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Messin' and Gaumin'
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John Varela
Feb 4, 2016, 9:34:05 PM2/4/16
to
This a question from my wife, who grew up in a small (very small; 14
in the high school graduating class) in far southern Illinois,
across the Ohio River from Paducah, Ky.
When she was a child, her mother (born 1903) and her mother's mother
would use the subject expression, saying something like this to
pesky children: "You kids are just messin' and gaumin'. Go outside
and play." (No g's in those verb endings.) The meaning of the
expression is pretty clear.
She has checked with a childhood friend and confirmed that the
expression was used in at least one other family.
The OED has three definitions for verb "gaum":
1. "To handle, esp. in some improper fashion." Latest citation
from 1893.
2. (also gorm) "To smear with a sticky substance; to daub
(something sticky) on a surface. Also with up." Latest
citation is for "gorm" in 1962.
3. "To stare vacantly." This is the only intransitive form.
The most likely citation is: "1887 T. Darlington Folk-speech
S.Cheshire Gawmin, foolish, awkward, rash."
The latest citation is from 1928, for "gorm".
None of the citations includes "messing and gauming".
The on-line M-W just gives one definition, "smudge, smear", and an
example, "the kitchen floor was all gaumed up from countless
spills".
What SWMBO wants to know is, has anyone else ever heard "messin' and
gaumin'" or similar? Or is it just a local expression in southern
Illinois?
--
John Varela
in the high school graduating class) in far southern Illinois,
across the Ohio River from Paducah, Ky.
When she was a child, her mother (born 1903) and her mother's mother
would use the subject expression, saying something like this to
pesky children: "You kids are just messin' and gaumin'. Go outside
and play." (No g's in those verb endings.) The meaning of the
expression is pretty clear.
She has checked with a childhood friend and confirmed that the
expression was used in at least one other family.
The OED has three definitions for verb "gaum":
1. "To handle, esp. in some improper fashion." Latest citation
from 1893.
2. (also gorm) "To smear with a sticky substance; to daub
(something sticky) on a surface. Also with up." Latest
citation is for "gorm" in 1962.
3. "To stare vacantly." This is the only intransitive form.
The most likely citation is: "1887 T. Darlington Folk-speech
S.Cheshire Gawmin, foolish, awkward, rash."
The latest citation is from 1928, for "gorm".
None of the citations includes "messing and gauming".
The on-line M-W just gives one definition, "smudge, smear", and an
example, "the kitchen floor was all gaumed up from countless
spills".
What SWMBO wants to know is, has anyone else ever heard "messin' and
gaumin'" or similar? Or is it just a local expression in southern
Illinois?
--
John Varela
Tony Cooper
Feb 4, 2016, 10:59:07 PM2/4/16
to
On 5 Feb 2016 02:34:02 GMT, "John Varela" <newl...@verizon.net>
wrote:
>This a question from my wife, who grew up in a small (very small; 14
>in the high school graduating class) in far southern Illinois,
>across the Ohio River from Paducah, Ky.
>
>When she was a child, her mother (born 1903) and her mother's mother
>would use the subject expression, saying something like this to
>pesky children: "You kids are just messin' and gaumin'. Go outside
>and play." (No g's in those verb endings.) The meaning of the
>expression is pretty clear.
>
>She has checked with a childhood friend and confirmed that the
>expression was used in at least one other family.
>
>The OED has three definitions for verb "gaum":
>
> 1. "To handle, esp. in some improper fashion." Latest citation
> from 1893.
>
> 2. (also gorm) "To smear with a sticky substance; to daub
> (something sticky) on a surface. Also with up." Latest
> citation is for "gorm" in 1962.
"Gormless" is "stupid or foolish". M-W says "Chiefly British", but
I've only seen it used in writing by the Irish.
>
> 3. "To stare vacantly." This is the only intransitive form.
> The most likely citation is: "1887 T. Darlington Folk-speech
> S.Cheshire Gawmin, foolish, awkward, rash."
> The latest citation is from 1928, for "gorm".
>
>None of the citations includes "messing and gauming".
>
>The on-line M-W just gives one definition, "smudge, smear", and an
>example, "the kitchen floor was all gaumed up from countless
>spills".
>
>What SWMBO wants to know is, has anyone else ever heard "messin' and
>gaumin'" or similar? Or is it just a local expression in southern
>Illinois?
No.
--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida
wrote:
>This a question from my wife, who grew up in a small (very small; 14
>in the high school graduating class) in far southern Illinois,
>across the Ohio River from Paducah, Ky.
>
>When she was a child, her mother (born 1903) and her mother's mother
>would use the subject expression, saying something like this to
>pesky children: "You kids are just messin' and gaumin'. Go outside
>and play." (No g's in those verb endings.) The meaning of the
>expression is pretty clear.
