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#121892 02/03/04 01:42 PM
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Norman Schur mentions, as a gloss, that the Bacchanalian statue was that of a large erection (nothing attached?); so in its original and literal use, ithyphallic pertained to this artifact (ithys, straight + phallos, phallus). But it came to mean "lewd, obscene, grossly indecent, shameless" in general use.


#121893 02/03/04 02:42 PM
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Yes, I understand. I was just ruminating on the fig-leaf prudery of the shifted meaning. Now on to the etymology. Greek phallos is related to Latin follis 'leather bag, punching bag, bellows', English ballocks (from OE bealloc 'scrotum'), and Irish balc (unglossed, Hibernicus?). Greek ithus 'straight' has one Sanskrit cognate: sAdhati 'to come to the goal'.


#121894 02/03/04 02:52 PM
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It's interesting that English fecal 'of, relating to, or composed of feces' (A-H) comes from the Latin word fæx, -ces, 'dregs, lees, sediment', cogante with our dregs. And our excrement comes from a Latin word excrementum 'refuse; what passes out of the body' that was not confined to ordure, but included spittle and snot.


#121895 02/03/04 03:48 PM
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Is there any connection, etymological or other, to the Greek fertility god Priapus?


#121896 02/04/04 03:27 AM
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Is there any connection, etymological or other, to the Greek fertility god Priapus?

AS-- Do you mean with ithyphallic? Well, there's no accepted etymology for Priapos the ithyphallic god of fertility and gardens. So, I guess, no. Chantraine (who wrote a comprehensive Greek etymological dictionary) says "Pas d'etymologie." He also suggests that Priapos was imported, like many another Greek god, from Asia Minor. I saw a great Priapus in Pompey back in '76. The guard, for a small pour-bois, would unlock a little door behind which was a little statue of the god with his member erect and slightly longer than he was tall. (Luckily for me, the two little old ladies from the Midwest in front of me paid, so I tailgated in on their tip.) According to archeologists they were common in Roman gardens and acted as scarecrows. (I think Horace mentions one of these statues of wood cracking and making quite a noise.) We get the word priapism a medical condition 'persistent and usually painful erection'. Some great words in Greek are: priapiskos 'dilator or suuppository (for the anus); perineal peg; plug (for the nose)', priapiskotes 'shaped like the membrum virile', and priapistai 'worshippers of Priapos'. The Romans, not to be left behind, have priapus vitreus 'a drinking vessel of obscene shape', and priapus siligenius 'a cake of the same shape'. I've seen items that could be their modern descendents. Not sure what they're called.

Another great book for the wordhoarder is J N Adams, The Latin Sexual Vocabulary. Full of all kinds of great dirty words and a good stocking stuffer (Freud forfend!) for any budding classicist.


#121897 02/04/04 02:16 PM
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priapus siligenius 'a cake of the same shape'

in the 1960's there were several recipes for a cakes, (usually a yeasted cake)
that were baked in coffee cans (1 lb size coffee cans)
the cake would rise up, and swell as extended past the the edge of the can, and would naturally form a rounded top.

recipes for these 'cakes' could be found in all the nice womens' magazines.

I used to think it quite funny.


#121898 02/04/04 02:55 PM
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Greek phallos is related to Latin follis 'leather bag, punching bag, bellows', English ballocks (from OE bealloc 'scrotum'), and Irish balc (unglossed, Hibernicus?).
The word "ballocks" or "bollocks" I had always assumed to be formed from "ball", but your source suggests it's related to words for bags and bellows.

The Irish word you list is probably modern Irish "bolg" meaning "belly". "Belly" itself looks like a cognate, and if so the semantic connection to a leather bag is by no means unreasonable.


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Belly:
Etymology: Middle English bely bellows, belly, from Old English belg bag, skin; akin to Old High German balg bag, skin, Old English blAwan to blow

Blow:
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English blAwan; akin to Old High German blAen to blow, Latin flare, Greek phallos penis

Which brings us full circle, really.


#121900 02/04/04 03:14 PM
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always assumed to be formed from "ball",

Perhaps not formed from, but certainly related to:

http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE51.html

Along with balloon, ballot, and, modesty forbids me from saying, Fool.


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I'd always wondered where the term blow job came from...


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