🍷 Boon Companion: From Jolly Mates to Dusty Memories 🕰️
Historical Background
A favorite friend, a convivial associate — the term “boon companion” may sound like it’s straight out of a swashbuckling adventure or an old British pub, mostly because it quite literally is! On its way to obsolescence, the adjective “boon” comes from the French bon, meaning good. Since the twelfth century, it has meant jolly or sociable. When paired with companion, it evokes the hearty image of a friendly drinking buddy, a partner-in-crime type. Roman epigrammist Martial penned the prose “nulli te facias nimis sodalem,” translated as “to no man make yourself a boon companion.”
Fast forward to 1712, and John Arbuthnot gave the term its boozy flair in “The History of John Bull”: “A boon companion, loving his bottle and his diversion.” Sounds like anyone you know?
Related Terms & Similar Expressions
- Bosom buddy: A close and intimate friend with whom you share your secrets.
- Partner in crime: Someone with whom you have shared mischievous or mildly illegal adventures.
- Dead ringer: Someone who looks extremely similar to another person (totally doesn’t go with this theme but quite amusing nonetheless).
- Thick as thieves: Implies a close friendship, often with a hint of secrecy or shared skulduggery.
Proverbs & Idioms
- Birds of a feather flock together: Similar people often associate with each other.
- Two peas in a pod: They are so alike in so many ways.
- Joined at the hip: Very close and rarely apart.
Literature Recommendations
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien: The adventure book that showcases boon companions through the journey of Bilbo Baggins and the dwarfs.
- Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes: A classic tale about the mad but strangely honorable adventures of Don Quixote and his boon companion Sancho Panza.
Film & Music Recommendations
- Movie: The Guardians of the Galaxy series: A motley crew of boon companions bounding across the galaxy for better or worse.
- Song: “You’ve Got a Friend” by Carole King: A timeless anthem celebrating the essence of companionship.
Humor-Filled Quote
“The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel; but do not dull thy palm with entertainment of each new-hatched, unfledged comrade.” — William Shakespeare, Hamlet
To Quiz or Not to Quiz, That is the Question!
Farewell Thought
As words and phrases shift from common to quaint, let us remember the joy and history they brought to our language. Embrace the past, but never be afraid to make new memories with your very own “boon companions.”
— E. B. Wordsmith, 2023