>
>She has checked with a childhood friend and confirmed that the
>expression was used in at least one other family.
>
>The OED has three definitions for verb "gaum":
>
> 1. "To handle, esp. in some improper fashion." Latest citation
> from 1893.
>
> 2. (also gorm) "To smear with a sticky substance; to daub
> (something sticky) on a surface. Also with up." Latest
> citation is for "gorm" in 1962.
I've only seen it used in writing by the Irish.
>
> 3. "To stare vacantly." This is the only intransitive form.
> The most likely citation is: "1887 T. Darlington Folk-speech
> S.Cheshire Gawmin, foolish, awkward, rash."
> The latest citation is from 1928, for "gorm".
>
>None of the citations includes "messing and gauming".
>
>The on-line M-W just gives one definition, "smudge, smear", and an
>example, "the kitchen floor was all gaumed up from countless
>spills".
>
>What SWMBO wants to know is, has anyone else ever heard "messin' and
>gaumin'" or similar? Or is it just a local expression in southern
>Illinois?
--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida
RH Draney
Feb 5, 2016, 12:20:04 AM2/5/16
to
On 2/4/2016 7:34 PM, John Varela wrote:
> This a question from my wife, who grew up in a small (very small; 14
> in the high school graduating class) in far southern Illinois,
> across the Ohio River from Paducah, Ky.
>
> When she was a child, her mother (born 1903) and her mother's mother
> would use the subject expression, saying something like this to
> pesky children: "You kids are just messin' and gaumin'. Go outside
> and play." (No g's in those verb endings.) The meaning of the
> expression is pretty clear.
>
> This a question from my wife, who grew up in a small (very small; 14
> in the high school graduating class) in far southern Illinois,
> across the Ohio River from Paducah, Ky.
>
> When she was a child, her mother (born 1903) and her mother's mother
> would use the subject expression, saying something like this to
> pesky children: "You kids are just messin' and gaumin'. Go outside
> and play." (No g's in those verb endings.) The meaning of the
> expression is pretty clear.
>
> What SWMBO wants to know is, has anyone else ever heard "messin' and
> gaumin'" or similar? Or is it just a local expression in southern
> Illinois?
Your wife might be interested in this call to "A Way With Words" from
> gaumin'" or similar? Or is it just a local expression in southern
> Illinois?
October of 2013:
http://www.waywordradio.org/messing-and-gauming/
....r
Lewis
Feb 5, 2016, 12:46:10 AM2/5/16
to
In message <tc78bb9mr8tkkphdc...@4ax.com>
--
'I'm not a thief, madam. But if I were, I would be the kind that steals
fire from the gods.' 'We've already got fire.' 'There must be an upgrade
by now.'
Tony Cooper <tonyco...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 5 Feb 2016 02:34:02 GMT, "John Varela" <newl...@verizon.net>
> wrote:
>>This a question from my wife, who grew up in a small (very small; 14
>>in the high school graduating class) in far southern Illinois,
>>across the Ohio River from Paducah, Ky.
>>
>>When she was a child, her mother (born 1903) and her mother's mother
>>would use the subject expression, saying something like this to
>>pesky children: "You kids are just messin' and gaumin'. Go outside
>>and play." (No g's in those verb endings.) The meaning of the
>>expression is pretty clear.
>>
>>She has checked with a childhood friend and confirmed that the
>>expression was used in at least one other family.
>>
>>The OED has three definitions for verb "gaum":
>>
>> 1. "To handle, esp. in some improper fashion." Latest citation
>> from 1893.
>>
>> 2. (also gorm) "To smear with a sticky substance; to daub
>> (something sticky) on a surface. Also with up." Latest
>> citation is for "gorm" in 1962.
> "Gormless" is "stupid or foolish". M-W says "Chiefly British", but
> I've only seen it used in writing by the Irish.
Gormless is used in the game Civilization V. Or perhaps IV.
> On 5 Feb 2016 02:34:02 GMT, "John Varela" <newl...@verizon.net>
> wrote:
>>This a question from my wife, who grew up in a small (very small; 14
>>in the high school graduating class) in far southern Illinois,
>>across the Ohio River from Paducah, Ky.
>>
>>When she was a child, her mother (born 1903) and her mother's mother
>>would use the subject expression, saying something like this to
>>pesky children: "You kids are just messin' and gaumin'. Go outside
>>and play." (No g's in those verb endings.) The meaning of the
>>expression is pretty clear.
>>
>>She has checked with a childhood friend and confirmed that the
>>expression was used in at least one other family.
>>
>>The OED has three definitions for verb "gaum":
>>
>> 1. "To handle, esp. in some improper fashion." Latest citation
>> from 1893.
>>
>> 2. (also gorm) "To smear with a sticky substance; to daub
>> (something sticky) on a surface. Also with up." Latest
>> citation is for "gorm" in 1962.
