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#203926 12/30/11 07:45 AM
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The ethymological and unanswered question about how how we got from the bowl to the head reminds of the legend of Vikings using their ennemie's skulls as drinking bowl.
I found reference to this being a myth but to the allegation that it was the practice of nomad tribes of German origin.
This would lead me to think that the mazard (skull) use as a mazard (drinking bowl) is not that far fetched.
Ahh, the good old days when thinks were simple and recycling commonplace smile
Have a happy new year.

BERT #203934 12/30/11 07:05 PM
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welcome, Bert!!


formerly known as etaoin...
Buffalo Shrdlu #203969 12/31/11 05:23 PM
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Thanks for that, Bert - it is a very credible theory.


I'm immortal until proven otherwise
BERT #203970 12/31/11 07:05 PM
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and edible!


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BERT #203974 01/01/12 01:26 AM
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Are you callin' him an egghead?! wink

BERT #203986 01/01/12 03:13 AM
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OED has 1603 for the earliest use of mazard in the sense of 'head'. Sounds a little late for a derivation from Viking drinking practices. I think that just the general shape of the head would be a sufficient explanation.

Faldage #203997 01/02/12 01:12 PM
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Sounds a little late for a derivation from Viking drinking practices.

The only citation I am aware of your "enemies skull as drinking bowl" is from Herodotus about the Scythians. A connection bteween head and container/vessel of some kind is in Romance word for head from Vulgar Latin testa 'bowl' which replaced words derived from caput. English crazy comes from a potter's term crazed 'marked by little cracks (in the glaze)'.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
zmjezhd #204008 01/02/12 09:36 PM
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We have in Dutch the word "fruittest" , a fruit bowl with little holes in it to drain the water from the washed fruit.

Link

(dropped into the discussion like a pebble in a fruit bowl)

BranShea #204012 01/03/12 01:19 AM
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Similar to our colander , Bran...a perforated pan, usually bowl-shaped, for draining off liquids, as in washing fruit & vegetables, pasta and rice. But yours is prettier laugh

I thought the sports ball was originally a 'human head' so went searching and found this interesting article...

The Mesoamerican ballgame or Tlatchtli

The bit about human sacrifice is disturbing....glad I didn't play sport back then!

Candy #204016 01/03/12 07:46 AM
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A different ballgame. Thought it was about the link between head and bowl. Superbowl?

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