Babbity Bowster

[Paul Johnston]

In Scots, it'd be pronounced like [^] + barred-u, the vowel that
occurs in words like yowe=ewe, knowe=knoll, and in words like roll,
gold (Sc. gowd), and a lot of dialect words like coup and loup.  You
can substitute the vowel in OUT we have, because in Standard Scottish
English (as opposed to Scots), they do have the same vowel. Bowster,
in fact, equals bolster.  Incidentally, the names McKeown and Bowie
also have this vowel in Scotland, though they don't here.  I had to
learn that one, especially because David Bowie was especially popular
when I started to live there,



> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Judy Prince <jbalizsprince at GOOGLEMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Babbity Bowster
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---------
>
> Apparently the term "Babbity Bowster" hadn't/hasn't emigrated to
> the States
> as I had thought when querying this list a few days ago.  Robin
> Hamilton
> kindly sent its etymology, but we still don't know how "Bow-" is
> pronounced=
> .
>  If anyone can help, I'd appreciate it.  Following is the
> information Robin
> sent:
>
> DSL - SND1
>
>
>
> BAB AT THE BOWSTER, BAB IN THE BOWSTER, BABBITY BOWSTER, phr.
>
>
>
> 1. An old country dance, finishing off a ball, a wedding, or any
> kind of
> merrymaking.
>
>
>
>     *Sc. 1851 Eng. Notes and Q. (18 Jan.) 45:
>
>
>
>     The manner of dancing it is, the company having formed itself
> into a
> circle, one, either male or female, goes into the centre, carrying
> a pillow
> [or handkerchief], and dances round the circle with a sort of
> shuffling
> quick step, while the others sing, =E2=80=94 =E2=80=9CWha
> learn=E2=80=99d y=
> ou to dance, you to
> dance, you to dance, Wha learn=E2=80=99d you to dance, Bab in the
> Bowster b=
> rawly?=E2=80=9D
> To which the dancer replies: =E2=80=9CMother learn=E2=80=99d me to
> dance, m=
> e to dance, me to
> dance, Mother learn=E2=80=99d me to dance, Bab in theBowster
> brawly.=E2=80=
> =9D He or she then
> lays down the pillow before one of the opposite sex, when they both
> kneel o=
> n
> it and kiss; the person to whom the pillow has been presented going
> over th=
> e
> above again, etc., till the company tires.
>
>
>
>     *Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto Tammas Bodkin (1868) xxxv.:
>
>     Lang ere Sandy=E2=80=99s fiddle struck up the grand finale
> o=E2=80=99 =
> =E2=80=9CBab at the
> Bowster.=E2=80=9D
>
>     *Lnk. 1894 W. H. Ballantyne in A. B. Gomme Dict. Brit. Folk-
> Lore I. 9:
>
>     Wha learned you to dance, Babbity Bowster brawly?
>
>
>
>     2. A children=E2=80=99s game. (1) A ring game. (2) A hopping game.
>
>
>
>     (1) *Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B. 45:
>
>     Bab-at-the-bowster. . . . A children=E2=80=99s ring-game.
>
>     (2) *Arg. 1901 R. C. Maclagan Games of Argyleshire 58:
>
>     Crouching down on their . . . hunkers, . . . and clasping their
> hands
> under their legs behind their knees, they hop on their toes
> opposite each
> other, singing: =E2=80=94 Wha learnt you to dance, Babbity Bowster,
> Babbity=
>  Bowster,
> Wha learnt you to dance,Babbity Bowster? [etc.]
>
>
>
>     3. =E2=80=A1A boys=E2=80=99 game. Known in Dundee as Hockey-duck.
>
>
>
>     *ne.Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B. 45:
>
>     Bab-at-the-bowster. . . . A game of the leap-frog kind, in
> which one bo=
> y
> climbs along the bowed backs of several others.
>
>
>
>     [From Bab, v., 2 (1), and Bowster, a pillow.]
>
> -------------------------------------------
>
> Best,
>
> Judy
>
> --=20
> Frisky Moll Press:  http://judithprince.com/home.html
>
> http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/author/jprince/
>
> "Southern hospitality has ten years left."  ---Jeff Hecker,
> Norfolk, VA
>
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