Cliché Month: Quit Waffling (And You’ll be Peachy Keen) 🧇🧡
by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
This has been a long day of research. That’s not a bad thing, though, and I learned a bunch of stuff I’ll need for future posts and websites. However, all that time and learning meant I kinda wore out my brain for the day and couldn’t think of a good cliché to write on. So I went to the calendar for the special events associated with August 24th and found a great reason to do a mashup of clichés—because I really need to quit waffling on a number of things, so I can be peachy keen. 😁
How about you, Reader? Are you like me with a ton of undecided actions holding you back? If so, enjoy this info on two unrelated clichés that go together like peaches on waffles. 😋 Mostly created by Gemini, it’s getting harder to edit into my own words because the AI is taking what I share and learning my style, so it’s written a lot like I would write it. Still, I promise I’m not just gonna be lazy and leave it as given without editing and examining it well.
So, every August 24th, two completely unrelated food holidays collide on the same date: National Waffle Day and National Peach Pie Day. At first glance, a golden grid drenched in syrup has very little in common with a sweet summer fruit pie other than both of them being sweet and yummy. But, when you pair their accompanying folk sayings together into a single breakfast-table pep talk—Quit waffling, and you’ll be peachy keen—you end up with a surprisingly profound guide to living a joyful life.
A Tale of Two Waffles
Most people think the verb “to waffle” (meaning to vacillate or hesitate endlessly) comes from flipping a pancake back and forth on a hot waffle iron. I actually thought it could be related to how a waffle sort of looks like a loom with weavings in crisscross directions. But language history reveals a clever case of accidental linguistic twins.
The breakfast waffle traces back to the late 12th-century Middle Dutch word wafel, rooted in ancient terms for honeycombs and woven webs, before officially entering English print in 1725 courtesy of Dutch settlers. By 1744, English cookbooks solidified the familiar double-f spelling we know and use today.
The slang verb arrived via a totally different road. As early as the 1440s, Middle Scots and Northern English used the dialect word waff to describe a weak puppy’s yelp, a fluttering gust of wind, or a waving motion. By the late 1600s, it meant fluctuating aimlessly, and the 1800s formalized the verb “to waffle.” Over time, English speakers blended the fluttering, wind-tossed indecision with the griddle cake. Eventually, to waffle became the universal shorthand for someone stuck in the middle, shifting weight from one foot to the other without ever making a solid choice.
From Ripe Fruit to Retro Cheer
On the flip side of hesitation sits the delightfully upbeat promise of being “peachy keen.” Long before 1950s teenagers turned it into a bouncy bobby-sox anthem, a “peach” was late-19th-century American slang for anything exceptionally fine, lovely, or sweet. A ripe, unblemished peach was considered nature’s peak perfection, so if a situation was sweet and smooth, “peachy” was a great way to describe its perfection.
Of course, it was also a way to sarcastically describe the opposite. A friend might ask a troubled friend how they are doing and get the answer, “Oh, just peachy!” But we’re talking about the sweet side today. 🍑
Adding “keen,” which was an old word for sharp, eager, and enthusiastic, created the ultimate mid-century seal of approval. To be peachy keen is to experience the smooth, uncomplicated sweetness that comes when things fall into proper order. It represents the peace and satisfaction waiting for us on the other side of deliberate action instead of sitting on the fence like we talked about in yesterday’s post.
Finding Spiritual Sweetness Beyond the Hesitation
Spiritual paralysis often disguises itself as caution. We spend endless energy waffling over decisions—wondering if we’re walking in God’s will or planting seeds that will reap the whirlwind. We impatiently wait for answers, overthinking the risks, while we hop anxiously between two or more opinions.
While there are times, according to Scripture, that we should stop and wait, or be still and let God fight the battles, God’s Word also reminds us that double-mindedness robs us of stability, like a wave tossed back and forth on the sea. So we want to pray for God’s unmistakable direction and follow Him as He leads—waiting but not hesitating.
Isaiah 40:31 BSB
[31] But those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/isa.40.31.BSB
Psalm 27:14 BSB
[14] Wait patiently for the Lord; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the Lord!
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.27.14.BSB
2 Chronicles 20:17a BSB
[17] You need not fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/2ch.20.17.BSB
Clarity and contentment rarely arrive while we are standing frozen at the crossroads. They unfold when we step forward with faith, make our move, and trust that Our Heavenly Father is leading our steps.
Hebrews 11:6 BSB
[6] And without faith it is impossible to please God. For anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/heb.11.6.BSB
The next time you find yourself fluttering in the breeze of indecision, take a lesson from the breakfast table: God can take those “what if” thoughts and bring you through the Valley of Decision to sweetness on the other side. Step back from the waffle iron and let your Abba do the cooking.
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