"Plain bays for Jenny's"?

[carole crompton]

4 yards wide probably refers to the amount of cloth used to skirt the
hoops.


On Friday, April 6, 2007, at 08:47  AM, Landau, James wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Landau, James" <James.Landau at NGC.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "Plain bays for Jenny's"?
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>
> Joel Berson quoted:
>
> "Several fine Ladies who used to wear French Silks, French Hoops of
> four
> Yards Wide, Tete de Mouton Heads (or Bob Wigs) and with Sattin Smock
> Petticoats &c are turned Methodists, and Followers of Mr.
> Whitefield, whose Doctrine of the New Birth has so prevail'd over them,
> that they now wear plain Stuff Gowns, no Hoops, common Night-Mobs and
> plain Bays for Jenny's."
>
> Note the parallel structure in the lists:
> French Silks <---> plain Stuff
> French Hoops <---> no Hoops
> Tete de Mouton Heads (Bob Wigs) <---> common Night-Mobs
> Sattin Smock Petticoats <---> plain Bays for Jenny's
>
> It would seem therefore that a Jenny is a garment worn under the skirt
> of a woman's gown.  Sagehen's suggestion of a pinafore or apron fits.
>
> Just to be annoying:  a "jenny" is a female mule, and a "mule" is a
> type
> of slipper (according to MWCD10, "mule" for "slipper" antedates
> "jenny").  Also there are bay mules.
>
> It should be noted that the writer seems to be exaggerating when
> referring to "Hoops of four Yards Wide".  Even by Ninteenth Century
> standards that is preposterous---how many houses have hallways twelve
> feet wide?
>
> "Tete de Mouton Heads" is redundant---it translates as "head of sheep
> heads".
>
>     - Jim Landau
>
>
> =20
>
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