Dutch Treat (1885)

[A. Maberry]

On Wed, 6 Nov 2002, James A. Landau wrote:
>
> Does anyone know if this Greek word "barbar" passed into Arabic and became
> responsible for the names "Barbary coast" and "Berber"?
>

>From OED (online version):

"Arab. Barbar, Berber, applied by the Arab geographers from ancient times
to the natives of N. Africa, west and south of Egypt. According to some
native lexicographers, of native origin, f. Arab. barbara to talk noisily
and confusedly (which is not derived from Gr. ); according to others, a
foreign word, African, Egyptian, or perh. from Greek. The actual relations
(if any) of the Arabic and Gr. words cannot be settled; but in European
langs. Barbaria, Barbarie, Barbary, have from the first been treated as
identical with L. barbaria, Byzantine Gr.  land of barbarians"

>
> One more question: in theatrical work there is the noun and verb "dutchman"
> meaning a strip of cloth soaked in size that is used to cover joints and gaps
> in the stage set, and to apply same.  I have never heard it outside the
> stage, but MWCD10 defines it as "a device for hiding or counteracting
> structural defects" with no restriction given to any particular field.
>

I think it might be used to masonry and carpentry. Also from the online
OED:

"4. In technical applications (see quots.). Chiefly U.S.

  1859 BARTLETT Dict. Amer. 134 Dutchman, a flaw in a stone or marble
slab, filled up by an insertion. 1874 KNIGHT Dict. Mech., Dutchman
(Carpentry), a playful name for a block or wedge of wood driven into a gap
to hide the fault in a badly made joint. 1905 Terms Forestry & Logging 36
Dutchman, a short stick placed transversely between the outer logs of a
load to divert the load toward the middle and so keep any logs from
falling off. 1909 Cent. Dict. Suppl., Dutchman, a layer of suet fastened
with skewers into a roast of lean beef or mutton. 1957 Brit. Commonwealth
Forest Terminol. 64 Dutchman, a prop used in logging for such purposes as
preventing the binding of a saw when crosscutting, or for supporting the
coupling of an arch while it is being hooked to a tractor. 1960 New Yorker
3 Sept. 20/3 He mended the [marble] lion by cutting recesses several
inches deep wherever the stone was damaged, and fitting new pieces of
stone therein. These pieces are known in the trade as dutchmen."

I've heard the carpentry uses but not cooking one.

allen
maberry at u.washington.edu