What's it all mean?

What do I most often say when someone sneezes? Bless you. ‘the fuck does that mean and why, as a devout agnostic, do I say this? Habit.

It was once believed that the soul could exit the body during a sneeze, causing ill health, so folks said “God bless you” to ward off this danger. (source)

xkcd

Soul ditching the skin suit all because of a sneeze? Damn that's harsh.

I should switch over to saying gesundheit—literal translation: gesund = healthy and heit = hood. Bless you and gesundheit both wish the sneezer good health. Just one brings god(s) into the equation. Mind you, I leave out the god part but, I suppose, that's implied.

Wouldn't it be more specific and accurate, for me anyway, to say Bastet (or Bast) bless you after someone achoos? After all, Bastet is/was the goddess of, amongst other things protection and good health.
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There’s the phrase may their memory be a blessing.

When we express this sentiment, the blessing implied is that it is up to those who bear the memory of the person who passed away, to keep their goodness alive. By remembering them, their good works and good deeds, speaking their name and carrying on their legacy, they live on in our hearts and minds. (source)

Obligatory Skitter pic

I find this wish deeply comforting. My memories of The Amazing Bob are indeed a MOST bodacious blessing.
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Then there’s that Southernism—bless your heart which has more than a few meanings. The interpretation of the phrase depends entirely on tone and context.

When used as a diss (which is the case more often than not) it can mean anything from you’re profoundly dimwitted but, with your upbringing, you can’t help that to a straight up fuck you. Bless your heart sounds polite but its meaning cuts deep.

I don’t know of a Northern equivalent which is a damn shame.

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Words for Today

Oolong
     noun
a brown or amber tea grown in China and Taiwan and partially fermented before being dried.
Oolong is an adaptation of a Chinese word, most likely Mandarin wūlóng, which literally translates to “black dragon.”

I like this and not just because I’m keen on our dragon friends. The way the word sounds is so cool and slithery. As for the tea? I’m not really into it like Jen, Hillel and Oni. Nah, I’ll take coffee or an herb tea instead. Oh, except for lapsang souchong. While it smells like dirty sweat socks after a five mile run, it tastes all deep and smoky. That’s some good shit.

Oppugn
     verb
to assail by criticism, argument, or action.

I had no choice but to strongly oppugn Stan for ordering a pineapple topped pizza. Honestly now, who could possibly stomach such an abomination?

Cranreuch
     noun
a covering of minute ice needles, formed at night upon the ground and exposed objects when they have cooled below the dew point, when it is below the freezing point.

Cranreuch appears to be an adaptation of Scottish Gaelic crann-reòthadh…which contains crann, “tree,” and reòth, “frost.” (source)

I woke to a world coated in cranreuch, like frosting on a cake.

Civit not qiviut

Qiviut [ kee-vee-uht ]
     noun
the soft, dense, light-brown woolly undercoat of the musk ox, used in making fabrics.

How does one gather this wooly undercoat? Does the musk ox get killed first or are they shaved? Is the ox happy about being shaved? Does it feel all refreshed and

Qiviut puts civits in mind but those look nothing like a musk ox, right?