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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread gully #109973 08/14/2003 5:44 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 I'm re-reading "Treasure Island". The when the mysterious ex-pirate who was a guest at the Admiral Benbow Inn, died after recieving the "black spot", Jim Hawkins' mother in searching the pirate's chest to get the money he owed her, found a "gully". I never heard of a knife by that name, but it is in my dictionary, the second definition: gully 1 n., pl. 3lies 5altered < ME golet, water channel, orig., GULLET6 a channel or hollow worn by running water; small, narrow ravine vt. 3lied, 3ly[ing to make a gully or gullies in gully 2 n., pl. 3lies 5< ?6 [Brit.] a large knife Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: gully #109974 10/25/2003 9:24 PM Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... This is a creepy word for a knife, really. Especially if you consider a murderer gullying a victim with a gully (knife). And even curiouser--as English is--that a gull is such a lovely bird and hasn't much at all to do with either knife or a gully unless one factors in water. I don't suppose there is a linguistic connection between the seagull and the ravine gully, is there? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: gully #109975 10/31/2003 1:46 AM Joined: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 British Columbia, Canada Zed Pooh-Bah Zed Pooh-Bah Joined: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 British Columbia, Canada and to gull someone is to fool them or con them out of something. The birds aren't that tricky they just grab and go. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: gully #109976 10/31/2003 8:38 AM Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 1,692 UK dxb Pooh-Bah dxb Pooh-Bah Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 1,692 UK And if they are liable to be gulled then they are gullible. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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