A very good and old friend of mine now sadly no longer with us once said to me that she liked a man with a corporation, because they always look so well set up and wealthy. I had never heard the word used in that way before but I knew exactly what it meant.

It isn’t the same as the English usage of the word corporation although I think it might originate from the borough or town council meaning, as those types tend to get a corporation from being on the council and having lots of beanfeasts at the expense of the rest of us.

A corporation in Scotland is a man’s large stomach. It was seeing our First Minister Alex Salmond’s large corporation looming around a door, stately as a galleon, as he entered a room for an interview on TV the other day which brought to my mind that I hadn’t posted about that Scottish use of the word yet.

Strangely I’ve known a few women who have confided to me that they like their men to have a good corporation. It’s just as well really as so many men have them!