GOBSMACKED
[Q] From W S McCollom: “I was looking at a UK magazine and ran across gobsmack. What can you tell me about this term?”
[A] It’s a fairly recent British slang term: the first recorded use is only in the eighties, though verbal use must surely go back further. The usual form is gobsmacked, though gobstruck is also found. It’s a combination of gob, mouth, and smacked. It means “utterly astonished, astounded”. It’s much stronger than just being surprised; it’s used for something that leaves you speechless, or otherwise stops you dead in your tracks. It suggests that something is as surprising as being suddenly hit in the face. It comes from northern dialect, most probably popularised through television programmes set in Liverpool, where it was common. It’s an obvious derivation of an existing term, since gob, originally from Scotland and the north of England, has been a dialect and slang term for the mouth for four hundred years (often in insulting phrases like “shut your gob!” to tell somebody to be quiet). It possibly goes back to the Scottish Gaelic word meaning a beak or a mouth, which has also bequeathed us the verb to gob, meaning to spit. Another form of the word is gab, from which we get gift of the gab.

Today was sunny and warm, amazing yesterday in snow and blisterly cold and this morning T shirt and shorts. I only drove 14 miles from the hotel to the Pueblo de Cochiti and it was like going back in time and reminded me of some of those small towns I passed through in Mexico. All the buildings were adobe ( see Chris I got it right today, it is warmer!!!) style and it was a whole village and nobody around except one Mum and her daughter, who was thrilled to receive a Canadian pencil. She told me a little of the history quite enthralling. They have strict rules about no photographs and she explained this to me by saying their fore fathers believe if you see something beautiful, you cherish it in your mind and then can relay it back in the future in the form of the beauty it was, therefor no need to get photographs and regarding other people seeing them, they jusy have to come and visit themselves. Then she astounded me by saying to me, "quickly take a picture of the church", so I did but I got my finger in the top portion, but it was a beautiful church and I felt somehow blessed that this lady would allow me this priveledge. Then on to the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument (please google this) and I was GOB SMACKED!!!!!! I have never seen such rock formations, the pictures speak for themselves. There is a trail leading to the top and the view was splendid, the trail goes through these very narrow rock crevices and echos were everywhere. It seemed every corner I turned there was a different rock formation. I had lunch where I am sitting down in the photo and it was so peaceful and the view was incredible and my mind wondered back trying to imagine what it was like for those people all those years ago and if they ever would have imagined how their sacred areas would be viewed and wowed at by so many people. The entrance fee to this Park was five dollars and probably rates as the best value for my money I have had in many years. A day to remember for sure..