Unusual names for cutlery

[sagehen]

Some sort of commercial code?  They are so inappropriate to the
corresponding items, it would seem that some sort of obfuscation is
intended.  With the exception of "licorice" & "letterbox" they don't even
relate to ordinary household words, whereas cutlery is eminently a
household domain.

The list reminds me of these curious flotillas of spam with attachments
that  show up several times a week in my email.  They, too, are labelled
apparently randomly from word lists in groups all beginning with the same
letter.
A. Murie
~~~~~~~~~~~


>No, I'm not talking about runcible spoons.
>
>A friend who is working on a late-nineteenth century American
>cutlery catalogue has e-mailed a question about certain
>descriptive (?) words found with the names of each piece of
>cutlery.
>
>Her message is below. Note her observations that the words
>are generally in the same alphabetical range (two different
>ranges, the difference between which is unclear), and notably
>that many of the words are not complimentary, which would seem
>to argue against an adopted name for a particular kind of
>piece.
>
>Anyone have an idea what the purpose of these words is?
>
>Thanks.
>
>Jesse Sheidlower
>OED
>
>----- begin included message -----
>
>Catalogue no. 43 of the Meriden Britannia Company, published around
>1890 in Meriden, CT (the date is uncertain), shows spoons, forks, and
>knives from the product line known as "1847 Rogers Bros." The various
>patterns are illustrated, with descriptive lists of the pieces in each
>pattern. What fascinates and intrigues me are the words listed to the
>left of each item. For instance, here are some examples from the
>"Lotus" price list:
>
>SPOONS                                                           Extra
>plate, per dozen
>
>Leper                   Mustard                                 $4.75
>Leporine                Salt, Individual                         3.75
>Letterbox               Vegetable                               36.00
>
>FORKS                                                                   etc.
>
>Levigated               Pickle, Long
>Levitical               Fruit
>Lewdly                  Child's
>Lewdness                Fish
>
>KNIVES
>
>Lexicology              Fish
>Lexigraphy              Pie
>
>SHELLS
>
>Libellous               Sugar
>
>SIFTERS
>
>Magically               Sugar
>
>CHILD'S SETS
>
>Libertine               No. 192
>
>LADLES
>
>Libidinous              Cream
>Licentious              Medium
>Licorice                Soup
>
>Under the "Columbia" Pattern we find:
>
>SPOONS
>
>Daunted                 Egg
>Dauphin                 Ice Cream
>Dayspring               Orange
>Limewater               Ice, Perforated Bowls
>Deaconry                Bouillon
>
>FORKS
>
>Deafness                Dessert
>Deathbed                Oyster
>Deathless               Fruit
>Debauch                 Child's
>Limitedly               Cake
>Debility                Fish
>
>and so on. The insertion of various words beginning with "L" breaks up
>the alphabetical order, which is not in any case consistent in the
>catalogue. I really can't figure out what's going on -- it would make
>sense to me if positive words were attached to the pieces, but at least
>half of them are decidedly negative. No key is provided.
>
>----- end included message -----