LL-L 'Highlands connections' 2006.10.07 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 07 October 2006 * Volume 02
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From: John Duckworth [johncduckworth at yahoo.co.uk]
Subject: LL-L. 'Etymology' [E / D]

Dear Ron and other Lowlanders,
 
so nice to have resubscribed to the List after a considerable break.
 
I wonder if any of you can enlighten me about something that has been puzzling me
for a week or two. I answered a question on an online quiz that asked the meaning
of the Dutch word _peer_ ; I naturally answered that it meant simply 'pear', the
name of the fruit. This was of course correct, but in addition the writer of the
quiz mentioned that the word is also used colloquially in Dutch to mean 'a
fellow' or 'chap'; I have never come across this usage, even though he mentioned
that it was very common. I know that _peer_ can also mean 'a lightbulb', and even
'glass phial', such as the ones that doctors dispense vaccines from, but 'chap'?
 
Can any of my fellow Lowlanders elaborate for me? If the word is really used in
this sense, then is it dialectal and restricted to a particular geographical
area? And could you provide a couple of examples of how it is used, and suggest
why it came to be used in that sense?(It puts me in mind of Cockney expressions
such as _me old fruit_, and even the French term of enderment _mon petit choux_
[my little cabbage!]! Though you have to be careful with Cockney that you are not
dealing with half of a Rhyming Slang couplet!).
 
This matter has been nagging at me for a few weeks now, and I can't seem to find
any pointers in Dutch dictionaries, so any help would be much appreciated.
 
John Duckworth
Manchester, UK

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From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Etymology

Dear John,

I can't help you with the topic at hand, but I *can* welcome you back with open
arms.  It's just fabulous to have you back, mate!

If you deliver a repeat performance of your first tenure or even top it, well ...
Who knows?  Perhaps our kahuna will eventually honor you, too, with a "fragrant
name" and induct you in the hall of honor
(http://lowlands-l.net/treasures/kahuna.htm). Now, that'd definitely be something
to write home about, wouldn't it?

Have you discovered our anniversary presentation yet?
(http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/)

You can catch up with the vocal membership there (under "Meet some Lowlanders!").
In your absence we welcomed lots of newbies, also vocal ones. Pretty much all
vocal Lowlanders are still around. There are some really nice new ones also,
including Vlad Lee (a Korean Russian in Japan--how cool is that?) who has been of
great help behind the scenes and can be a real barrel of fun. Some Lowlanders
have experienced considerable changes in their lives, such as marriage (e.g., our
Mathieu van Woerkom). Unfortunately, we had to bid a final farewell to our Clara
Kramer-Freudenthal (http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/clara-en.php). Most
recently, we had a nasty scare in that our Mark Dreyer (South Africa) got shot in
the line of duty. Fortunately, he pulled through and has been up to his old and
some new tricks already. The nice part is that this way we got to meet his
charming wife Ruth.

So, welcome back home, John!

Reinhard/Ron

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