Today’s Word of the Day is “megillah.” See here from Merriam Webster. Or see below for the complete story, AKA “the whole megillah.”
Though megillah is a slang word in English, it has perfectly respectable Hebrew origins. Megillah derives from the Yiddish megile. This comes from the Hebrew mĕgillāh, meaning “scroll” or “volume.” Mĕgillāh is especially likely to be used in reference to the Book of Esther. This is what’s often 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 complicated, it reminded people of the length of the mĕgillāh scrolls. The Hebrew word is serious. But the Yiddish megile can be somewhat playful. Our megillah has inherited that lightheartedness.
Used in a sentence
“The only thing that could interest me is if I could win. I’m not talking about the nomination. I’m talking about the whole megillah.”
— Donald Trump
Bonus cartoon content
If you are of a certain age, you may remember a certain Saturday morning Hanna-Barbera cartoon called “Magilla Gorilla.” I didn’t know the meaning of “the whole megillah” at the time. And probably the only reason for the title character’s name is that a writer/producer spoke Yiddish. Plus, it’s a convenient rhyme for “gorilla.” Still, it does take me back to a time when I was 5 years old. Then, I could be entertained by a plot line that included nothing more than a pet-store gorilla who kept getting bought and returned, then resold again in the next episode, after failing miserably at life in the outside world. See here for a memory refresher if you’ve forgotten. Or if you never knew in the first place.
