When William F. Buckley, Jr. passed away last week at his home in Stamford, Connecticut, he uttered dying words to his cook that nobody knows the meaning of.
The successful American writer, businessman, grandfather of modern American conservatism and intellectual with a penchant for highly unusual words was found by longtime employee Bette Flavin.
"He looked at me and said, 'Crestidigonomical postregardiation,' and then died," said Flavin.
"He was always saying words I didn't understand, so I wasn't surprised at all. But when I couldn't find the words at Dictionary.com, I knew they were really obscure."
The mystery deepened after columnist George Will was consulted. "Hell if I know what it means -- never heard those words before in my life."
Phillip Fishburn, Professor of English at Buckley's alma mater, Yale University, is also stumped. "Not sure on this one. I think it's got something to do with a nation creating economic conditions that allow toothpaste manufacturers to RSVP, but that's just an educated guess."
For now, the meaning of William F. Buckley, Jr.'s dying words remains a mystery.
