azure legs of the cock, etc.

[Jonathan Lighter]

And if it's a musical, there'll surely be the "'Toon Toon Tune."  (A sequence variously pronounceable.)

  As for the blue legs, blue legs today don't prove blue legs 550 years ago, but The N.P.'s Tale is cerrtainly the literary locus classicus.

  JL



Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Charles Doyle
Subject: Re: azure legs of the cock, etc.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, "toon" is the pl. of "toe." If an animated version of
the "Nun's Priest's Tale" ever appears, we will see
blue 'toon toon.
______________________________________

---- Original message ----
>Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 16:54:30 -0400
>From: "Joel S. Berson"
>Subject: Re: azure legs of the cock, etc.
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>
>Okay, what's a toon? Obs. pl. of toe?
>
>JOel
>
>At 6/30/2006 12:21 PM, you wrote:
>>"Lyk asur were his legges and his toon": That's Chaucer's
>>Chanticlear (a1400).
>>
>>--Charlie
>>___________________________________
>>
>>---- Original message ----
>> >Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 09:16:16 -0700
>> >From: Jonathan Lighter
>> >Subject: Re: azure legs of the cock, etc.
>> >To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> >
>> >I wonder whether medieval European chickens could have
had
>>legs of azure/ blue. The only modern chickens I can clearly
>>recall seeing had red or yellow legs.

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