LL-L "Etymology" 2009.03.23 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 23 March 2009 - Volume 02

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From: heatherrendall at tiscali.co.uk <heatherrendall at tiscali.co.uk>

Subject: LL-L "Lexicon" 2009.03.22 (03) [LS/German]



from Heather Rendall   heatherrendall at tiscali.co.uk



from Hannelore's Scheltnamen



"Botteralf" .. was this imported into English where it was misheard
(deliberately?) and converted to 'Better Half' a synonym for 'wife'?????



[only joking!] ;-)



Heather


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From: G Tighe <tighe at sympatico.ca>

Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2009.03.20 (01) [E]



Hi Folk:

James Wilson wrote:

"From 'A Glossary of North Country Words...' John Trotter Brockett

 HUNKERS, haunches. This word seems used by the Northumbrian vulgar only in
the sense of sitting on the hunkers; that is, with the hams resting on the
back part of the ankles, the heels generally being raised from the ground.
... "

As a child in Scotland, playing 'Hide and Seek', I used to 'hunker' down
behind chairs, or in cubbyholes.

Chambers *The Scots School Dictionary* (1996) gives the following:

hunker v. hunker doon (1) squat; crouch (2) huddle, sit or settle yourself
in a crouching or cramped position.

n on yer hunkers (1) in(to) a squatting position. (2) in a quandary; on your
last legs.

hunker-bane the thigh bone.

hunker-slide (1) slide on ice in a crouched position (2) get out of a duty
or a promise.

And: In his latest novel  *A Most Wanted Man* John le Carre uses 'hunker' at
least twice.
The action takes place in Germany. le Carre (David Cornwell) often uses
Germany and German speakers as characters in his fiction.

Kind Regards

Gerald Tighe

•

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