> "Gormless" is "stupid or foolish". M-W says "Chiefly British", but
> I've only seen it used in writing by the Irish.
--
'I'm not a thief, madam. But if I were, I would be the kind that steals
fire from the gods.' 'We've already got fire.' 'There must be an upgrade
by now.'
Tony Cooper
Feb 5, 2016, 1:21:05 AM2/5/16
to
agreeing with the "stupid or foolish" definition or not or it you see
an Irish connection.
Also from Ireland, we have "gorm" as an eye color: blue.
Adam Funk
Feb 5, 2016, 4:30:05 AM2/5/16
to
On 2016-02-05, Tony Cooper wrote:
> "Gormless" is "stupid or foolish". M-W says "Chiefly British", but
> I've only seen it used in writing by the Irish.
It's not unusual in English speech.
> "Gormless" is "stupid or foolish". M-W says "Chiefly British", but
> I've only seen it used in writing by the Irish.
--
I have a natural revulsion to any operating system that shows so
little planning as to have to named all of its commands after
digestive noises (awk, grep, fsck, nroff).
_The UNIX-HATERS Handbook_
Daniel James
Feb 5, 2016, 8:43:11 AM2/5/16
to
In article <51W5y0sPNk52-pn2-DvXm8vSfW2FL@localhost>, John Varela
wrote:
spelling/pronunciation for "gum", in the sense of "glue".
"gummed up", meaning "all stuck together" must surely be familiar to
most.
--
Cheers,
Daniel.
wrote:
> 2. (also gorm) "To smear with a sticky substance; to daub
> (something sticky) on a surface. Also with up." Latest
> citation is for "gorm" in 1962.
From that it sounds as though "gaum" may be an alternative
> (something sticky) on a surface. Also with up." Latest
> citation is for "gorm" in 1962.
spelling/pronunciation for "gum", in the sense of "glue".
"gummed up", meaning "all stuck together" must surely be familiar to
most.
--
Cheers,
Daniel.
Janet
Feb 5, 2016, 9:00:45 AM2/5/16
to
In article <tc78bb9mr8tkkphdc...@4ax.com>, tonycooper214
@gmail.com says...
Janet.
@gmail.com says...
>
> On 5 Feb 2016 02:34:02 GMT, "John Varela" <newl...@verizon.net>
> wrote:
>
> >This a question from my wife, who grew up in a small (very small; 14
> >in the high school graduating class) in far southern Illinois,
> >across the Ohio River from Paducah, Ky.
> >
> >When she was a child, her mother (born 1903) and her mother's mother
> >would use the subject expression, saying something like this to
> >pesky children: "You kids are just messin' and gaumin'. Go outside
> >and play." (No g's in those verb endings.) The meaning of the
> >expression is pretty clear.
> >
> >She has checked with a childhood friend and confirmed that the
> >expression was used in at least one other family.
> >
> >The OED has three definitions for verb "gaum":
> >
> > 1. "To handle, esp. in some improper fashion." Latest citation
> > from 1893.
> >
> > 2. (also gorm) "To smear with a sticky substance; to daub
> > (something sticky) on a surface. Also with up." Latest
> > citation is for "gorm" in 1962.
>
> "Gormless" is "stupid or foolish". M-W says "Chiefly British", but
> I've only seen it used in writing by the Irish.
It is pretty commonly used in Br E.
> On 5 Feb 2016 02:34:02 GMT, "John Varela" <newl...@verizon.net>
> wrote:
>
> >This a question from my wife, who grew up in a small (very small; 14
> >in the high school graduating class) in far southern Illinois,
> >across the Ohio River from Paducah, Ky.
> >
> >When she was a child, her mother (born 1903) and her mother's mother
> >would use the subject expression, saying something like this to
> >pesky children: "You kids are just messin' and gaumin'. Go outside
> >and play." (No g's in those verb endings.) The meaning of the
> >expression is pretty clear.
> >
> >She has checked with a childhood friend and confirmed that the
> >expression was used in at least one other family.
> >
> >The OED has three definitions for verb "gaum":
> >
> > 1. "To handle, esp. in some improper fashion." Latest citation
> > from 1893.
> >
> > 2. (also gorm) "To smear with a sticky substance; to daub
> > (something sticky) on a surface. Also with up." Latest
> > citation is for "gorm" in 1962.
>
> "Gormless" is "stupid or foolish". M-W says "Chiefly British", but
> I've only seen it used in writing by the Irish.
Janet.
