LL-L "Etymology" 2007.07.31 (01) [A/E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  31 July 2007 - Volume 01

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From: Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2007.07.30 (01) [E]

Dear Heather:

Subject: LL-L "Etymology"]

> True, sod is a cut of earth with the grass binding it. Even so, I am wary
of euphemism, but folk etymology if nothing else hath it that the term 'sod'
in that application is a dainty abbreviation of the word 'sodomite'. Uttered
in somilar spirit: Poor old  bugger, even though he had never been to
Bulgeria, or "that way inclined": Poor old bastard, even though both the
bloke's parents were married in church - to each other.

> There again 'bugger' might be derived quite 'properly' from Celtic 'bwg' =
a hobgoblin  see also 'bogie'

'Fraid not. "Frank Muir Goes into..." (lovely book) & also "The Dictionary
of the Vulgar Tongue" are both unblushingly frank (Heh, heh) about it.
'Bugger' is another pronunciation of 'Bulger' a region or people since late
historic times notorious for homosexual proclivities. When one thinks of
which People first put that name on them one wonders about the pot calling
the kettle black...
Why, Oh why, I ask with so many post-WW-I authors, do we use sex & sexual
metaphore in such a filthy w

On the other hand, I love your 'bwgwth" = to frighten  to scare. I might add
one you didn't, that my Grandfather brought back from his University years
in the West English Midlands: That is the name of some night terror, spook
or somesuch ongedierte '"Boggert".

Happy haunting

Mark

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From: Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2007.07.30 (01) [E]

Beste Elsie

Onderwerp: LL-L "Etymology"

> ...we call that a speenvarkie, I think! Unless it's the 'varksotjie' word.

Dit het alles te doen met markafperking in die varkvleisbedryf wat ek wil
twyfel bestaan in die moderne agribusineess klimaat.

Die eerste 'indeling' beskikbaar op die mark is die 'speenvarkie' gewees,
voor of pas-gespeen, en daarna kom die sotjie, klaar gespeen teen watter
ouderdom ookal, en hieruit kom gekonkelary gelykstaande aan die betrekkende
die verskil tussen 'lamb' en 'mutton', 'young mutton' endiesmeer.  Sotjies
is die laaste karkasgrootte gewoonweg beskikbaar as 'n eenheid. Daarna het
die verbruiker ieder klaar bewerkte varkvleissnutte gekoop.

Ek het nooit die woord uit Afrikanermond as vloek of skeltaal soos 'vark' of
'swyn' hoor gebruik nie, dis tekniese taal, soos sog en beer ens. Maar Ron,
'n gawe kameraad wat op die oewer van die Maas grootgeword het, het 'n
onsmaaklike leegleër met die naam 'vervoeilike sgout' afgeskryf.

Groete,
Mark

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Heather, Mark et al.,

As for "bugger," I am most inclined to follow the school of thought that
traces this word back to Bogolism, a Bulgarian-centered collection of
Christian sects that were maligned and denigrated as heretics, and they were
therefore accused of practising all sorts of "inverse" things.  Actually,
the origin of the name is nicely summarized in the Wikipedia:

The name of the movement was *bulgarus* in Latin (meaning "Bulgarian"),
which included Paulicians <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulician>,
Cathars<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathar>,
Patarenes <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patarene> and
Albigenses<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albigenses>.
It became *boulgre*, later *bougre* in Old
French<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_French>meaning "heretic,
traitor". It entered
German <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_language> as *Buger* meaning
"peasant, blockhead" (and went on to English as *bugger*) and the French
term also entered old Italian<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_language>as
*buggero* and Spanish <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language> as *
bujarrón*, both in the meaning of "sodomite", since it was supposed that
heretics would approach sex (just like everything else) in an "inverse" way.
The word went on towards Venetian
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice>Italian as
*buzerar*, meaning "to do sodomy" (anal sex between men). This word entered
German again (see reborrowing <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reborrowing>) as
*Buserant* and went on to
Hungarian<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_language>as
*buzeráns*, becoming *buzi* around the 1900s, a form still in use as a sexual
slur <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_slur> for male homosexuals.

This makes a lot more sense to me than anything else I have heard on the
topic.

Mark, deesdae probeer ek om vleis te vermy, ook gedagtes oor karkasse ens.
Dus vind ek hierdie bespreking nie baie aptytlik, alhoewel dit my ook nie
baie kwel nie.

Bowendien is my Chinees diereriemteken (zodiac sign) die vark. (Jy mag dit
al geraai het weens die oorvloed van intelligensie, sensitiwiteit en
kreatiwiteit en ook die buitengewoon bekoorlik persoonlikheid ... en
beskeidenheid.)

Groete,
Reinhard/Ron
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