One of the latest TikTok crazes/wellness trends is hurkle-durkling (TikTok user Kira Kosarin). I am proudly not a TikToker. However, this term caught my eye.
The Scots have some wonderfully descriptive words to describe ordinary tasks, objects and their disdain for certain political candidates. Hurkle-durkle is one such term. It means to lollygag or dillydally in bed in the morning, when one should be up and about.
It is one of the great luxuries of retirement. I don’t do it often but just knowing that I can is reassuring. For those of you who do partake, it’s important to set limits. We all know how easy it is for 15 minutes to quickly turn into 45. Also, psychologists and neurologists tell us that it is not good for us to train our body to be in bed awake as the habit can lead to insomnia.
There is no hard and fast rule about how long to stay under the covers after you wake up. But according to Dr. Marjorie Soltis, a sleep medicine specialist, 15 to 30 minutes is reasonable.
The term’s origin is from early 19th century southern Scotland. One of its earliest references comes from John Jamieson’s “Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language” (1808). Language blogger Paul Anthony Jones (Haggard Hawks) has written eight books about language and etymology. He suggests that in reduplicative words like these, it’s often the case that the first part of the word is the original root to which a second part has been added for rhyming and humorous effect.
So, okey-dokey comes from okay. Hoity toity comes from hoit, an old verb meaning to act affectedly or to romp inelegantly. Hurkle-durkle likely comes from the old Scots verb hurkle or hurkill meaning “to draw the limbs together close to the body.” It is easy to see where the image of someone cozily curled up in bed, reluctant to get up, might develop.
Reduplicative is a new word for me and it brought back a memory of a favorite childhood book “The Poky Little Puppy,” which described its main character’s fall down a hill as: “Roly poly, pell mell, tumble bumble.” Clearly, an author who knew the value of reduplicative words.
When I was a child, my mom would come into my room on a Saturday morning, fling open the curtains and proclaim, “Sun’s out, boy.” The message was clear: Time to get up. She was not a hurkle-durkler. Her philosophy was: “When you wake up, get up and when you get up, do something.”
These days, my critical early morning winter accomplishments include making a woodstove fire and solving the major tasks of the day, such as Wordle, Companions and the Mini crossword puzzle. After setting my mind and the universe right, I read a newspaper article or two or three, depending on my allotted hurkle-durkle time.
Hurkle-durkling is not a sin. Give yourself the gift of being able to lounge a bit more, even if you need to set your alarm earlier to afford the time to do it. Easy for a retiree to say, I know.
Though not a hurkle-durkler, I do subscribe to its close cousin, a napper. I delight in a good spontaneous nap. It was also my routine for 25 years to grab a short nap of 15 minutes before coaching a game. I found it refreshing, restorative and my brain was sharper for it.
So, give it a try lest you start to feel peely wally. And lang may yer lum reek.
Jim Cross is a retired Fort Lewis College professor and basketball coach.
