Estantiz -issa

I was reading the editorial for Three Kings' DayFrom the newspaper AHORA, about the momentous events unfolding in the world. I believe that editorials, like reviews (literary, musical, etc.), like what we call "opinion" pieces, should not only provide content. They should also be well-written. And so, I come across this sentence: "But, indirectly, the alarm also affects a Europe that is hesitant and incapable of asserting its collective power and its democratic and humanist values, as has been seen recently with its staunch resistance to the contempt with which Trump has treated the EU." There is a word here that makes me shudder, for its precision, its boldness, its erudition. Stagnates. I know it, not from family tradition, but thanks to a book. "Estantiz" or shelf. A "spoiled" food item, one that "is not fresh," says the DIEC (Dictionary of the Spanish Language). The dictionary's example of figurative language, by extension, is precisely about politicians. I read this word, also used figuratively, in a passage from a zarzuela (Spanish operetta). The Remei collectionFrom Anselmo Clavé (yes, yes, the one with the hearts). I'm quoting from memory. La Tuietes, the protagonist of the play, written in verse and set in Caldes de Montbui, refers to a suitor as "a gentleman more stingy than the game they throw in the town square."

We Catalans always get excited about linguistic things. Frederic Roda staged this play, perhaps thirty years ago, with his group, La Farinera, with set design by the Castells brothers. It has everything going for it to premiere today as a wild, funny, successful musical. I'm sure Roda and company still have the scores, some of which have been recommissioned because they've been lost. There are some characters, like the soldiers and a summer visitor (Doña Paz), who speak in Castilian Spanish. It's a comedy of errors, with masters and servants. The language is wonderful. It makes you laugh. And there are tons of forgotten words.