In the discussion of 'words that mean drunk', I was reminded of the Australian word 'pissed' having that meaning. One of the board trolls mentioned it as well.
This reminded me of my trip to Australia when I was a teenager. I was horribly embarrassed and almost boarded the next plane when the first night there I explained to an older quite refined lady that I did indeed root for the Chicago Bears. Not long after watching her go into shock and dismiss herself from the conversation did I learn that Aussies typically use the word 'root' as we would use that dirty 'f' word instead of the term 'have sex with'.
I guess in essence I had told the old lady that I enjoyed screwing the Chicago Bears.
Ain't dialect swell?
Would that have made you an ursal running back clawback?
Bear re-guards,
DubDub
imagine how pleased I was to find that a major sense of this word is a flatterer, sycophant -- I shall add it to my "toady list" forthwith!
1549 Latimer 2nd Serm. bef. Edw. VI (Arb.) 64 These flattering clawbackes are originall rotes of all mischyue. 1589 Warner Alb. Eng. v. xxv. 125 [It] doth make thy Foes to smile, Thy friends to weepe, and Clawbacks thee with Soothings to beguile. 1658 Ussher Ann. vi. 403 By the persuasion of some Claw-backs of the Court. a1693 Urquhart Rabelais iii. iii. 38 These are my Flatterers,+my Clawbacks, my Saluters. 1881 Leicestersh. Gloss. (E.D.S.) Claw-back, a flatterer; parasite; ‘toad-eater’. a1913 F. Rolfe Desire & Pursuit (1934) x. 93 The puffers and earwigs and clawbacks and parasites surrounding her.
Forsooth, me thoughts me found the word on your list, tsuwm!
I thought a clawback was enthusiastic half of twobacked beast. Internet has many sites using it for the difficult task of getting money back from insurance, IRS, etc.
>me found the word on your list...
you're too right... must have been one of them senior moments I keep hearing about.
tsuwm, me been habben them senior moments since me be about three.
Another one of yours I like is the archaic (according to your walt pontitsuwminous self) limberham. A limberham is most often defined as a toad-eating babirussa.
Beast regards,
WaltHog
rotes of all mischyue
Wha...?
Jackie, I'd guess "roots of all mischief," and, if correct, this is indeed a radical thread!
DubDub
Suddenly, Take Me Out to the Ballgame takes on a whole new meaning.
Play ball! Woohooo!
Sparteye, you're so right!
But the crowd is often so incorrect. When I teach this song to my little kids, they want to stone me because I like teaching the lyrics as they were first composed:
Take me out to the ball....game
Take me out with the crowd. (Little kids wanna sing "to the crowd.)
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack (Little kids wanna sing "Cracker Jacks)
I don't care if if we never get back! (Little kids: if I never get back)
So let's root, root, root for the home team.
If they don't win it's a shame...
and the rest is fine other than little kids don't want to feel the two rests that follow "One!" and "Two!" Kids operate on a constantly accelerating inner metronome that we grown-ups could use Monday mornings.
Beat regards,
WW
Suddenly, Take Me Out to the Ballgame takes on a whole new meaning.
Also gives a whole new meaning for "to make the team".
Apparently the Aussie matron thought that Chemeng had made the team, and so said matron, not being a sports-lover, deracinated her from the conversation.
No wonder that down through most of history it was considered imperative to have a "root cellar" for the storage of, uh, tubular vegetables.
I root for rooting in the root cellar! How 'bout you?
I've heard theres fun guys in root cellars.
I've heard theres fun guys in root cellars.
Well, I know that ol' Whit. is a fun WO'N, and he just said he's rooting for rooting in the root cellar, so...[waggling eyebrows e]
I have heard mention of the USn's drinking "root beer." Which I always assumed meant beer made from some sort of root - but now I wonder - - -
Root beer was originally made from sassaphras tree roots. (Not sure of the spelling of sassaphras--sassiphras? sassyphras?).