Lewis
Feb 5, 2016, 9:35:10 AM2/5/16
to
In message <0mf8bb57f64vd8bcg...@4ax.com>
Agreeing with the meaning, not seeing any Irish connection.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization_V>
i"In Civilization V, the player leads a civilization from prehistoric
times into the future on a procedurally generated map, achieving one of
a number of different victory conditions through research, exploration,
diplomacy, expansion, economic development, government and military
conquest. "
--
But I been sane a long while now, and change is good.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization_V>
i"In Civilization V, the player leads a civilization from prehistoric
times into the future on a procedurally generated map, achieving one of
a number of different victory conditions through research, exploration,
diplomacy, expansion, economic development, government and military
conquest. "
--
But I been sane a long while now, and change is good.
alien8er
Feb 5, 2016, 10:05:48 AM2/5/16
to
On Friday, February 5, 2016 at 1:30:05 AM UTC-8, Adam Funk wrote:
> On 2016-02-05, Tony Cooper wrote:
>
> > "Gormless" is "stupid or foolish". M-W says "Chiefly British", but
> > I've only seen it used in writing by the Irish.
>
> It's not unusual in English speech.
>
Okay, so a stupid question comes to mind.
> On 2016-02-05, Tony Cooper wrote:
>
> > "Gormless" is "stupid or foolish". M-W says "Chiefly British", but
> > I've only seen it used in writing by the Irish.
>
> It's not unusual in English speech.
>
Given the "blue eyes" meaning of "gorm", is there a racist aspect to "gormless"?
Dr. HotSalt
Tony Cooper
Feb 5, 2016, 10:41:45 AM2/5/16
to
http://www.worldwidewords.org/
I subscribe to his newsletter. Every issue he discusses some word or
phrase that a reader has asked about. He researches words and phrases
and comes up with some interesting history.
Katy Jennison
Feb 5, 2016, 11:03:08 AM2/5/16
to
scientific co-operation ... ? No, I suppose not.
--
Katy Jennison
Lewis
Feb 5, 2016, 6:52:21 PM2/5/16
to
In message <n92h3q$k59$1...@news.albasani.net>
The Civilization series is a single-player strategy game. While things
like treaties and education and collaboration do exist, they are between
the player and an AI, and not the heart of the game.
The category is called "4X" evidently, which was news to me.
--
NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR ABOUT MY SCIATICA Bart chalkboard Ep. AABF09
like treaties and education and collaboration do exist, they are between
the player and an AI, and not the heart of the game.
The category is called "4X" evidently, which was news to me.
--
NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR ABOUT MY SCIATICA Bart chalkboard Ep. AABF09
Robin Bignall
Feb 5, 2016, 7:11:01 PM2/5/16
to
was referring to. I don't believe that the 'gaum' has much connection
with 'gormless', except that such a person might just spend his or her
time messing about empty-headedly, creating a bit of a mess while doing
so.
--
Robin Bignall
Herts, England (BrE)
Robert Bannister
Feb 5, 2016, 7:35:33 PM2/5/16
to
--
Robert B.
Stan Brown
Feb 5, 2016, 9:35:58 PM2/5/16
to
On 5 Feb 2016 02:34:02 GMT, John Varela wrote:
> When she was a child, her mother (born 1903) and her mother's mother
> would use the subject expression, saying something like this to
> pesky children: "You kids are just messin' and gaumin'. Go outside
> and play." (No g's in those verb endings.) The meaning of the
> expression is pretty clear.
I have sort of an idea, but "gaumin'" draws a blank.
> When she was a child, her mother (born 1903) and her mother's mother
> would use the subject expression, saying something like this to
> pesky children: "You kids are just messin' and gaumin'. Go outside
> and play." (No g's in those verb endings.) The meaning of the
> expression is pretty clear.
--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://BrownMath.com/
http://OakRoadSystems.com/
"The difference between the /almost right/ word and the
/right/ word is ... the difference between the lightning-bug
and the lightning." --Mark Twain
Stan Brown
Feb 5, 2016, 9:37:28 PM2/5/16
to
On Thu, 04 Feb 2016 22:59:06 -0500, Tony Cooper wrote:
> "Gormless" is "stupid or foolish".
>
Humph. I always thought it meant nebbishy or ineffectual. I learn
> "Gormless" is "stupid or foolish".
>
something every day.
Stan Brown
Feb 5, 2016, 9:45:04 PM2/5/16
to
On Fri, 05 Feb 2016 10:41:43 -0500, Tony Cooper wrote:
> http://www.worldwidewords.org/
>
> I subscribe to his newsletter. Every issue he discusses some word or
> phrase that a reader has asked about. He researches words and phrases
> and comes up with some interesting history.
>
Thanks for this. It looks quite interesting, and I've subscribed.
> http://www.worldwidewords.org/
>
> I subscribe to his newsletter. Every issue he discusses some word or
> phrase that a reader has asked about. He researches words and phrases
> and comes up with some interesting history.
>
John Varela
Feb 6, 2016, 8:22:05 PM2/6/16
to
--
John Varela
lahk...@gmail.com
Feb 14, 2020, 10:23:27 PM2/14/20
to
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