Doldrums

I was thinking earlier this afternoon that I was in the doldrums. As with many words, I suddenly wonder if it means what I think it means. Remember Tweedledee and Tweedledum who told Alice that if you try to make words mean what they don't that you have to pay them overtime? Recently, I've looked up words much more often, to make sure I am not going into debt. Plus I have a dictionary on my phone and one on my Kindle and that makes it easy to look up words any time and any place.


The word reminds me of Patrick O'Brien's books - I remember Maturin and Aubrey being in the doldrums in at least one of the books and it seemed fairly dangerous. Ships could be stranded in the hot sun for days, weeks, with water and supplies low. Perhaps to allow myself to be in the doldrums for very long is equally dangerous.


Just looking up the word changed my mood, as I read that the origin is "perhaps from dull, on the pattern of tantrums." Tantrum itself is of unknown origin, according to the New Oxford American Dictionary on my Kindle.


Between the two, I'll choose tantrums from now on.