Words: Winsome, adj.

THOSE OF us who sit through the credits are invariably rewarded not only with details of who sang what but also with names that no scriptwriter would dare invent - or producer allow above the title. Somebody with a hand in the sprightly Antz has the killer surname Posthumus and the dismal Sex and the City at least yields the name Winsome.

Doubtless, in her own case, many a date has ended with one or other thinking, ruefully or otherwise, "You win some . . ." It derives from the Old English for joy, and sum meant productive of. The word is overlooked by Johnson - it underwent a hiatus between the Middle Ages and the 18th century, when it returned, with the current meaning of pleasant on the eye, via northern dialect. Quite a chat-up line.