the.com/stuffiness
the body's clumsy attempt to drown invaders, leaving you breathing through a clogged drinking straw.
means The condition of being congested or blocked, as in a nose that won't breathe freely; also, by extension, a state of being airless and oppressive or of being prim and humorlessly conventional.
from From "stuffy," itself from "stuff" plus the adjective ending "-y," with the noun-forming "-ness" stacked on top. "Stuff" came into English through Old French "estoffe" (material, furnishing, woven goods), and the sense slid from "packed full of material" toward "close, airless, hard to breathe in" — a room crammed with stuff has no room left for air. The figurative "stuffy" meaning a person too tightly packed with proper opinions to let any fresh thought in is a natural extension of the same image.
- swollen, not full
- Congestion is inflamed blood vessels, not excess mucus.
- nose rotates
- Nostrils alternate which one carries airflow, hours apart.
- taste casualty
- Blocked smell flattens flavor to near nothing.
- pillow fix
- Sleeping upright drains sinuses via simple gravity.
bbc newsnight studio — notoriously formal british current affairs program known for rigid decorum and uptight atmosphere since 1982
buckingham palace state rooms — formal royal residence in london requiring strict protocol, limited movement, and rigid etiquette from visitors
oxford union formal debates — oxford university society where speakers wear white tie and follow strict parliamentary procedure since 1823