But more interesting than its roots are its leaves. The leaves have three distinct shapes: one, ovoicd; one, a mitten shape with a thumb sticking out from the oval; third, a mutant mitten, with a thumb and a finger sticking out on the opposite side. These trees are indiginous to America and very common in the woods here in Virginia. ZZZZzzzzzsports ZZZZZzzzzzfishing is a bore for many to watch on TV, but I think sports spotting of trees would be a great replacement sport. I eagerly wait for the time someone will begin to televize a program dedicated to woods romps in which a jolly field guide takes the TV audience on a walk each week to spot species of trees. I, for one, would be glued in front of the tube!
Best regards,
WoodsWind
sassafrass root were the major ingredient in root beer, but not the only one-- birch (and birch beer can still be found if you search. ) and other root where part of the mix
back in the '70s, the US Food and Drug Administration decided that sassafrass roots were carciogenic (sp?)-- cancer causing.. and banned there use in food. now days, most root beer is made from artifical flavors, and its not nearly as good.
many old reproduction cookbooks include recipes for root beer-- but for the old fashioned kind.. made with sassafrass, ginger, birch and sassprarilla roots, and fermented with yeast! i made a batch one. it was very strongly flavored, but not to much alcohol.
sassafrass leaves are dried and ground up, and used to make a thickener (a vegetable gum) that is used in gumbo. i have 100 baby sassafrass trees in my yard now.. when a sassafrass is cut down, it sent up new shoots form its roots! it is like some demon out of myth!
Sassafras was among the few things sent back to England by the colonists, who were confident that its very pleasant gragrance meant it might be a valuable medication. We made rootbeer when I was small. It was hard in those days to cap the bottles properly to keep CO2 from blowing stopper out. And after about three days the sugar had been used up, and it didn't taste as good. It was only in our imagination an alcoholic beverage.
And, of course, Count Dracula was famous for his
root bier. "I vant to suck your, uh, blood."
And I don't even want to mention
rootin' tootin'!
sassafrass When we were kids we used to pick the leaves off sassafrass trees and chew their stems for the flavor. That's why I think the carcinogenic warning on this particular item is off the mark.
And in the historic village where I work we have a kettle cookin' sassafrass root beer in demonstration over an open fire all season long. Root beer of any kind (sassafrass, birch, etc.) naturally ferments to a mild proof (about 4% alcohol). Beer of all kinds was viewed and used as a nutritious food for centuries [note the kegs of beer they stored on the Mayflower for breakfast nourishment]. It wasn't until the late 19th Century that innkeepers began to brew beer with a higher alcohol content for recreational consumption. But two years ago we stored the sassafrass beer in a barrel after brewing it in May, and didn't open it again until the July employee picnic. I think they also increased the fermentation with yeast. You didn't have to drink, all you had to do was
smell it!...It was like grain alcohol! And what was left was allowed to stand until this year in the same barrel...phew! Talk about "rot-gut" booze!
Whitty, thanks for not mentioning rootin' tootin'!
Speaking of kegs, I remember hearing a lecture on the different uses of white and black oak. One was better for use in kegs and barrels, but I've forgotten which. Any takers here?
Also, thanks for the spelling of sassafras. And also for mention of birch and sassparilla in root beer.
Beer regards,
Woodwind
And the way these root things are being spelled, I think you all have had too much beer.
Not 5.9 beer, either.
root bier
Good WO'N!
Rootin' tootin'?! Ohmigawd! You've sent me rollin'...
Rollin' in my sweet baby's arms,
Rollin' in my sweet baby's arms; (yeah)
I'll lay around that shack
Till the mail train comes back, (yeah)
I'm rollin' in my sweet baby's arms. [music notes icon]
Well, what can I say? You-all know to watch out, if I get onto stream-of-consciousness posting...
Warning! A big tangent headed your way!
