Mummer

A member of a travelling troupe of actors originally from the British Isles that performed seasonal folk plays. They occasionally perform in the streets, although their more usual style is house-to-house and in public centers. They are also known by other names (mostly regional) such as rhymers, pace-eggers, soulers, tipteerers, galoshins, and guisers.

The word & concept was recently brought back into American pop culture's attention with the 1997 release of Loreena Mckennitt's hit song "The Mummer's Dance" on her album The Book of Secrets.

Cindy: Oooh! This song is really nice! What's it called?

Hairstylist: Yeah, it's called "The Mummer's Dance". It's by Loreena Mckennitt.

Cindy: Ah. What's a mummer?

Hairstylist: I... don't know. I've never even heard the word before I listened to this song.

Genial Irishman: They're travelling actors, me fair lasses.

Cindy & Hairstylist: Oh... Like, awesome!

27👍 7👎

Coffee fairy

That anonymous individual who starts the office coffee machine in the morning, but at an hour so early as to avoid ever being observed doing so by co-workers. To everyone else, the result is a fresh pot of coffee that seemingly appears out of nowhere, as though it was prepared by fairies.

My mother always goes the lab early to prep the skin grafts for culturing and usually puts on a pot of coffee while she's there. One morning, a co-worker from clinical trials had to come in early as well, walked into the kitchen as she was scooping the grounds into the filter, and gasped in pleasant surprise, "It's you! You're the coffee fairy!"

17👍 1👎