#80627 - 09/22/02 04:22 PM
Re: Dick Whittington's Cat
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 01/18/01
Posts: 13858
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Brewer:
Whittington (See under Cat; alsoWittington .)
Riley in his Munimenta Gildhalla Londenensis (p. xviii.) says achat was used at the time for “trading” (i.e.
buying and selling), and that Whittington made his money by achat, called acat. We have the word in cater,
caterer.
As much error exists respecting Dick Whittington, the following account will be useful. He was born in
Gloucestershire, in the middle of the fourteenth century, and was the son of a knight of good property. He went
to London to learn how to become a merchant. His master was a relative, and took a great interest in the boy,
who subsequently married Alice, his master's daughter. He became very rich, and was four times Mayor of
London, but the first time was before the office was created Lord Mayor by Richard II. He died in 1423, during
his year of office, about sixty-three years of age.
I always thought the story of his getting rich by sending his cat to be sold in Algeria was stupid.
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#80628 - 09/22/02 04:25 PM
Re: whittle
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 01/18/01
Posts: 13858
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Brewer:
Whittle (A). A knife. (Anglo-Saxon kwytel, a knife; hwat, sharp or keen.)
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#80629 - 09/22/02 05:52 PM
Re: Welsh rabbit
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 09/30/01
Posts: 6296
Loc: Piedmont Region of Virginia, U...
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Don't you mix beer with the cheese?
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#80630 - 09/22/02 08:20 PM
Re: Welsh rabbit
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 01/18/01
Posts: 13858
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Dear WW: there are more recipes for Welsh rabbit than Carter has liver pills.
I think it was maverick said many recipes actually have rabbit in them UCLIU.
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#80631 - 09/23/02 06:55 AM
Aw, nuts!
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old hand
Registered: 01/12/01
Posts: 771
Loc: Portland, Oregon
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>Brewer:
Walnut [foreign nut ]. It comes from Persia, and is so called to distinguish it from those native to Europe, as hazel, filbert, chestnut. (Anglo-Saxon, walh, foreign; hnutu, nut.)
Hey wait a sec. I was raised to believe that hazelnut = filbert, coming from the biggest filbert-producing region in the US. Why the distinction here?
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#80632 - 09/23/02 07:08 AM
Re: Aw, nuts!
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 09/30/01
Posts: 6296
Loc: Piedmont Region of Virginia, U...
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There are hazelnuts indigenous to both Europe and North America--but the two nuts are different from each other..that is, if my memory is serving me well right now. I will look this up..
Same with walnuts--we have the American and the English walnut trees, both of which grow here in the USA. But I don't know whether the English walnut was introduced into the British Isles or was always native there. If always native there, then it was a foreign indigenous walnut tree--odd nomenclature when you think about it.
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#80633 - 10/07/02 01:27 PM
Re: au pair
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 01/18/01
Posts: 13858
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About ten years ago, there was a story about a British girl being found
guilty of causing death of child by shaking it. She was called an "au pair",
but definition or etymology was not given. I just found it:
au pair
NOUN:
A young foreigner who does domestic work for a family in exchange for room
and board and a chance to learn the family's language.
ETYMOLOGY:
French : au, at the + pair, equal.
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#80634 - 10/07/02 01:31 PM
Re: sojourn
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 01/18/01
Posts: 13858
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I just learned etymology of this word:
sojourn
vi.
ME sojournen < OFr sojorner < VL *subdiurnare < L sub3, under + diurnus, of a day: see JOURNEY6 to live somewhere temporarily, as on a visit; stay for a while
n.
a brief or temporary stay; visit
so4journ[er
n.
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#80635 - 10/08/02 05:45 AM
Re: au pair
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stranger
Registered: 05/20/00
Posts: 8
Loc: Milan, Italy
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In other words she was supposed to come out "even," i.e. was not to be paid. "Au pair" is a fancy word for "unpaid," essentially.
- ph
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#80636 - 10/08/02 08:48 AM
Re: au pair
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Carpal Tunnel
Registered: 01/18/01
Posts: 13858
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Unpaid, but supposed to be treated like one of the family, not like cheap hired help.
And if she were really treated like one of the family, she would get an allowance.
some recreation and clothing money.
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