horn·swog·gle
[hawrn-swog-uh l]
-verb (used with object), -gled, -gling. Slang.
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
And might I add: to nuzzle another with whiskers and scruff so as to tickle and show affection.
Little kids like to be tickled. Don't ask me why. It's science. You know what else is science? Hornswoggles tickle.
Part of the excitement of a hornswoggle stems from the sound of the word 'hornswoggle', which is just silly in and of itself. Another piece of excitement comes from hope of every hyper diaper child that someone will be ready to chase you at a moment's notice. Once you're caught, even more excitement comes from the snorting sounds made by a zany dad as he burrows his whiskers into your neck.
Hornswoggles tickle all right. All of the kids can attest to it. They were just one of the many ways Dad showed us that he loved us.
Great Grandma Effie used to get really mad at Rob and me when we'd tickle Maddie as a baby. She swore it would make Maddie stutter and emotionally scar her. I myself love a good hornswoggle though! I love that my kids have all inherited the squeamish neck though.
ReplyDeleteIs part of the hornswoggle tradition peeing your pants?
ReplyDeleteHaha Maddie. You made me laugh out loud at the store.
ReplyDelete@Flori - Maybe Great Grandma was not mad, but rather jealous. Once you get to a certain age no one tries to hornswaggle you. It's a sad day when you're too old to be hornswaggled.
ReplyDelete@Maddie - If you pee your pants during a hornswaggle, it is automatically updated to a warmswaggle. That can be uncomfortable for everyone.
Yeah, I bet. But I also bet that the amount of hornswoggles and warmsoggles are equal.
ReplyDelete