I've just been reading about the new words that made it into the very latest version ofthe Concise Oxford English Dictionary. My favourites are about eating, drinking adn making merry – well having fun -- in different ways.  The first are for my co-habitees and are ‘custard cream’ and ‘muffin top’.  Now you may not love custard ream biscuits the way I do --but I can assure you that as a stuffed person that sometimes has to BEG for biscuit crumbs me and my owner have serious tussles about who gets the verylast bit of each and every custard cream. Of course we all know what a custard cream is -- right -- if not the OED now helpfully tells us:

custard cream - a biscuit with a vanilla-flavoured cream filling.

You might know that -- but do you realize that poor old custard creams have had to wait 100 years to get into this, the most esteemed English language dictionary?  My daily tug of war over biscuits takes us onto my second best new entry in the OED - muffin top.  My owners need to read this one carefully - very carefully:

muffintop - roll of fat visible above the top of a pair of women's tight-fittinglow-waisted trousers (and not only women’s I would add – personally I look terrible in trousers – but so do some people).

Once they read this maybe they'll share more chocolate and custard creams with ME!  My other favourite new English words are about my hobbies ofdrinking (not boozing) and playing cards. The words that are new and that I like best are:

busted flush - A poker a hand containing four cards of thesame suit and one of a different suit.

But I like the informal meaning better:

a promising person or thing that turns out to be unsuccessfulas in ‘ his leadership is already a busted flush’.

I’m astonished to find that the OED has only just ‘recognised’ my favourite ever thing – the mocktail! As follows:

mocktail - non-alcoholic drink consisting of a mixture of fruit juices or other soft drinks.

Now I don't drink alcohol but I do like a big fizz. I like mocktails because drinking other birds’ tails is unethical for PengGuins. In any case have youseen the state of most cockerels’ tails? I like fruit of all sorts and chocolate. I'm often spoilt for choice....... Below are two of my current favourites... but like new words these will be superseded in time.  Enjoy them now!

Orange Flipper: a fizzed-chilled orange mocktail

You will need:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
6 tablespoons orange juice
1 egg yolk or 4 tbsp sugar (or both!)
6 tablespoons cold sparkling water
6 crushed icecubes (about half a glass full of crushed ice)
3 orange slices, 2 lemon slices and a cherry for garnish

Mocktail Construction:
Put the lemon, lime and orange juices, sugar and/or egg yolk in a mocktailshaker with ice. [No shaker? Well, any container will do if it has a firmly fitted (not muffin) top].
Shake vigorously
Strain into a chilled tall glass
Top up with the sparkling water and stir gently
Garnish with the orange and lemon slices and the cherry.
Drink through a straw but be careful of bubbles ascending into the beak.

Guin Colada: fluffy mocka colada

You will need: one cup whole milk (or a big dollop ofvanilla- or chocolate- ice cream)
2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon coconut extract
2-4 tablespoons sugar (to taste)
abig slice of pineapple and 2 slice of banana for garnish

Mocktail Construction:
Put all ingredients (not the garnish!) in a blender and mix on high untilfrothy.
Pour into ice-filled glasses
Garnish with the slices of banana and pineapple.
Before drinking try to find some of those tiny paper umbrellas and stick one in the top of the straw.  (Be sure to remove the umbrella before drinking).