Jism, was: "Jazz" did not have a sexual origin

[James Smith]

My assumption is that it relates to Chinese "ji"= the
rooster in the asian zodiac and  roughly translates as
"auspicious".  The sailor, "Gruff and Glum",
apparently had been on ships trading in Asia.  Those
who are actually familiar with Chinese (I'm not) are
invited to comment.


--- sagehen <sagehen at WESTELCOM.COM> wrote:
>  James Smith wrote:
> >
> >I came across the word "ji" in Chapter 4 (of Book
> 4) -
> >A RUNAWAY MATCH - of Dickens' "Our Mutual Friend",
> >1864-1865
> >
> >Is "ji" related to "jasm" and "jism"?
> >
> >".... To which Gruff and Glum responded that he see
> >her married this morning, my Beauty, and that if it
> >warn't a liberty he wished her *ji* and the fairest
> of
> >fair wind and weather; further, in a general way
> >requesting to know what cheer? and scrambling up on
> >his two wooden legs to salute, hat in hand,
> >ship-shape, with the gallantry of a man-of-warsman
> and
> >a heart of oak."
> <><><><><>
>
> I think it more than likely this is "joy," though it
> does seem an odd way
> to spell it if it was meant to rhyme with /sky./
> A. Murie


=====
James D. SMITH                 |If history teaches anything
SLC, UT                        |it is that we will be sued
jsmithjamessmith at yahoo.com     |whether we act quickly and decisively
                               |or slowly and cautiously.

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