Jackie, speaking of stream-of-consciousness, (I detest beer), what's all this fuss about "Scotch and soda...a jigger of gin"? That sounds really gross to me. Is this a combination that was commonly ordered at some point in drinking history, or was it created just for the rhyme in the song?
Virginia bourbon is best,
DubDub, a heeltapper
How did a perfectly good feelthy thread get converted to weak sassafras tea?
With dr. bill, of all people, contributing to said castration?
Virginia bourbon is best
WHA-AT?? Uh-uh, no WAY, lady! Them's fightin' words; EVERYbody knows that Kentucky bourbon is the best, hands down, no questions asked, enuff said!
White oak, Quercus alba is the species used for barrels. I have exported many tons of white oak blanks to be used for barrel staves and heads. European coopers import white oak pieces to make wine barrels. White oak has virtually disppeared from Europe, so it has to be imported.
Virginia bourbon/Kentucky bourbonOkay, ladies!...Southern mint juleps at 10 paces, please! Choose your seconds! [ducking for cover
fast-e!]
Of course, Jack from Tennesse just might have somethin' to say about all this.
Thanks, BoBY, for setting me straight about the Quercus alba fact. The oaks are a constant source of inspiration for me.
I'd much rather sip mint juleps and chat with Jackie than pace off! I'm not a fighter, but one could do worse than sip mint juleps, with Virginia bourbon or any other.
Heh, tsuwm, care to comment upon julep? Wasn't that a famous song of Tiny Tim's? "Sip So Through the Juleps?"
Sip So Through the JulepsOhmigawd! Oh, I love you--I am
rolling! Sure, I'll organize that little excursion--as long as I'm not a participant: I hate bourbon! Strewth! There's very little alcohol that I like; Goldschlager being a notable exception. (Cinnamon shnapps--it's
hot, even straight from the freezer: dee-ee-licious!)
BobY, you reminded me of a phrase I used to hear fairly frequently: cash on the barrelhead.
Where'd that come from, please?
<pointedly ignoring tiny quibble>
I can tell you that a julep was originally just a sweet drink (from an arabic word for rose-water), US'nized with brandy, whiskey, etc.
Jackie, bring me champagne and WW bring me wine. You gurls duel it out and I'll snuggle into the roots of the gentle trees with no morels.[wood nymph-e]
Well, if we're talking champagne, that's altogether different. I change my mind. Champagne it is. A bottle I'll bring to you, Consuelo, if you'll consider sharing your morels. Inside or outside the fairy ring, doesn't matter much to me.
Mush room = required by all good huskies.
Which thread am I on? I'm confused.
WW
There can be no honest controversy here, ladies; the answer is incontrovertible and beyond debate. Perhaps Ogden Nash said it best, as he so often did (emphasis added):
There is something about a mint julep.
It is nectar imbibed in a dream
As fresh as the bud of the tulip,
As cool as the bed of a stream.
There is something about a mint julep.
A fragrance beloved by the lucky,
And perhaps it's the tint
Of the frost and the mint,
But I think it was born in Kentucky.
Of course, Jack from Tennesse just might have somethin' to say about all this.http:////www.straightbourbon.com/faq.html#1: FAQ's:
5. Why is this whiskey called bourbon? It takes its name from Bourbon County, located in the central Bluegrass region of Kentucky. It was formed from Fayette county in 1785 while still a part of Virginia and named to honor the French Royal Family
6. Is Jack Daniel's a bourbon? Jack Daniel's, is not considered a bourbon because it is charcoal-mellowed ... the process, called the Lincoln County Process ... But up to and after the charcoal filtering, the Jack Daniel's production is much the same as any other Bourbon. Jack Daniel's and George Dickel are two fine Tennessee Whiskeys though neither can be called bourbon.
