Girdle String --> G-string?

[Wilson Gray]

FWIW, I agree with Victor, though my own first personal acquaintance
with the term, "G-string," comes from the captions of pictures of
strip-teasers from famous houses like Minsky's wearing this legal
minimum of clothing, found in thr pre-Playboy "men's magazines" of the
'40's.

For those who care, that G-string was *nothing* like the underwear
worn by today's young women that is occasionally referred to as a
"G-string" by those too young to have reached puberty shorty After The
War. The '40's G-string was essentially a large - by today's standards
- triangle of cloth, supported by a narrow belt, very low and so tight
that it cut into the woman's flesh, around the woman's lower waist,
that covered the the woman's lower abdomen and mons veneris. To the
bottom of this triangle were attached two strings that passed between
the woman's thighs. One string curved left around one buttock and was
attached to the belt at the midpoint of the woman's flank; the other
curved right, etc. This was the G-string. To this was attached, at the
start of the show, I presume, a long, narrow - about as wide as a
neckscarf - loincloth that fell to the ankles, front and back. And, of
course, pasties were worn over her nipples.

Of course, I was far too young, ca.1948, even to be legally allowed
just to look at these pictures, let alone to attend an actual show.
So, I don't know what happened there.

-Wilson


On Sat, Mar 27, 2010 at 5:38 AM, Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Girdle String --> G-string?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I'm ignoring the rest of the thread, for the moment, because it has
> little bearing on this comment.
>
> I would be careful with StraightDope because, like many similar sites,
> they are excellent on contemporary factual claims, but less than stellar
> on historical ones that cannot be directly verified. And if it's a
> random posting on a message board, it's doubly questionable in
> origin--but can be perfectly legitimate.
>
> Regardless of the source, I remain deeply skeptical of the claim.
>
> It would be difficult to figure this out unless there happened to be a
> publication that used both G-string and girdle string in close
> proximity. In particular, an anthropology journal (if such a thing
> existed) from 1870 and 80s. Lacking that, maybe we can find a single
> author that uses both at different times.
>
> But, of course, there is one other possibility, which, unfortunately, is
> exceedingly rare. There might be a linear translation of a passage with
> "G-string" into another language, which might be checked against "girdle
> string" in that language. Well, surprise, surprise! There is such a
> publication! Whether it helps or not is a different question.
>
> http://books.google.com/books?id=OrJuAAAAMAAJ
> La Solidaridad. Translated by Guadalupe Fores-Ganzon. Vol. III, 1891.
> p. 124
>> Y aquellos pueblos, inmundo caos de razas inferiores, sociedades en
>> calzoncillos, son el proceso generador desenvuelto á horcajadas de la
>> Historia, incapaz de un destello de intelígencia, asomo de dignidad,
>> átomo de vergüenza. ¡Cuán grandes estas razas de acá géremenes de las
>> explosiones civilizadoras! ¡Quévliliputienses y hueras las de allá
>> dignas sólo del sangriento golpe de la vengadora tralla! Por eso,
>> excelentísimo señor, para tratar á aquel pueblo en taparrabos, para
>> conseguir algo práctico de esos organismos agonizantes, importa, urge,
>> leña, much leña, bejuco, látigo, inmoralidad.
> p. 125
>> That unholy mixture of inferior races, of people in G-strings is the
>> generating factor in the development of the tangles of history,
>> incapable of even a glimmer of intelligence, without a vestige of
>> dignity, nor an atom of shame. How wonderful are the people from here!
>> They are the civilizing elements. How liliputian and vacuous those are
>> of that place! They deserve cruel blows of the lash. And therefore, my
>> kind sir, to treat those people in G-strings, to achieve something of
>> practical value among those suffering creatures, it is necessary,
>> urgent to have a stick, many sticks--straps, lash, immorality.
> p. 290
>> ¿Con que han repetido hasta la saciedad que los filipinos van, en su
>> mayor /en/ teparrabo?
>> ¡Ir /en/ taparrabo! ¡Hombre, qué curioso medio de locomoción!
>> En cambio, nosotros sabemos otras cosas.
>> A Filipinas van jóvenes expulsados por ineptos de las Escuelas de
