Today I saw a group of schoolchildren playing outside. They had been divided into red and blue teams by means of pieces of cloth that fit over the head, then tie around the waist. As I looked at them, the word "pinnies" popped into my head: that's what they were called way back when I was in school. I hadn't thought of that word for decades, I am sure; I got to wondering about nostalgia making one's memory better. And then I got to...hang on, I'd better put my starting questions:
Did anyone else here wear "pinnies"?
Has anyone else ever had an experience of coming across something for the first time in a long time, and having a long-forgotten memory triggered? Hmm--better say word memory, I think.
Ok--then I got to wondering about nostalgia. Is nostalgia only used when we refer to happy memories? Because most of my school days were not all that pleasant.
A pinnie for your thoughts?
Never worn one myself, in my mind they're an item of female clothing. My sister had one for her cookery classes. Short for pinafore.
Bingley
Is nostalgia only used when we refer to happy memories? - curiously enough, this seems to be the case, even though the word contains
algos (=pain). Is there a part of masochism in nostalgia
?
many phys ed depts and sports teams use pinnies. a pinnie is usually a lightweight, mesh, vest-like pullover.
It revives memories for me, too Jackie. My Mother always referred to her protective household wear as her "pinnie", whether it was a tie-on apron, which just covered the front of her skirt, or her coverall, which was a sleeveless coat.
As to nostalgia, I associate the term only with happy memories, but especially the sort that make you sad because they have gone and will never return. (Sometimes because the other people involved have done just that.)
And nostos is from the Greek meaning 'return home' (< neomai 'to come back, return'). For me nostalgia always involves a little pain. The memories themselve are happy, but the longing is not. Cf. English homesickness, German Heimweh, and Brazilian saudade.
i'd say pinnies are short for pinafores, (i didn't check the link) and a pinafore is a type apron --one with a bib up to the chest, and the front bib was pinned on to your dress bodice or shirt (it was pinned on the fore (or front) of your clothing)
i don't call the kind of apron that is more like a dress coat (sleeveless or short sleeved, snap closure down the front a 'models coat' (models wear them between clothing changes) a short coat/jacket of the same style (especially if it had a shoulder yoke and gathers below) a smock, and most others things aprons.
pinafore's are to me, not an apron but an apron stlye of clothing, often worn by children! some have 'bibs', some have yokes and front's and backs (like the ones worn by the 'little house on the praire' kids) they can be worn with a simple blouse or over a dress.
and as for nostalgia, yes, even painful memories can invoke nostalgia.
For me nostalgia always involves a little pain.
Homesickness can be resolved by returning home (although that may not be an acceptable option). Nostalgia, to me, is a memory of things, times, people, that cannot be brought back or revisited and that is where the sadness lies.
Homesickness can be resolved by returning home
In my experience, returning home is not possible. It's not just a place, but a time and a place, and people. And that time has been lost, except in memories. And that place is quite different today. And those people have passed on. Oh, well, we have the present ...
Thanks, eta; your link shows what it looked like the kids were wearing. And, jheem, The memories themselve are happy, but the longing is not. hit my point exactly: would we ever be nostalgic for a time when we were unhappy?
Your post just above also hit home (eh, no pun intended) for me: returning home is not possible. It's not just a place, but a time and a place, and people. Graduate school was one of the most intense, and intensely rewarding, experiences in my life, and I was quite saddened when I realized at the end that, even if we all turned around right then and did it all over again, with all the same students and all the same teachers, it wouldn't be the same. SIGH...
A saying about the Irish:
"All their wars are merry and all their songs are sad"
This just popped into my head when I read the discussion. Now what made that happen? And what possible relevance does it have? It's gonna be one of those days, isn't it?
I would say an apron is tied round the waist, while a similar garment with a bib tied round the neck could be an apron or pinnie. As it happened I was having dinner with some friends last night, and our host greeted us wearing such a garment. After some discussion, we all (males in our 40s and 50s from the UK and Australia) agreed that our mothers might well refer to it as a pinny. Those with kids opined that their daughters would not.
Father Steve, your link requests a member name and password.
Bingley
Father Steve, your link requests a member name and password.
If one smushes the "cancel" button five times, the little box requiring a password goes away and one may read the detailed and interesting article.
By using the masonic handshake I got access to the text but not alas to the illustrations.
Bingley
Dear Jheem
Is this the same as Portuguese, or has it evolved its own vocabulary in Brasil?
cheer
the sunshine warrior
It's also Portuguese, as far as I know, shanks. Fado music is full of saudade.
I'll check and make sure.
a recent tune on Radio Paradise was
Sodade, by Cesaria Évora...
Yeah! Probably a local alternate spelling.
(deft cross-thread there, eta)
I meant to type Brazilian Portuguese, but dropped the latter word. I've always heard about it in reference to Brazilian Portuguese, but the new world probably got it from the old one.
Actually, these headband things were invented over 2000 years ago when Alexander the Great was trying to conquer the known world. He discovered early on that large-scale troop movements were impossible to coordinate without some sort of color coding. He and his generals came up with headbands that changed color after varying amounts of time, so he could tell some of his troops that they were in reserve for an hour, and had to attack when the headbands turned green, while others had to attack after say three hours when their headbands turned orange.
This of course, we know today as Alexander's Rag Time Bands.