Pumpernickel (1766)

[Benjamin Fortson]

Happy to oblige, Larry; here's a translated version of their entry:

"(since 17th century) First used of 'ration-bread', then narrowed to refer
to northern Westphalian whole-grain rye bread (as a mocking term from
elsewhere; the native term is Schwarzbrot ['black bread', BF] or grobes
Brot ['coarse bread'; when I lived in Westphalia all I heard was the
former term, BF]). As a term of abuse, the word is even older (as a term
for a coarse boor?); the extension of meaning to the bread similar to that of
Armer Ritter [lit. 'poor knight', a fritter, BF], etc. Nickel is a
shortening of Nikolaus; Pumper probably a regional word for 'a fart'."

Various references follow, which I'll send along if desired.

Ben

On Mon, 29 Apr 2002, Laurence Horn wrote:

> >The most recent edition of Kluge--Seebold's German etymological dictionary
> >makes no mention of the "bon pour Nicole" etymology of Pumpernickel, only
> >of flatulent Nicholas.
> >
> >Ben
>
> Could you give us the whole story on that one, Ben?  The AHD4
> etymology just features the farting goblin (< Nickel 'goblin', not <
> Nicholas).  Somehow the "bon pour Nicole" and "pain pour Nicole"
> stories are just too etymythological (whatever their lineage) to be
> true, so I take it SOMEone's farting (< Ger. pumpern) was involved,
> although I'm still not sure how.
>
> larry
>
> >
> >On Sun, 28 Apr 2002, Baker, John wrote:
> >
> >>          Barry is showing us some pretty impressive antedatings of
> >>the old "bon pour Nicole" chestnut.  Do any German language
> >>reference works address the story?  There must be somebody on this
> >>list who reads German and has ready access to such scholarship.
> >>
> >>  John Baker
> >>
>