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Joined:  Oct 2000 Posts: 5,400 Carpal Tunnel |  
| Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Oct 2000 Posts: 5,400 | 
mugs, or drinking vessels?
 on a recent Antiques Roadshow (US/PBS version--oregon)--some one showed up with a copper and silver trophy--it was a large hammered copper vessel, with ornate silver scrollwork at the base, and three handles--made from stags horns.
 
 the expert appraiser said it was a sort of tyg
 
 Onelook has only one listing for the word tyg... and that listing defines a tyg as a 12 handled vessel.
 
 so... has anyone here (hi tsuwm!) ever heard of a tyg? anyone have a dictionary that list a tyg?  and why a tyg?  any other words with tyg as part of the word?
 
 (any care besides me? its a good scrabble word for sure!)
 
 
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Joined:  Sep 2000 Posts: 2,788 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Sep 2000 Posts: 2,788 | 
I picture such a vessel in the hands of a Viking and the word looks Nordic, as well.  
 
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Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 | 
Brick & Mortar OED has it:
 A name said to have been formerly given in the Staffordshire potteries to a porringer; now applied by antiquaries and collectors to a drinking-cup with two or more handles, attributed to the 17th and 18th c.
 
 Now, let's look up porringer:
 
 A small basin or similar vessel of metal, earthenware, or wood, from which soup, broth, porridge, children's food, etc., is eaten.
 
 
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Joined:  Sep 2000 Posts: 2,788 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Sep 2000 Posts: 2,788 | 
There were a lot of Vikings in Staffordshire, right?
 
 
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Joined:  Mar 2005 Posts: 17 stranger |  
|   stranger Joined:  Mar 2005 Posts: 17 | 
After consulting several swedish and multilingual dictionaries, I found only one meaning for the word tyg: cloth, fabric. In Norwegian, the verb tygge also means to chew, but this is the only reference to eating and drinking that I could find with my rather poor Swedish skills. However, I did find a picture from an English website which was similar to your description:http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/Tiffany/metal02_larger.html Kinda puzzling, I'd say. Hope someone has an access to something that could explain where the word tyg has come to English... |  |  |  
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Joined:  Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 Pooh-Bah |  
|   Pooh-Bah Joined:  Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 | 
How does one drink out of a 12 handled mug? For that matter, why does one drink out of a 12 handled mug? (Fill it too often and you'd see 24.)
 
 
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Joined:  Sep 2000 Posts: 48 newbie |  
|   newbie Joined:  Sep 2000 Posts: 48 | 
*laughing at Zed's post*
 Filling it just often enough, I'd say.
 
 
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Joined:  Mar 2002 Posts: 1,692 Pooh-Bah |  
|   Pooh-Bah Joined:  Mar 2002 Posts: 1,692 | 
Hope someone has an access to something that could explain where the word tyg has come to English... ~ Miia
 
 The twelve-handled mug was originally used in jury rooms.  It was grasped by each of the jurors to demonstrate their agreement on a verdict. By custom it was filled with strong mead to help the jurors to relax and, by each taking a drink in turn, heal any wounded feelings resulting from the arguments necessary to reaching the verdict.  After the twelfth man had drained the last of the mead they could depart in peace and camaraderie.  Tyg is an acronym for twelve yeoman’s gill, a gill being a fluid measure in some districts reckoned as a quarter pint and in others as a half pint.
 
 
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Joined:  Mar 2005 Posts: 500 addict |  
|   addict Joined:  Mar 2005 Posts: 500 | 
I was actually thinking the word looked Welsh - dunno why that should cross my mind. 
 
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Joined:  Oct 2000 Posts: 5,400 Carpal Tunnel |  
| Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Oct 2000 Posts: 5,400 | 
gill is a 1/4  pint (4 oz)--or it has been all my life-- a half gill is 2 oz, (or a large 'shot') In US a shot (of whiskey) is defined as 1.5 ounces.. (pint,-16 oz,  half pint-8oz.,  gill-4 oz., , half gill-2 oz.)
 
 well the tyg on the show, wasn't a 24 oz (12 X 2) mug! --in fact, it was a trophy for the best in show Spanniel at a dog show.
 
 
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Joined:  Sep 2000 Posts: 2,788 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Sep 2000 Posts: 2,788 | 
Words in the Welsh language, being composed entirely of numerous consonants, continue to confound.  
 
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Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 | 
The twelve-handled mug was originally used in jury rooms. It was grasped by each of the jurors to demonstrate their agreement on a verdict. By custom it was filled with strong mead to help the jurors to relax and, by each taking a drink in turn, heal any wounded feelings resulting from the arguments necessary to reaching the verdict. After the twelfth man had drained the last of the mead they could depart in peace and camaraderie. Tyg is an acronym for twelve yeoman’s gill, a gill being a fluid measure in some districts reckoned as a quarter pint and in others as a half pint. Thank you! [bow]
 
 
 
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Joined:  Sep 2000 Posts: 48 newbie |  
|   newbie Joined:  Sep 2000 Posts: 48 | 
Talk about grand jury duty....
 
