I am probably not alone in being a little surprised by the speed at which Thai authorities have performed a remarkable U-turn in their attitude to what is referred to variously as cannabis, marijuana, grass or, as it is most commonly known in Thailand, ganja. It wasn't long ago that the merest whiff of the weed would result in people being hauled off to the slammer.
Now we have a situation in which the authorities appear to be actually encouraging us to grow the stuff and make money from it. It's a funny old world.
Over the years I have sighed upon hearing reports of elaborate police raids on people smoking marijuana. It always seemed such a waste of time, money and resources when there were much more serious things to tackle.
The Thai populace hasn't taken long to adapt to this unexpected liberal thinking and ganga products are appearing everywhere. You can't escape them. In addition to it medicinal uses we are being treated to the weed in soups, curries, smoothies, teas, ice creams and probably even donuts.
I get the feeling it won't be long before at restaurants we'll have to specify whether we want dishes with or without ganja.
The lure of Mary Jane
The covert smoking of marijuana around the world has led to a large variety of euphemisms for the plant in addition to the common pot, grass or weed. It acquired so many names in the US primarily because it was illegal and it was necessary to use slang terms in a bid to outfox the cops.
There are hundreds of such names with the US leading the way with Mary Jane, Texas Tea and Wacky Backy among others. One of the more intriguing names is Devil's Lettuce which apparently was used by Americans in the 1930s campaigning against what they felt was a demonic drug.
The autograph hunter
One widely publicised marijuana bust occurred in London in October 1968 when police, led by Sgt "Nobby" Pilcher, raided the flat where John Lennon and Yoko Ono were living.
Because Jimi Hendrix had been the previous occupant, Lennon had taken the precaution of ridding the flat of assorted "exotic substances" in anticipation of such a raid. However, police uncovered a small amount of cannabis resin discovered by two sniffer dogs with the unfortunate names of Yogo and Boo-boo.
Lennon was fined a nominal sum. After the raid Pilcher reportedly had the nerve to get Lennon to autograph two Beatles albums.
Semolina pilchard
Sgt Pilcher, who had made a name for himself by busting rock stars including the Rolling Stones and Donovan, was himself arrested a few years later on perjury and corruption charges and went on to serve four years in jail. But at least he had Lennon's autograph.
In the Beatles song I Am the Walrus the bizarre lyrics "semolina pilchard, climbing up the Eiffel Tower" is believed to be a reference to Pilcher by Lennon who was not exactly enamoured with the arresting officer.
You name it
One of the great things about the English language is that there is a word for everything, and in the case of the aforementioned marijuana, hundreds of words. Even better, there are words you probably didn't know existed for many everyday things.
For example, one suspects there are not too many people aware that the rumbling of the stomach is a "wamble". How could I have I gone through life without knowing that precious piece of knowledge? And next time you are putting on shoes remember to show respect for the "aglet", that's the plastic or metallic coating at the end of shoelaces we take for granted.
I haven't dreamed these words up, but a reader sent me an intriguing list doing the rounds entitled "Did you know these things had names?'' I failed miserably. Of 20 words I was only familiar with one, which we will come to later.
Written off
I was particularly interested in the words connected to writing and had no idea that the dot over an "i" or "j" is called a "tittle". Also, when you combine an exclamation mark and a question mark (!?), which is never a good idea anyway, it is an "interrobang" which sounds quite scary. Then there is the word for illegible handwriting, "griffonage", an affliction with which I am cursed. It sounds more like something that should be on the curriculum at Hogwarts.
One I ought to have known is the word for the day after tomorrow, "overmorrow".
However, the one word I definitely did know and from bitter experience was "crapulence", that utterly sick feeling you get after overindulging in food or drink.
Pizza surprise
I feel ignorant not being aware that the tiny plastic table placed in the middle of a pizza box is called a "box tent". I have always called it a "thingy".
Apparently the word for the refreshing smell after a rainstorm is "petrichor", which sounds like a type of gasoline. However it is easier on the ear than "smell", which is not the most appealing word. Next time I am at a dinner party and there is a rainstorm I might try to impress everyone by remarking on the "petrichor". Mind you, they will probably think I'm a pompous twit.
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