A question from a recent Michigan Public Grammar Night sent us chasing some imaginary creatures. An audience member asked about the word “pixilated,” which a family member would use to describe their cat when it got excited.
Hearing about this charming expression was a highlight of the evening and we were excited to learn more about it. When we did, we found it goes back to pixies, as in fairies or little supernatural creatures
First, it’s worth distinguishing this “pixilated” from the “pixelated” that refers to a digital image made up of visible pixels. That word dates to the late 1950s. “Pixilated,” on the other hand, appears in the Oxford English Dictionary as early as 1848.
The OED defines "pixilated" as slightly crazed, bewildered, confused or whimsical. It can also mean intoxicated. The word comes from “pixie,” referring to a fairy or other supernatural creature, plus the suffix “-ated.” In other words, someone who was pixilated was thought to have been taken over by pixies.
Another Grammar Night audience member wrote to us afterward and said we should watch the 1936 movie Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. In a courtroom scene, a character describes Mr. Deeds as “pixilated,” prompting the judge to ask what the strange word means.
A man in the courtroom explains that it's an old American expression derived from “pixies,” meaning elves. As he puts it, the pixies had got him. The judge wanted to know what Mr. Deeds did that made him seem pixilated. He's described as walking in the rain without a hat and singing, and sometimes he whistles. Apparently, that qualifies as pixilated.
For more on "pixilated" and another delightful expression "barmy in the crumpet," listen to the audio above.
