👉 Okay, let’s tackle this wonderfully prickly little outcrop of a word:
grey-necked.
3… 2 … 1… let’s unpack that!
Basically, a grey-necked individual—we shall affectionately refer to them henceforth as the "Greyneck"—isn't necessarily sporting a jaunty turtleneck. Unless you count their demeanor , of course. The term, rather delightfully obscurely, historically referred to someone with a pronounced, almost perpetually downturned head. Historically, this was often associated with a kind of weary resignation; that they simply weren’t terribly bothered by the state of affairs around them. You know, the sort of guy you wouldn't want to be stuck in an elevator with during a sudden thunderstorm. Now! There are several fantastic and frankly rather depressing theories about where this came from. Some older medical texts suggested it was actually a physical condition—a slight skeletal dysplasia that caused a habitually slumped neck. Others theorize the name comes from old English, vaguely relating to someone who’s spent too long staring at… you guessed it... grey things. Perhaps they were an accountant of some sort. The point is, describing someone as "grey-necked" isn't about their actual head shape, unless that head shape is a little tragically slumped. Rather, it's a judgement! It suggests a certain languid disappointment, a muted sort of… letting go. There’s a hint