12. Why isn't Jack Daniel's or George Dickel listed on this site? Because they are not bourbon. They are both Tennessee sour mash whiskies.As to the legalese: http://www.straightbourbon.com/articles/ccname.html, about 4/5 of the way down the page:
Today, 'bourbon' has a specific legal meaning that has little to do with its geographic origins. According to federal law, bourbon must be at least 51% corn, distilled at less than 160 proof, and aged for at least two years in new, charred oak barrels. (There are some other requirements, but those are the main ones.) Bourbon also must be made within the United States. In other words, a foreign product that meets all of the other requirements still can not be sold in the U.S. as bourbon.
Contrary to popular belief, there has never been a legal requirement that bourbon be made in Kentucky, which is why most Kentucky producers call their product 'Kentucky Bourbon.' Today there are very few examples of non-Kentucky bourbon left, but Virginia Gentleman is one.
Dear Max, thank you kindly, my friend. (You too, Keiva.)
Ah
told you-all there weren't no doubt about it.
Consuelo, I shall be happy to bring you champagne--or whatever. But--just be careful which tree you pick, 'cause if it isn't strictly upright, it may be a-morel...
And, dear consuelo, avoid amanita phalloides. They look......interesting, but are not to be trifled with.
The esteemed Odgen Nash ["Reflections on Ice-Breaking"] will serve to link this whiskey discussion back to the original subject of "rooting":
Candy
Is Dandy
But liquor
Is quicker.
And, dear consuelo, avoid amanita phalloides. They look......interesting, but are not to be trifled with.But can they be truffled with?
They certainly sound.....interesting. But are they rooted?
According to federal law
And why does the federal law care about the specifications of bourbon? There are also strict rules about beer in Germany, but I'm still confused as to why the government cares. Does it have something to do with a copyright on the name? I can't imagine any court cases that would bring this up? Did someone sue because he got only 50% "bourbon"?
bring me champagne and bring me wine
Perhaps 'suelo is politely and steganographically modifying a Christmas-season quote from Good King Wenceslas, trusting that we will read it in its unexpurgated form: "bring me flesh and bring me wine."
But I think it was born in Kentucky.Thanks, Keiva! As usual, Nashian perspective comes through!
Jackie wins! You can put your tumblers away ladies! (Unless your up for a little recreational mixing).
And, yes, Jack Daniels is sour mash...I really should know that, but I haven't met Jack in a while. Could be some of the brain cells he confiscated along the way!
But he was right there in the neighborhood, so I thought it only fitting he should give y'all a peep.
back to the original subject of "rooting"
Would a foursome make a
square root?
Well, really, it's apparent that Virginia has taken a beating because of limited point of view here. It's also clear from what Keiva posted that the original bourbon had roots in Virginia and was created by Virginians.
Please don't pfffffft! on Virginia--it's me home sweet home and it pains me to have it pfffffffted. Beware whiskey rebellions! I wouldn't pfffffft on anybody's state. These are cruel letters indeed. Heh, can you play 'em in Scrabble? How many f's are there in Scrabble?
Huffing and puffing,
WordWind, TSTTW three sheets...
There ain't no "f"s in "Scrabble" - leastways, not the way it's spelt here!
Clever response, Rhuby. I repeat with modification, since this is word play and fun, how many tiles with the letter "f" are in the game Scrabble?
WW
Nay, Dub Dub, I disbelieve that. The last time I checked, the ONLY place that could make bourbon whiskey was Bourbon County, Kentucky.
Two of the best whiskies made in the US are, though, Virginia Gentleman and Fairfax County Gentleman, both produced by the A. Smith Bowman Distilleries in Fairfax County, Virginia. But they are sold as whiskey, not bourbon.
TEd
Who would love to have a sip or two of the Fairfax County Gentleman whiskey. It is (or was) a semi-private blend if I recall correctly.
Edited after reading hte rest of the thread!
I sit corrected by Keiva, who, as a officer of the court, is an honorable man and who seems to know whereof he speaks. But I still wouldn't mind a sip of FCG!
T