Scud or Hove?

These are common words for us "crossword puzzlers". They sound odd and it would be interesting to look into their derivation...probably Old English. To me, they are kind of opposites. They don't really sound like what they purport to describe. Clouds scud...and they seem to do it swiftly; although I've never really seen many clouds move that fast. The puffy, billowy ones probably "scud" the best. I bet they do it much better in the "big sky country" of New Mexico or out on the Pacific Ocean.

Betty and I have poked fun at each other with "scudding remarks" when we both felt over weight. "Was the you scudding across the room?" "I felt just like a cloud, scudding across the sky." If we were more the mariners we'd most likely know the true meaning of the word as we watched the clouds and sails racing each other from one landmark to another. I'd like to think that it could be used to describe a more graceful attempt at gliding or say, dancing across the floor. "We don't dance anymore, we scud." Probably without much purpose or destination, we scud.

Hove is actually the past participle of heave. Heave has several meanings. The most familiar, I'm sure, is the kind connected with the "dry ones"...vomiting. It can also mean to raise without effort as in "heaved a sigh". However, I think the meaning that appeals to me most, and is appropriate here, is in reference to ships. "The ship hove along side, or into view". It can also mean "to raise or haul by means of a rope, line or cable". "to push at a capstan bar" (a spool to wind up rope) "to rise up or swell".

Here again...Betty and I have used it, linked to scud, to express our feelings of immenseness. We, after scudding, would "hove" to the nearest "port" or chair. Yes, we felt like we were docking. We'd laugh about it but it was really not funny. "He just hove into view." Yes, we do love word play, puns, double meanings; although sometimes they're very derrogatory.

Fortunately, we are both happy to report, that we can't/won't be doing that anymore. We have both lost weight and become more active. We eat less, especially at the evening meal. We just came from the club house dinning room where neither of us could finish our meals of fish. Yes, we eat fish now. After being vegetarians for so many years, we've felt the need to eat fish. You see we had this goal of a Disney Cruise Date. We've really motivated each other. We feel better and healthier. Our old clothes fit again and new ones, for the cruise, look better. We're so proud. Too bad we can't be "scudding and hoving" to show off our new, stream-lined bods. Bob