Snuggling, snudging and snerdling – Susie Dent offers up her pick of cosy words
As we trudge through the depths of winter, our lexicographer bundles up a host of words that describe the wonderful sensation of being cosy.
As we trudge through the depths of winter, our lexicographer bundles up a host of words that describe the wonderful sensation of being cosy.
Might it be time to consider leaving our hibernacle? You might remember this wonderful term, which describes an animal’s winter quarters, a cosy den to which it retreats during inclement weather.
Many humans also enjoy spending time in comfy isolation, but spring is not too far ahead of us, and you may already have an inkling of the renewed activity and energy to come. Does that mean our snuggling days are numbered? Absolutely not, in my book. And my book is, of course, a very big dictionary.
It turns out that English has an exceedingly plush lexicon when it comes to getting cosy.
Local dialect in particular, fond as it is of the essential, down-to-earth aspects of life, loves a good snuggle. In fact, much of its vocabulary begins with those two letters “sn”, perhaps because they simply sound so snoozy. The historical thesaurus can offer us, for example, “snudging”, from the 17th century, which it defines as “remaining snug and quiet”. “Snoodging”, meanwhile, recorded in Yorkshire, Warwickshire and Shropshire, is “nestling or lying closely together”.
All of these are hard to beat, but I reckon “snerdling” might have the edge, probably because it brings a bed into the equation. This playful word from Nottinghamshire means wrapping up comfortably below the covers. This is the equivalent of the Scots “coorie down”, a riff on the English “cower”, which describes the act of stooping low for protection but with the added dimension of hunkering down and settling in for the duration.
There are so many more to mention, including “nuddling”, “neezling”, “snoozling”, “snuggening” and “croodling”, all of which express the act of lying quietly, even when chaos may be unfolding around you.
In fact, sometimes the best snuggling can be found in the midst of mayhem. Japanese has a word for exactly this occasion. “Seijaku” is the ability to achieve a calm equanimity despite the cacophony of modern life, and it is often found in nature. The people of Japan also gift us with “shinrin-yoku”, or “forest bathing”, which recommends immersion in the stillness of a forest as a way of cleansing the mind and soul.
Both terms are beautiful, but the Swedes may have gone one better. In “smultronställe”, they have a word for a special location that is kept in our memory, ready to be returned to whenever recovery is required. Its literal translation? “The place where the wild strawberries grow.”
Of course, good snuggling requires particular clothes. Nothing tight-waisted or itchy, and certainly nothing creasable. Bring in the “huffle-buffs”, another wonderful word from Scots (rather than Harry Potter) that describes old, baggy clothes – presumably the elasticated and highly fluffy kind that one shuffles into on a Friday night and preferably doesn’t remove until Monday morning.
All in all, February is still all set for recombobulation, even if strictly speaking that word has yet to be recognised by any dictionary.
Milwaukee’s Mitchell Airport has nonetheless rather joyfully created a “Recombobulation Lounge”, where travellers may gather their belongings and equilibrium after passing through security. Presumably, you leave feeling very gruntled indeed.
There is surely little better in life than snuggling, whether solo or with a loved one or pet. And if no fully kitted hibernacle is available, fear not: there are always dark recesses to retreat to. In this case, the verb “latibulate” might come in handy. Recorded only once in the dictionary, in 1623, latibulating very simply means “hiding oneself in a corner”. See you there.
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