The word "
grumpy" is often used interchangeably with the term "bad mood". A bad mood is a collection of emotions that cannot be described unless several words from
The Deeper Meaning of Liff by
Douglas Adams are consulted and
blatantly plagiarised. It is usually characterised by a shortening of the individual's temper to a length equivalent to the height of butter on sandwiches provided by
British Rail, ie, only measurable by a
Micrometer Screw Gauge. Further
symptoms include a
permanent frown,
irritability and
frustrating clumsiness that only
excacerbates the
blues.
On regression of the bad mood, the subject's conversation is reduced from monosyllabic cynical remarks to nothing at the point when the afflicted individualstomps/shuffles/lurches out of the room to cool off.
The bad mood may be brought about in several ways but is usually instigated by terrors such as
hangovers,
moaning females and
volcanic eruptions. Minor conditions such as
terminal illness and
bereavement have been reputed to be contributory factors but evidence of this has yet to be uncovered.