20 APRIL 1996, Page 36

Pingo after dipping into the OED

There is no word in English for the dent In upper lips the Welsh call swch. It's strange So flexible a tongue should not invent Or steal a term, and so extend its range.

But there's still hope, however late the date. `We need no name for rounded nunataks,' L. Koch declared in 1928— And yet the urge to name could not relax: What can one call a mound that snow and ice In thawing have left hollow at the crest If asked to be both graphic and precise?

A 'clippie'? No. Or possibly a `ringo'.

Geologists pooh-poohed: 'The Eskimos know best,' And promptly added 'pingo' to our lingo.

Joseph P. Clancy