>> Ingenieros, y veulven de allí con hoja de parra y con las vergüenzas
>> cubiertas.
>> Es decir, arropados, adecentados..... exteriormente.
>> ¿Qué contraste, eh?
> p. 291
>> They repeat to the point of boredom that a majority of Filipinos wear
>> G-strings?
>> Wear G-strings, indeed! Man, what a strange way of going about.
>> However, we know otherwise.
>> Young men expelled from the schools of engineering go to the
>> Philippines and return with something to hide their shame.
>> Meaning...clothed decently ... outwardly.
>> What a contrast, eh?
> p. 292
>> No es preciso que nos lo diga nadie: en la Exposición Filipina de
>> Madrid hemos visto, efectivamente, la potente civilización igorrote;
>> hemos visto á las razas primitivas, de las cuales se confiesan hijos,
>> vestir muy airosamente el taparrabo, manejar á maravilla la lanza y el
>> arco; sancricar un animal inmundo y danzar, confrotados por el
>> alcohol, al derredor de la víctima, ébrios, rebajados, moralmente
>> deprimidos, y en estado de postracion y salváje aletargamiento.
> p. 293
>> It is not necessary that we be told by anybody: that in the Philippine
>> Exhibit in Madrid we have seen, effectively, the significant Igorot
>> culture; we have seen primitive tribes whose representatives are
>> scantily clothed in G-strings, use the bow and arrow very well;
>> sacrifice a filthy animal and dance under the influence of alcohol
>> around the victim, intoxicated, vicious, morally debased.
> p. 633
>> Tampoco es cierto que usaban el taparrabos, pues todos los autores
>> citados hablan de sus vestidos de seda, una gasa de la India llamada
>> /chinina/, valiosas alhajas, y todos están conformes en que su
>> indumentaria no carecía de buen gusto.
> p. 634
>> It is not also true that they wore G-strings because all the authors
>> cited mentioned their clothes of silk, a gauze from India called
>> chinina, costly jewels. All writers agreed in their accounts of
>> ancient apparel that the people had good taste.
> p. 640
>> En la lámina VI van dibujados bahaques, turbantes y jaquetas hechos de
>> corteza de árbol, industria especial de los guinaanes.
> p. 641
>> On Plate VI are drawn G-strings, turbans and jackets made of tree
>> barks, a special industry of the Guinaans.
>
> 1986 "Academic" definition of taparrabo is "pedazo de tela con que se
> cubren las partes pudendas". I am not sure if any of the three different
> words (calzoncillos, taparrabos and bahaques) are particularly useful in
> translation, but the first two translate basically as underpants and
> loincloth. Taparrabo(s) is still in use, it seems.
>
> There are only two books in GB that have taparrabo and girdle in the
> same text. One occurrence is in a glossary that makes no connection
> between the two words (taparrabo is a loincloth). The other is more
> interesting, but I can't get past the snippet that only gives part of
> the information. But, it seems, the passage does connect "girdle [?]
> bandage" with "taparrabo", which the author translates as "breech
> clout", but suggests both expressions are "uncouth ... grossly profane
> when applied to the /maro ura/ or the /maro tea/--the sacred cincture of
> rank assumed by the paramount Chief at his installment, and during
> certain solemn and transcendent rites of the native cult". GB lists the
> volume as 1913, but there are actually three volumes and I am not sure
> which one the citation is from (GB says vol. 32, which suggest it's
> volume 1 of the work, as the other two are vols. 36 and 43 of the
> society papers).
>
> The quest and occupation of Tahiti by emissaries of Spain during the
> years 1772-1776. Told in despatches and other contemporary documents;
> tr. into English and comp., with notes and an introduction, by Bolton
> Glanvill Corney ...
> London, Printed for the Hakluyt Society, 1913-19
>
> 1913 is a lot closer to the original use of G-string and it is not
> corrupted by later use.
>
> There is another volume (2008) that has a linear translation of
> taparrabo as G-string.
>
> http://bit.ly/bkJ4aM
>
> [Same passage also here http://bit.ly/bszODw ]
>
> There is also an indication that where Spanish was the first colonial
> language, the outfits first became known as taparrabo, then G-string,
> with both terms used in English. The Cambridge dictionary translates
> G-string as "tanga" and "taparrabos" as "loincloth".
>
> Another lineal translation suggests that taparrabos and G-strings for
> dancers are not the same thing--
>
> http://bit.ly/axF5ty
>
