megillah

topic posted Mon, July 18, 2005 - 5:13 AM by  Unsubscribed
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\muh-GHIH-luh\ noun

slang : a long involved story or account

Pronunciation: www.startsampling.com/sm/wod/...und2.gif

If you've noticed, most blogs are excuses for people to write megillah's that no one they know wants to hear in conversation.

Origin:

Although "megillah" is a slang word in English, it has perfectly respectable Hebrew origins. "Megillah" derives from the Yiddish "megile," which itself comes from the Hebrew word "mĕgillāh," meaning "scroll" or "volume." ("Mĕgillāh" is especially likely to be used in reference to the Book of Esther, which is read aloud at Purim celebrations.) It makes sense, then, that when "megillah" first appeared in English in the mid-20th century, it referred to a story that was so long (and often also tedious or complicated) that it was reminiscent of the length of the mĕgillāh scrolls. The Hebrew word is serious, but the Yiddish "megile" can be somewhat playful, and our "megillah" has also inherited that lightheartedness.
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