Right out of the box I love the word “Spleen.” It’s fun to say, has that pleasing to the ear long e sound and lends itself to repetitive reciting; spleenspleenspleenspleeeeeeeeeeen! (Whew, that was nice! Mind if I smoke?) Spleen has multiple meanings:
- An organ serving chiefly in the formation of mature lymphocytes, in the destruction of worn-out red blood cells, and as a reservoir for blood.
- One can suffer from Spleen, a feeling of anger and irascibility. “Granny is a bit spleeny today. Her bunions must be acting up.”
- Vigorous Sexual Activity (slang): When Cuban band leader Ricky Ricardo would return home after a hard night singing at the Copa he would summon his wife to relieve his tension: “Lucy, you got some spleening to do!”
Be sure to join us next time when we get up close and personal with everyone’s favorite invasive procedure, the Colonoscopy!
(I keep swinging for the fences but end up grounding it back to the pitcher!)