Remember when I wrote the blog about brewing efficiency and I said that I had drawn the short straw? My word, I was wrong.
But much like in scrabble when you turn the ‘Q’ tile, while it presents a challenge to use it effectively, it also comes with huge rewards. So today, I plan to reward you, my readers, with a few stories/occasions when the word quaff meant something to me…
Let’s start with the definition of the word ‘quaff’. Until writing this I actually assumed that quaffing meant to sip a drink. Again, so wrong. To quaff one’s drink (or the drink of a friend) literally means to drink a large amount of something quickly. Almost like downing, if you will. To this day, however, no one has ever challenged me to a quaffing contest. That’s probably where my confusion came in.
I also assumed that quaffing always came with a smug or satisfied expression on the face of the quaffer - much like my friend Tom in the photo below.... But apparently that’s neither here nor there (unless I beat you in said quaffing contest!).
Tom, however, with a cold Caper in hand should feel very smug and extremely satisfied. And I’d say he absolutely does..
Another time where the word ‘quaff’ lives long in my memory is a trip to France with 4 friends in 2012. We were without a pack of regular playing cards (essential for any holiday), but my friend James did in fact have a pack of Harry Potter Quidditch cards (I know…). We quickly decided that the “Quaffle” card (don’t ask me what it means in the context of a game of Quidditch) was the ace in the pack, and that whenever it was played it had to be delivered with a high pitch “quaffle!”, and everyone had to finish their drinks…. Good times.
For the rest of the trip, my friend Sam decided to carry the quaffle card with him everywhere we went, ready to pounce on any unsuspecting quaffer...
FINALLY, the word ‘quaff’ came in extremely handy during drinking games when International Drinking Rules were administered (Toby knows what I’m talking about). Naturally, you couldn't use the word “drink” without escaping punishment and therefore the words ‘consume’ and ‘quaff’ were being shouted far more than they ever legally should be.
Right, thank fuck that’s over. I’m off for a quaff in the Temperance. Later.