Not sure whether it's the dreich (a lovely word) November light or the constant battering with unwelcome Brexit news that reminded me of this word.

I was thinking less about the eateries and more about
http://www.rampantscotland.com/poetry/blpoems_tams.htm

Haggis is one of those things... a good one is really excellent, every couple of years or so, a bad one is really nasty.

I know the word from a song I heard from a Buchan (in Scotland) student with the line

"She clarts a muckle piece to me with different kinds of jam
And tells me ilka nicht that she admires my nicky tams."

I leave you to google nicky tams!

The word has gone through so many changes, I thought it might be a nice word to look at.

I liked it too. It has great potential for further development.

This reminded me of the nursery rhyme which begins

He that would thrive
Must rise at five;
He that hath thriven
May lie till seven.

Scots have few problems in rhyming thriven and seven.
I'm just thankful to have thriven.

I sometimes remind my husband that God created some heads perfect, and the rest he covered with hair.

Many thanks. And to Doc my warmest and sincerest best wishes.

Scottish Gaelic for "That's great" is 's math sin - pronounced "smàshin". Smashing probably isn't the most modern word for "great", but I wonder if it is linked to the Gaelic. By the way, I haven't had an GoodWord email since 28th August. Is Dr. Goodword ok or is it my ...

Two suggestions for the price of one: 1) Today I came across "fogey" in a sentence commenting on this one by Clare Foges in The Times "The prime ministerial sphinx should stay that way, guarding her secrets." The comment ran, "It would have sounded fogeyish in a courtier...&...

I know this sturdy word has been suggested in the past, but I can't see it in the Dictionary. The possible link to the oak tree surprised me.

This was a new word to me, but it reminded me of Cisalpine Gaul from my Latin lessons in school.

One of those plural looking words which always has a singular verb, whether in US or UK.

Many thanks! I wonder then if the little place in Northumberland took its name from the word, but I can't find any further information.
Eileen

Today we passed near a little place in the Scottish Borders called Conundrum and I wondered if that was the source of this mysterious word.