Posted by Robert Hill on May 02, 2006 at 15:54:37 from 195.92.168.166 user eclrh.
In Reply to: Re: Railway Race 1895 - was Thorpe Station - engine changing posted by Laurence Monkhouse on May 02, 2006 at 15:08:37:
Apparently there is a letter in 'The Scotsman' of that date complaining that the writer had nipped out of the train for a drink and his hat had gone on to Aberdeen without him.
There's a word for having that happen to you! It's called "being duffilled". It was coined by Paul Theroux in his book The Great Railway Bazaar where he describes how it happened to a fellow passenger of his named Duffil.
Perhaps some Tarboarder with access to the online OED will kindly tell us whether duffil has found its way in yet.
(Not sure whether it's one L or two in the man's name and therefore in the infinitive, but it's definitely two in the past participle, in the usual manner of British English, even though Theroux is American.)