Galliano

[Victor Steinbok]

A couple of quick hits in connection with John Galliano. I've extracted
three sentences from three different pages--two dealing with Galliano's
recent antisemitic outburst that lead to his firing by Christian Dior
and the third from his Wiki page.

First, Wiki.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Galliano
> The collection, entitled Les Incroyables, received positive reviews
> and was bought in its entirety by and sold in the London fashion
> boutique Browns.

I hope it's not just me, but I find this to be a difficult serialization
to parse. I presume that it means that Browns first bought the entire
collection, then sold items based on the designs. I doubt there is much
dispute about the meaning. But the syntax is dizzying.

http://goo.gl/im8Z7
> Mr Galliano said her boyfriend then threatened him with a chair, while
> the woman "accused me of being a racist and anti-Semitic".

A different serial problem--this time just a noun and an adjective,
unless "an anti-Semitic" is parallel to "a gay", which would be
interesting in its own right.

The third is also quoted text, but from an unidentified "former colleague".

http://goo.gl/7HBXK
> Despite his Hitler quote, a former colleague said he found it hard to
> believe he was a xenophobe. "He has always chosen to surround himself
> with people of different origins. He himself, due to his (Spanish,
> Italian and British) origins, considers himself a gypsy".

Best I can tell, "gypsy" here is not ethnic, but more "nomad", wanderer.
I've always thought the use to be quite common, if literary, but no
entry in the OED.

Macmillan has

> someone who does not like to live in one place for a long time but
> prefers to move around

Encarta (under "gypsy", not "Gypsy"--the latter having a parental
advisory on it):

> somebody with nomadic lifestyle: somebody who has a nomadic or
> unconventional lifestyle ( informal )

AHD4 also has two similar definitions, differentiating singular from
plural [but lacking one applying to "gypsy trucks" and "gypsy
cabs"--likely a separate entry].

> 3. [gypsy] One inclined to a nomadic, unconventional way of life.
> 4. A person who moves from place to place as required for employment,
> especially:
> a. A part-time or temporary member of a college faculty.
> b. A member of the chorus line in a theater production.

Webster's NWCD4 (yourdictionary.com) also has

> a person whose appearance or habits are like those of a Gypsy

MWOL does one better, merging the two!

> not capitalized : one that resembles a Gypsy; especially : wanderer

There have been many posts here on gypsy cabs (and gypsy trucks, by
implication--I've got an antedating on that some time ago). The trucks
are in the OED under 2.c. but not under compounds, cabs are not there at
all. But the "nomad" meaning of "gypsy" is not listed anywhere in the OED.

     VS-)

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org