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It’s Thursday folks, and you know what that means! Before I name a new thingamajig, I must make good on my promise to pick a winner from last week’s open call to rename the banal ski pole “basket.”
Most creative has to go to Anthony for his “desinkificator.” While bragging rights for Wittiest goes to Dawn for “No-Snow-Low-Go.” Priceless guys, thanks!
Now today I’m naming those small, ball bearing-like balls, usually silver-colored and used for decorating cookies, cake, and other such sweets. They’re called dragées and can be traced back to the Greek word, dragéa, or dried fruit. Curiously, in the early 20th century, the sale of dragées was banned as the silver was thought to have mercury in it. Now, they’re sold with the following WAY scary disclaimer:
Dragees are to be used as “decoration only” because, per the FDA, they contain trace amounts of metal (ie: silver). They are, however, considered non-toxic. Although people do consume them in some parts of the world, we recommend you remove them before eating confections.
I’ve always eaten them and assumed, seeing as they were buried in the frosting of a cupcake, they were candy! So you see folks, Thingamajig Thursday doesn’t just make you look smarter by naming odd things, it SAVES LIVES!
Comments (18)
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One of my best friends found my dragees (I once decorated cakes as a hobby) in my cabinet a few years back and proceeded to eat them like candy while we watched a movie. She proclaimed to the whole room that she loved the things and had been eating them straight since she was a child. Another friend asked to see the bottle and saw the warning. She responded, “Oh well,” and continued eating them. She still eats them as candy but giggles a little as she does now.
posted by Michelle on 12-21-2006 at 10:03 am
orblets
don’eats
pelletins
mellets (metal pellets)
silpills
Aggs (Ag is symbol for silver)
posted by Tom on 12-21-2006 at 10:18 am
Crap. I’ve eaten these things my hole life. …Could expalin a lot.
posted by Dawn Lorraine on 12-21-2006 at 10:32 am
I did some research and found that the main consequence of excessive intake of silver is a medical condition called argyria, which causes your skin to turn a blue-ish grey color.
Let’s see… they’re little balls, and if you eat a LOT of them, your skin might turn blue. The only logical name I can think of is blue balls!
posted by Molly on 12-21-2006 at 10:55 am
Yes it could explain a whole lot.
posted by george on 12-21-2006 at 11:15 am
cupcake caviar
posted by billy on 12-21-2006 at 11:16 am
How about Silver Candy Balls of DOOM?
posted by Anthony on 12-21-2006 at 12:06 pm
wierd… i always thought they were silver coated candy. so i might die or turn blue from eating them?
I will name them SILVER SUICIDE
posted by Korin on 12-21-2006 at 1:10 pm
Silver coated sugar sheres
posted by Russell on 12-21-2006 at 1:29 pm
Not-Your-Mother-Of-Pearl
posted by Nick on 12-21-2006 at 2:35 pm
I always called it Bakery Birdshot.
posted by Allison on 12-21-2006 at 3:56 pm
LOL Bakery Birdshot. Allison wins!
posted by Amir on 12-21-2006 at 4:56 pm
I thought that warning was a joke… I put in cake batter once and it was not very good… I guess a good name is “Delicious Death Orbs”
posted by Rachel on 12-21-2006 at 6:15 pm
Normally one doesn’t see these things in a singular mode or node.
I remember those tasty morsels from back in the seventies, perhaps earlier. I believe they were known as the “Beady Bunch” at the time. There was a catchy tune as well as a TV show that also accompanied the treat, but unfortunately I don’t remember the lyrics. There was a blonde girl I think her name was Marcia, or something like that, that was the star of the show.
posted by Luigi on 12-21-2006 at 9:21 pm
These originated in ancient Rome and were known as Metalicomodomusius. We now know them in their shortened version as bead sized Metalicondumus.
posted by Giovanni on 12-21-2006 at 10:59 pm
Ooo Ooo I remember. These things are old timers and they were called Heebie Jeebies or Heebie Beebies, something like that.
posted by F. Estaire on 12-21-2006 at 11:04 pm
Since they’re used to decorate cakes and such, could we call them “Baker’s Balls”?
posted by Johnny Mc on 12-25-2006 at 1:24 pm
Whoa… I got a tiny bottle of those for my birthday three years ago in a baking kit. I ate the whole bottle over the course of two years. Wow… My friend Izzy became obsessed with them and eats them all the time..
Eek.
posted by Kiki on 12-27-2006 at 10:34 pm