Welcome to Word Buzz Wednesday, your go-to place for the most interesting words of the week. The latest: a rally not a con (thank goodness), messy yet delicious, let lying dogs lie.

Santa Claus rally

“President Donald Trump’s signing of a major tax overhaul bill will distort the so-called Santa Claus rally.”

Berkeley Lovelace Jr., “GOP tax bill will likely distort the ‘Santa Claus rally,’ Art Cashin warns,” CNBC, December 26, 2017

According to Investopedia, a Santa Claus rally is “a surge in the price of stocks that often occurs in the last week of December through the first two trading days in January” possibly due to “tax considerations, happiness around Wall Street, people investing their Christmas bonuses and the fact that the pessimists are usually on vacation this week.”

Sunion

“But now, Sunions, the world’s first tearless onions, are apparently here to take away our pain.”

Olivia Harrison, “This New Type Of Onion Promises Not To Make You Cry,” Refinery29, December 20, 2017

Sunion, a sweet, “tearless” onion, may be a blend of the words sun (the “bulbs require around 15 hours of sunlight to grow,” says Refinery29) and onion, or perhaps sweet and onion.

nyotaimori

“It’s called nyotaimori, a word I’ve seen translated as ‘female body arrangement.’”

Dave Davies, “Fumo fest has pretty raw sushi station,” WHYY, December 22, 2017

Nyotaimori is said to have originated in the samurai period of Japan although Kotaku points out “there isn’t much info on the practice in the National Diet Library.”

dog’s breakfast

“Yes, ‘a dog’s breakfast.’ If you had no idea what that meant, you weren’t alone.”

Keith Wagstaff, “‘A dog’s breakfast’ explained for everyone confused by that CNN alert,” Mashable, December 28, 2017

According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), dog’s breakfast is British slang for “a confused mess.” Also, dog’s dinner. The OED’s earliest citation for dog’s breakfast is from 1892.

lie doggo

“It’s late 19th century slang, used mostly in the phrase ‘to lie doggo,’ indicating lying low or flying under the radar.”

Ephrat Livni, “2018 is the year of the doggo and the demise of the doge,” Quartz, December 28, 2017

Speaking of British slang terms about dogs, to lie doggo is another one. The OED’s earliest usage is from a March 25, 1882 issue of a publication called The Sporting Times: “He had been a guest, after lying doggoh for some time, at one of Blobbs’ quiet little suppers.”