Buccula – Wacky Word Wednesday

After gorging on Halloween candy, Thanksgiving feasts, and hams and turkey at Christmas parties, it happens to the best of us; the gradual progression – or perhaps decline is more apt – can be tracked through your holiday photos. Though they say the camera adds 10 pounds, it can’t add bits of you that weren’t there before and – if you’ve been gluttonous enough – that’s what you’ll see: a new bit—the universally loathed double chin. Medically speaking, it’s referred to as a buccula and in this week’s Wacky Word Wednesday, we’ll explore how to get rid of it but also – hopefully – find something to redeem it.

Buccula [buk′yələ] -noun A layer of fat located at the front of the neck covered by sagging or stretched skin, giving the owner the appearance of having a second or third chin.

The fastest way to rid yourself of the embarrassment of a buccula is, of course, to hide it. Photoshop can work magic on your pictures while the strategic use of makeup works wonders in the real world. Your jaw line can be made more prominent using a shade of powder darker than your actual complexion; your cheeks can also be made rosier and your eyes brighter.  But surely you’d rather be rid of the buccula altogether. Luckily there are several exercises rumored to squash it.

The first is the good ol’ fashioned neck roll that we’re all familiar with as a relaxation method.

The second and third exercises focus on the platysma muscle, which runs from the bottom of your jaw to the top of your chest. One involves staring up at the ceiling while the other requires you to open your mouth as wide as you can. Repeat each exercise ten times and before you know it you’ll have a well-defined neck and jaw-line.

But maybe a buccula isn’t all bad; derived from Latin, it’s the diminutive version of bucca, or cheek. So literally, buccula means “little cheek.” And therein lies the buccula’s silver lining; aunties and grandmas everywhere will have three places to pinch!

As usual, here are a few example sentences putting our wacky word into action:

• As he rode over the plain, his buccula jiggled like a gelatinous sausage strapped to his neck.
• Only upon scrutinizing herself before going to the beach did Hillary discover her repulsive buccula.

We at Simply CSOFT hope you keep your platysma muscle strong so you don’t have to contend with the dreaded buccula. Join us next week for another exciting edition of Wacky Word Wednesday!

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