> Of course, this could just be the preferences of the translator.
>
> Whatever else might be going on, one Polish anthropologist suggests
> G-string as a euphemism for Groin-string rather than Girdle-string.
> http://bit.ly/dzrwJS
>
> But one other thing should not be forgotten--the lowest string on a
> violin is the G-string. Could it be that the name was coined by a
> musically inclined anthropologist with a sense of humor and propriety at
> the same time?
>
> Luke & Quinn's Americanisms () suggests the coinage to 1930s strippers
> (clearly missing the mark), so their attribution to "perhaps short for
> 'girdle string'" is just as suspect.
>
> http://bit.ly/aFLNnE
>
> I don't know. Perhaps to the Victorian ear, "girdle" sounded uncouth.
> But "groin" definitely did. From there, your mileage may vary. I have
> yet another possibility, one that is supported by specific language
> occasionally found in the 1880s reference to G-strings. More
> specifically, they are always G-strings, never g-strings. And sometimes
> they are "G" strings, which suggests that the letter is all one needs.
> If you look at the basic form of aboriginal G-string just about anywhere
> (other than Tahiti, apparently), it tends to be wider in front and
> narrower in the back, but, otherwise, it's a piece of material bent
> around the genitals in a crescent shape--perhaps, initially, it was
> considered to resemble a G. A loincloth is more like a very small apron.
> An actual "girdle string" has either no attachments (as in a string worn
> around the waste by some Hindu groups from childhood, and, in fact,
> which was the entire dress for small children at one point) or has
> attachments that are identified by another name (e.g.,
> Melanesian/Polynesian /malo/ or /maro/) or serves the function of a
> belt, holding up breeches. The distribution of G-string and "girdle
> string" among GB docs is virtually exclusive--the attire in India in
> mid-19th century books and documents is referred to as "girdle string"
> and never G-string. For American Indians, I found only two references to
> "girdle string" and that was prior to the appearance of "G-string". If
> this were euphemistic use, you would have expected the terminology to be
> virtually completely replaced, but "girdle string" remained the term
> used for the waste string in India--largely, because it is an actual
> string tied to the waste, not a G-string.
>
> As I said, your mileage may vary, but I don't see the equivalence.
> Girdle string refers to a string--that may be singular or a part of an
> outfit. G-string is just a skimpy covering, but it's an entire outfit,
> not an actual "string". Furthermore, if academics wanted to avoid the
> supposed indignity of "girdle", they could have used a perfectly
> reasonable equivalent "cincture"--and, in fact, the use of cincture is
> quite common for everything from the belt holding up a sword, to
> priestly vestments to trim on an academician's hat--hundreds of hits in
> GB for the second half of the 19th century, far more than either
> girdle-string or G-string combined (including all the musical
> references).  I found no hits for "groin string", aside form the recent
> Polish book.
>
>     VS-)
>
> On 3/26/2010 5:50 PM, Baker, John wrote:
>>          On the Straight Dope Message Board,
>> http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=557325, someone who
>> goes by Exapno Mapcase has posted an argument that "G-string" derives
>> from the 19th century term "girdle string."  "G-string," of course, is
>> known from 1877 with the spelling "geestring" and from 1882 with the
>> spellings "G-string" and "'G' string."  "Girdle string," which dates
>> from 1846 in Google Books, has the same meaning as "G-string"
>> (essentially, a string around the waist, and a cloth or tassel suspended
>> therefrom, worn by some non-Western peoples).
>>
>>          Would this kind of abbreviation have been common in the 19th
>> century?  This explanation does seem more plausible than any of the
>> competing theories.  On the other hand, I'm a little taken aback by the
>> consideration that "G-string" seems to apply primarily to American
>> Indians, while the few examples of "girdle string" seem to refer to
>> other indigenous peoples.
>>
>>
>> John Baker
>>
>
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--
-Wilson
–––
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"––a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
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