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Joined:  Jul 2000 Posts: 3,467 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jul 2000 Posts: 3,467 | 
And it ain't even April Fool's Day!
 
 
 TEd
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Joined:  Mar 2005 Posts: 500 addict |  
|   addict Joined:  Mar 2005 Posts: 500 | 
Ahh, a tyg for a tyke!And thanks, dixbie, for that enlightening bit of trivia!
 
 
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Joined:  Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 Pooh-Bah |  
|   Pooh-Bah Joined:  Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 | 
they could depart in peace and camaraderieas opposed to a tyg of war
 [I tried to resist, honest I did]
 
 
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Joined:  Mar 2005 Posts: 17 stranger |  
|   stranger Joined:  Mar 2005 Posts: 17 | 
Thanks dxb! Never could have thought of that explanation, I sincerely thought tyg was a loan word from some Nordic language... Live and learn   |  |  |  
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Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 | 
Thanks dxb! Never could have thought of that explanation, I sincerely thought tyg was a loan word from  some Nordic language... Live and learn 
 Is that the Finnish line, Miia? [/oops]
 
 
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Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 | 
How bout a poll here?  How many of y'all bought dxb's fascinating fable?
 
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Joined:  Mar 2005 Posts: 500 addict |  
|   addict Joined:  Mar 2005 Posts: 500 | 
How many of y'all bought dxb's fascinating fable?I did. Totally plausible. Why, is it not true? Dixbie, you wouldn't put us on, would you?
 
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Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 | 
I do believe that ole shaggy dog caught on right quick...   takes one to know one! 
 
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Joined:  Sep 2000 Posts: 4,757 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Sep 2000 Posts: 4,757 | 
You guys are kidding, right?
 
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Joined:  Jul 2000 Posts: 3,467 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jul 2000 Posts: 3,467 | 
One thing I have learned here is that acronyms are a twentieth century invention, so when you see one like the yeoman's gill or feloneous use, carnal knowledge, you should be very skeptical.
 
 
 TEd
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Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 | 
acronyms are a twentieth century invention
 Maybe not quite a twentieth century invention.  There has been spotted a pre-twentieth claim of an acronymic origin for 'tip' as in what one gives to waiters.  That it is not the case that 'tip' has an acronymic origin is beside the point.  The fact that someone in the nineteenth century thought it was would indicate that pre-twentieth acronymic origins were not unknown.
 
 
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Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 1,027 old hand |  
|   old hand Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 1,027 | 
why does one drink out of a 12 handled mug? In those dark ages, people didn't wash their hands quite as often as today. If several people were drinking from the mug in turn, they wanted to avoid catching a nasty bug from the neighbor  . |  |  |  
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Joined:  Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 Pooh-Bah |  
|   Pooh-Bah Joined:  Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 | 
If several people were drinking from the mug in turn, they wanted to avoid catching a nasty bug from the neighbor.That would account for 12 spouts but not 12 handles.
 
 PS did you know that there are enough medieval dribble glasses that people today collect them?  If you knew which air hole to block you could drink dribble free and then laugh at your friends.  So much for the theory of evolution (of humour)
 
 
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Joined:  Sep 2000 Posts: 4,757 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Sep 2000 Posts: 4,757 | 
> to avoid catching a nasty bug
 Hence the traditional country game called Bug Err Your Neighbour  :)
 
 
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Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 | 
avoid catching a nasty bug from the neighbor
 Not to mention, in the dark ages the folk didn't have the foggiest idea about 'nasty bugs'.
 
 
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Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 | 
who noticed that wsieber and Zed were, you know, fooling around?
 
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Joined:  Mar 2005 Posts: 500 addict |  
|   addict Joined:  Mar 2005 Posts: 500 | 
Nope - I noticed, and just sat here chuckling. I like the idea of a mediaeval dribble glass, though. I want to make a puzzle jug - I've seen mediaeval examples. The neck of the jug is pierced - usually built to look like a tower with windows or something - but the liquid still comes out the spout at the top. I need to find out how they did that and make one.....
 
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Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 | 
Heh. I knew  we had something in common, Mizz Lizardbreath.   know the reference? It's a Canadian comic strip 
 
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Joined:  Mar 2005 Posts: 500 addict |  
|   addict Joined:  Mar 2005 Posts: 500 | 
yep, I know that one. Rumours are she's going to retire, but I have inside info that says she never will.
 
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