Dream

An unusual dream last night, in which I had taken up an important role in the fight against the new virus which has emerged in China. Possibly from our animal friends. Unusual in the sense that my dreams are mostly private affairs, not involving anyone known, let alone well known. While in this dream I was hob-nobbing with presidents and prime ministers in my quest to save the world.

All mixed up with my special knowledge of two mysterious substances. One, if present in the blood, seemed to favour the incubation of the eggs of the virus (if that is the right term). The other, seemed to inhibit passing the eggs on from one person to another. Clearly very important both.

There was also a worry about the proper clothes to wear. The dress code for said hob-nobbing.Which seemed to involve getting out one of the good quality, yellow corduroy jackets which I used to favour in my youth.

PS: according to OED, hob-nob was a seventeenth century invention, originally mainly to do with drinking with someone. Possibly derived from the older hab, itself possibly derived from some form of the verb to have. Which seems a bit of a stretch to me. While Bing talks of A hob-nobbing with B often meaning that A was of inferior social status to B, which fits with the foregoing. A loss of symmetry which can also be found in the small print in OED.