#addled

Pix: On Addled -

A. Storm winds.

B. Just in case...

C. Professor Farnsworth¹, the perfect addled-plated big brain!!

D. Putrid egg close-up!

E. Mud & mire Bible quote...

F. Barren ground.

G. Morbid, the metal rock band.

H. Morbid, the horror movie.

I. The job of fashion is to be new & eccentric.

J. The Crisis of 1614²...

ADDLED.

Meaning:

A. Momentarily confused, muddled or flustered.

B. A rotten egg.

C. To become confused.

D. A constant, muddled state of mind.

E. To be morbid, corrupt or barren of mind.

Etymology:

Addled only exists due to some translation confusion between 'wind' & 'urine.'

Addled was 1st used in the writings of R. Roche³ around 1599.

The term was taken from the Middle English adyld or adel eye, "putrid egg" - which was 1st used in 1250.

And this came from the Old English adela, "foul smelling urine", "liquid manure" & "mud, mire."

Basically, "liquid filth."

This, in turn, came from Latin ovum urinae, "urine egg."

It's thought that the Latin word is a mistaken translation of Greek ourion oon, "wind (or spoiled) egg."

Some Interesting Uses:

Addle-pated (1614), to be "eccentric."

Drug-Addled (1670s?), "becoming fucked-up due to using cocaine or other mind bending drugs."

(Coke-Addled is from 1980, when David Bowie's described his mental state while filming "The Man Who Fell to Earth!")

Metaphorical:

Addled describes a person's state of mind or their thinking, as being bewildered, having lost its clarity or "gone bad."

This is related to things that are no longer functional, are spoiled & no longer viable.

Symbolic:

Addled is a symbol of disorientation, mental trauma & drug use.

It also describes decline in something once vibrant, like a physical or mental state, a relationship - even society itself!

It's a situation that lacks potential, growth & development.

Notes:

1. Professor Farnsworth is a fictional character in the animated TV series, Futurama.

He's the eccentric, bald & long living (160!) founder of Planet Express.

Farnsworth is Fry's grand nephew - til Fry becomes his own granddad!!

2. The Crisis of 1614 refers to the short lived "Addled Parliament", due to a succession problem when Prince Frederick died & also involved the 1st Anglo-Powhatan War.

The British Parliament met from April 5 til June 7 - without passing any major laws & was then considered a failure...

But, the real reason was Parliament's failure to raise any funds for the crown.

This led to King James the 1st to dissolve it.

The succession fell upon Charles, Duke of York - a sickly child.

Which almost led to Princess Elizabeth getting the throne then...

As for the war, the "Peace of Pocahontas" ended it with a truce.

3. R. Roche seems to be a minor writer who added several words to the Oxford English Dictionary: addled, automatic, matronize, misleading, repelled & residing - these in 1599!

Roche might be a false name or his works were lost, due to not being popular...