Thrashing in the Cage Again
To stave off (or, possibly, verify insanity) at my FT gig, sometimes I like to take a short coffee break and indulge in a little creative writing at the expense of others.
I had a little fun at the Q&A site Fluther recently…
Question posted by brand-new member jenabee:
“Where did the origin of the word doughnut come from? If there are no nuts in most doughnuts, then why do they call them doughnuts?”
My horseshit response:
“The word has its origins in the murky past of Middle English where they were referred to as “toe-naughts.” (Naught meaning zero, of course.)
There were other numeral-shaped treats at the time – perhaps the best-known is the delicious Fig Eight.
Eventually, as the Great Plague passed and the need to make the best of discarded digits waned, these wonderful fried rings came to be known as “doughnuts,” mostly for their use of dough.
It is a Welsh tradition that if you can pass a Filbert through the center of a doughnut, you’ll have three minutes of good luck.”
