[Ads-l] Things That Go Bump in the Night

Thu Jul 18 16:47:35 UTC 2019

A version of the saying with "Ghaisties" appears as an epigraph in the
1911 book "Widdershins" by Oliver Onions. Please double-check the
spelling of the text in the excerpts that I am posting.

[ref] 1911, Widdershins by Oliver Onions, (Epigraph), Unnumbered Page,
Martin Secker. London. (Google Books Full View) link [/ref]
https://books.google.com/books?id=KqVGAQAAMAAJ&q=Beasties#v=snippet&

[Begin excerpt]
"From Ghaisties, Ghoulies and long-leggity Beasties and Things that go
Bump in the night—
Good Lord, deliver us!"
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Thu, Jul 18, 2019 at 11:58 AM Jonathan Lighter
<wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> "Frae" is also Scots.
>
> If "ghosties" was originally "ghaisties," the rhythmic lines could include
> a rhyme :
>
> "Frae ghoulies and ghaisties,
> Lang-leggity beasties,
> An' things that gae bump in the nicht,
> Guid Lord deliver us."
>
> However, the Dictionary of the Scots Language has no entry for "ghoulie" or
> "long/lang -leggity," and no exx. of "ghaistie" till 1979 !
>
> JL
>
> On Wed, Jul 17, 2019 at 10:14 AM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Scots is/was noted for its frequent use of diminutives like "ghoulies,"
> > "ghosties," and "beasties." "Lang" is also a Scots form.
> >
> > JL
> >
> > On Wed, Jul 17, 2019 at 10:07 AM Baker, John <JBAKER at stradley.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Thanks, Jon and Garson, those are both nice examples.  I don’t know why
> >> Jon’s didn’t come up in my own search.
> >>
> >> A question, if this is indeed of folk origin, is where it came from.
> >> Garson’s example describes it as an “old Scotch prayer,” but its inclusion
> >> in the Cornish and West Country Litany implies an origin at the most
> >> distant extreme of Great Britain.  I’ve also seen an Irish origin claimed.
> >> Scotland, Ireland, and Cornwall are all noted for their dialects.  I don’t
> >> know which, if any, of these dialects includes “ghoulies,” “ghosties,”
> >> “long-leggety,” and “beasties.”
> >>
> >>
> >> John Baker
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
> >> Of ADSGarson O'Toole
> >> Sent: Wednesday 17 July 2019 1:00 AM
> >> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> >> Subject: Re: Things That Go Bump in the Night
> >>
> >> External Email - Think Before You Click
> >>
> >>
> >> Thanks John. Excellent citation, JL. Here are some links to the 1905 book:
> >>
> >> https://books.google.com/books?id=DygSAAAAYAAJ&q=leggettie#v=snippet&<
> >> https://books.google.com/books?id=DygSAAAAYAAJ&q=leggettie#v=snippet&>
> >> https://archive.org/details/beggars00walkuoft/page/4<
> >> https://archive.org/details/beggars00walkuoft/page/4>
> >> https://archive.org/details/beggars00walkuoft/page/n201<
> >> https://archive.org/details/beggars00walkuoft/page/n201>
> >>
> >> The excerpt with "things that go bump in the night" appears as an
> >> epigraph of a tale titled "Some Strange Visitations" by Hugh Warrand.
> >>
> >> Here is citation from the next year that employs dialectical spelling,
> >> e.g., "lang-legged" for "long-legged", "nicht for "night", and "gude"
> >> for "good".
> >>
> >> Date: July 7, 1906
> >> Periodical: The Academy: The Weekly Review of Literature, Science & Art
> >> Article: Review of the book "The Undertaker's Field" by Herbert Compton
> >> Quote Page 16, Column 2
> >> Published at The Offices of Country Life and George Newnes, London
> >> (Google Books Full View)
> >>
> >>
> >> https://books.google.com/books?id=5UY9AQAAMAAJ&q=%22gude+Lord%22#v=snippet&
> >> <
> >> https://books.google.com/books?id=5UY9AQAAMAAJ&q=%22gude+Lord%22#v=snippet&
> >> >
> >>
> >> [Begin excerpt]
> >> But "in romance all things are permissible," we are told. We lay down
> >> the book with the old Scotch prayer upon our lips: "From ghouls and
> >> ghosts and lang-legged beasties and things that go bump in the nicht,
> >> gude Lord deliver us."
> >> [End excerpt]
> >>
> >> Garson O'Toole
> >>
> >> Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> >
> >> > 1905 Archibald Stodart Walker _A Beggar's Wallet : Containing
> >> > contributions in prose, verse and pictorial illustration, gathered from
> >> > certain workers in art and letters ... To be disposed of in aid of the
> >> > Royal Victoria Hospital for Consumpton, Edinburgh, at the Great
> >> > International Fair to be held in the Waverly Market, in the month of
> >> > November, 1905_ [Edinburgh: Dobson, Molle, 1905] 163:
> >> >
> >> > "Frae ghosties and ghoulies, long-leggettie beasties,
> >> >
> >> > And things that go bump in the night,
> >> >
> >> > Good Lord deliver us."
> >> >
> >> > — From a quaint old Litany.
> >> >
> >> > JL
> >> >
> >> > On Tue, Jul 16, 2019 at 5:04 PM Baker, John <JBAKER at stradley.com>
> >> wrote:
> >> >
> >> > > "Things that go bump in the night" refers to frightening unspecified
> >> but
> >> > > generally supernatural creatures. The phrase (and variants on it) has
> >> been
> >> > > used in a number of titles, some of which are listed on a
> >> disambiguation
> >> > > page on Wikipedia,
> >> > > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Things_That_Go_Bump_in_the_Night<
> >> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Things_That_Go_Bump_in_the_Night>.
> >> > > According to The Phrase Finder, the earliest known use of the phrase
> >> is
> >> > > from 1918, and it was incorporated in a prayer which was recorded in
> >> The
> >> > > Cornish and West Country Litany in 1926,
> >> > > https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/378900.html<
> >> https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/378900.html>. The OED also gives the
> >> > > 1918 date and suggests it probably has its origins in the 1926
> >> "rhyme." It
> >> > > does not appear to be in the Yale Book of Quotations.
> >> > >
> >> > > Here is an example of the prayer with the phrase from a review of the
> >> play
> >> > > Peter Pan in 1909. This is from the Los Angeles Herald (Mar. 1, 1909)
> >> > > (Newspapers.com):
> >> > >
> >> > > <<"From ghoulies and ghosties, long-leggety beasties and things that
> >> go
> >> > > bump in the night - good Lord deliver us!" runs a quaint old litany,
> >> > > echoing the beliefs of another day, when sprites and nymphs and elves
> >> were
> >> > > about us and
> >> > > Magic casements opened on the foam
> >> > > Of Perilous seas in faery lands forelorn.
> >> > > The "ghoulies and ghosties" have gone, God give them speed, but "Peter
> >> > > Pan" is back with Tinker Bell and the beasties, and yesterday Los
> >> Angeles
> >> > > slipped out through the casement with Peter to the "Never, Never,
> >> Never
> >> > > land," in Barrie's whimsical and delightful play.>>
> >> > >
> >> > > It seems likely that both the prayer and the phrase are older than
> >> this
> >> > > and do not come from Los Angeles originally.
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > > John Baker
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org<
> >> http://www.americandialect.org>
> >> > >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > --
> >> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> >> truth."
> >> >
> >> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org<
> >> http://www.americandialect.org>
> >>
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org<
> >> http://www.americandialect.org>
> >>
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
> >
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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