I've been seeing a lot of references to the search for the Higgs field recently no doubt due to the work going and CERN with the LHC. CERN physicist Tommaso Dorigo provides this wonder explanaiton of the Higgs field and Higgs Boson. Basically, the Higgs field is to water as the Higgs Boson is to the water molecule. The more a particle interacts with the Higgs field, the more mass it experiences. This similar to a sleek racing boat moving faster through water as compared to a tug that moves slower through the water.