On Jul 29, 6:36 pm, Blue Sow <janet.r...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> FCS wrote:
> > On Jul 28, 11:15 am, Blue Sow <janet.r...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >> FCS wrote:
> >>> On Jul 17, 10:09 am, Blue Sow <janet.r...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >>>> FCS wrote:
> >>> You've never heard of beef curtains I
> >>> take it?
> >> You take it correctly.
>
> > I didn't coin it. But I have heard it.
> > Similarly, I have heard other allusions
> > such as: "never eat rotten meat" used of
> > females specifically (although in the
> > generic sense it's probably more widely
> > used of males
>
> Might one enquire where you hear these phrases?
>
> > builder meat-head cliche recently recast
> > as The Himbo).
>
> Himbo?
> That is quite amusing as 'Bimbo' is Italian, meaning a (baby) boy.
> When referring to a girl ('blonde' or not) one might say 'bimba'.
> Thus 'himbo' seems to imply a male boy, which might be considered a
tautology.
>
> > For the record:
> > I did not ask people to throw such idioms
> > in my face,
>
> That is just as well, given what you imply they mean.
>
> > However I do refuse to not be
> > interested in any kind language use, one
> > way or another.
>
> And why should you?
>
> > As far as context goes, all sorts of people
> > say all sorts of things to tappesterres and
> > especially as the night goes on.
>
> Perhaps you could explain what the word 'tappesterres' means and from
which
> language it is taken.
English.
Either of the Spenserian or Chaucerian variety.
I'm tending to think Spenserian but will need to
spend some time with my nose in a book to verify.
Ad as I know I've seen it I'm not about to that
right now this minute.
In this instance I derived it from Tappestresse,
but the difference is purely in gender and the
licensed trades have more of a history of involving
both than tapestry weaving (seamstressing) does.
It may not be in widespread use now, with the norm
being to talk of barmen and barmaids--even bartender
(which is in the concise Oxford) and barkeep (which
isn't) both have distinctly transatlantic resonances.
Again, a word which has led to interplay as there
have been technological developments in that once
there were wooden casks of beer behind the bar that
had a tap from which jugs were drawn whereas now
the tendency is for some kind of pumping mechanism
often gas-aided from a pressurised keg, and these
are referred to simply as pumps.
Get behind the scenes in the cellar, however, and
there are the processes such as racking, tapping
and venting in the preparation of casks. There is
however not an electric pump I've seen which does
not have a tap on it of some kind for priming and
other purposes--even if automatically activated.
It has the disadvantage that it has is no gender-
neutral form, but nicely implies a level of some
expertise that falls between the extremes of simply
pulling pints and running the shop.
It's also a nice term to have at hand for historical
fiction. If I've brought to bear on it a form which
isn't there in (late-) Middle English would you know
the correct ending?
> >> I have not heard (or read) that phrase until this moment.
> >> Neither has the on-line OED (as recommended elsewhere in this group).
>
> > Its usage has been informal in my experience
> > so far, yes. Although I may have seen it in
> > print, or something very similar, I could not
> > stand before a judge and state I definitely have.
>
> Informal usage is not a barrier to acceptance into the OED. The amount
of use
> is a determinant so perhaps if someone else uses it, it may yet achieve
glory.
Not making it into print is though.
> > (i.e., no one who posts here
> > had heard of it it seems).
>
> I doubt that anyone who posts here is surprised by that.
>
> --
> Blue Sow
G DAEB
COPYRIGHT (C) 2007 SIPSTON
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