted on the blog for almost a week! I could claim in mitigation that I have been laid low with a dose of the dreaded lurgy. But I can’t. I can’t because all that ails me is a common cold and because truth be told I am not properly sure what ‘the lurgy’ dreaded or otherwise is.
The cold is a minor irritant. Although I would happily, if I could, wish my cold away it does serve as a useful reminder of how enormously lucky I am that for most of the years of my life thus far the only health problem I have had to worry about is the infinitesimally small one of having a cold.
In spite of the fact that there is no known cure for a cold if you google the phrase ‘cure for a common cold’ it yields a staggering forty-four million plus results. Among those results I found an interesting post on The Mayo Clinic’s website which examines cold remedies that claim to make you feel better faster – click here if you would like to read it. Drinking lemon juice in hot water with a teaspoon of honey added is not going to rid me of my cold but as a drink it’s super soothing so I have had copious cups of it this week.
I used my cold as an excuse to have a lazy and restful Sunday. I haven’t been entirely idle I did go out and about to take some pictures for the next JAA blog post but for a slew of reasons I won’t get to write it up until mid next week.
Note: I have just checked the meaning of ‘lurgy’ on the net and according to The Oxford Dictionaries Online it is a noun which means ‘an unspecified or indeterminate illness.’ The Urbun Dictionary.com says the following about lurgy’s (originally spelt lurgi) origin: ‘The term originates from an episode of the 1950s radio comedy “The Goon Show” in which an epidemic of “The Dreaded Lurgi” was said to be about to sweep across Britain. It turned out that the lurgi was in fact a fictitious disease created by brass instrument makers who had claimed that no brass band player had ever died of the lurgi (thereby increasing sales hugely).’
Just Add Attitude 
Just read your wonderful reply to Trish Deseine and thought I’d pop over to your Blog when low and behold I find an answer to my Problems I too am suffering from a Cold but mine is an Australian Summer Cold and I have been dosing myself with hot Tea Lemon and Honey so it’s good to know I’m on the right Track. Cheers from Jacki
Thanks Jacki for visiting my blog and for your comment. I hope that your cold runs its course soon. I think summer colds are worse than winter ones as having a cold when the sun is shining is more miserable than having one when the weather is dreary. I am not sure that the lemon drink will actually cure a cold but hey it’s nice to drink.
I didn’t know about the lemon juice/hot water drink. I’ll try it next time I have a cold. I’m so jealous of your restful Sunday! 😉
My restful Sunday was very lovely. I don’t think the lemon juice drink is actually curing my cold but it’s soothing and I sure some extra vitamin C can only be good for me. 😉
I think it is hilarious that the word was started by the Goons…and it caught on!
It is hilarious isn’t it. I actually found online the script for the Goon Show episode about ‘The Dreaded Lurgi’ – I didn’t read it right through just bits and pieces – it’s very clever and very funny.
I love the story behind “lurgy.” I had never heard it before.
Hot lemon tea with a little honey is a great drink for a cold.
I love it too. I have heard the expression ‘the dreaded lurgy’ many times so it was nice to finally find out its meaning and the story behind the expression.
I seem to drinking gallons of lemon water and tea this week!