etymolgy of [drum] --- [ whiskey drummer ]

[Hen Hanna]

etymolgy of [drum] ---

Etymology[edit]

1535, back-formation from drumslade ‎(“drummer”‎), from Middle Dutch trommelslach ‎(“drumbeat”‎), from trommel ‎(“drum”‎) + slach ‎(“beat”‎) (Dutch slag).


Alternate etymology traces drum directly from Middle Dutch tromme ‎(“drum”‎) or Middle Low German trumme ‎(“drum”‎). Akin to Middle High German trumme, trumbe ‎(“drum”‎), Old High German trumba ‎(“trumpet”‎). More at trumpet.


___________________

[ whiskey drummer ] was in a film -- (pls Guess which one)

I'd have guessed that the etym. was
from whiskey in a (steel) drum.

which is kind-of yucky just thinking about it,
the taste, the smell, .... .

HH

[Peter Duncanson [BrE]]

On Fri, 16 Jun 2017 11:24:55 -0700 (PDT), Hen Hanna <henh...@gmail.com>
wrote:

>
> etymolgy of [drum] ---
>
>Etymology[edit]
>

>1535, back-formation from drumslade ?(“drummer”?), from Middle Dutch trommelslach ?(“drumbeat”?), from trommel ?(“drum”?) + slach ?(“beat”?) (Dutch slag).
>
>
>Alternate etymology traces drum directly from Middle Dutch tromme ?(“drum”?) or Middle Low German trumme ?(“drum”?). Akin to Middle High German trumme, trumbe ?(“drum”?), Old High German trumba ?(“trumpet”?). More at trumpet.

>
>
>___________________
>
> [ whiskey drummer ] was in a film -- (pls Guess which one)
>
> I'd have guessed that the etym. was
> from whiskey in a (steel) drum.
>
> which is kind-of yucky just thinking about it,
> the taste, the smell, .... .
>
>HH

That guess is reasonable but wrong!

http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_whiskey_drummer

A whiskey drummer is a whiskey salesman. They "drum up" business.

OED:

to drum up
1. trans.
a. To attempt to secure or attract (supporters, customers, business,
support, funding, etc.) by aggressive salesmanship, rousing
oratory, vigorous persuasion, or the like.

It comes from this sense of the verb "drum":

4. trans.
a. To summon by, or as if by, beating a drum; to draw or drive
(esp. animals) in a specified direction, or into a particular4
course of action, by making a drumming noise. See also to drum up
1a at Phrasal verbs.

--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.english.usage)

[Whiskers]

Drummer is also old-fashioned mostly US slang for 'travelling salesman';
possibly derived from the phrase 'to drum up [interest | business]'. A
travelling salesman might well have used a drum (the musical instrument
sort) to attract attention.

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~

[Hen Hanna]

Thanks.

[ whiskey drummer ] was in a film -- (pls Guess which one)

and there was a pretty, female
[ champagne drummer ] in another film

-- (pls Guess which one)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Loman
What was he selling ?


i guess TV ads made a [travelling salesman]
obsolete
by the end of the 1950s.

HH

[Whiskers]

On 2017-06-17, Hen Hanna <henh...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Saturday, June 17, 2017 at 7:31:16 AM UTC-7, Whiskers wrote:

[...]

>> Drummer is also old-fashioned mostly US slang for 'travelling salesman';
>> possibly derived from the phrase 'to drum up [interest | business]'. A
>> travelling salesman might well have used a drum (the musical instrument
>> sort) to attract attention.
>>
>
> Thanks.
>
> [ whiskey drummer ] was in a film -- (pls Guess which one)
>
> and there was a pretty, female
> [ champagne drummer ] in another film
> -- (pls Guess which one)

I'll let others try that.

>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Loman
> What was he selling ?

We are never told. Which is part of the point of the play, I think.
Willy is no longer useful. Perhaps he's even forgotten.

> i guess TV ads made a [travelling salesman]
> obsolete
> by the end of the 1950s.
>
> HH

They still exist, but the job isn't what it was - and there are far
fewer of them. Mostly selling to businesses I think.

[Hen Hanna]

On Sunday, June 18, 2017 at 6:15:43 AM UTC-7, Whiskers wrote:

>
> [...]
>
> >> Drummer is also old-fashioned mostly US slang for 'travelling salesman';
> >> possibly derived from the phrase 'to drum up [interest | business]'. A
> >> travelling salesman might well have used a drum (the musical instrument
> >> sort) to attract attention.
> >>
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > [ whiskey drummer ] was in a film -- (pls Guess which one)
> >
> > and there was a pretty, female
> > [ champagne drummer ] in another film
> > -- (pls Guess which one)
>
> I'll let others try that.
>
> >
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Loman
> > What was he selling ?
>
> We are never told. Which is part of the point of the play, I think.

ok. thanks. everyone read that book in high school.
Do they still read this book?
If not, what replaced it?

> > i guess TV ads made a [travelling salesman]
> > obsolete
> > by the end of the 1950s.
> >
> > HH
>
> They still exist, but the job isn't what it was - and there are far
> fewer of them. Mostly selling to businesses I think.

In a certain book

-- (pls Guess which one)

I read that hotel chains often copy other
hotel chains' newly-introduced amenities
very quickly.

They must have ppl going around
checking in and checking rival hotel chains
-- modern-day's equiv of a [travelling salesman] ?

HH

[Whiskers]

On 2017-06-20, Hen Hanna <henh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On Sunday, June 18, 2017 at 6:15:43 AM UTC-7, Whiskers wrote:
>
>>
>> [...]
>>
>> >> Drummer is also old-fashioned mostly US slang for 'travelling salesman';
>> >> possibly derived from the phrase 'to drum up [interest | business]'. A
>> >> travelling salesman might well have used a drum (the musical instrument
>> >> sort) to attract attention.
>> >>
>> >
>> > Thanks.
>> >
>> > [ whiskey drummer ] was in a film -- (pls Guess which one)
>> >
>> > and there was a pretty, female
>> > [ champagne drummer ] in another film
>> > -- (pls Guess which one)
>>
>> I'll let others try that.
>>
>> >
>> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Loman
>> > What was he selling ?
>>
>> We are never told. Which is part of the point of the play, I think.
>
>
> ok. thanks. everyone read that book in high school.
> Do they still read this book?
> If not, what replaced it?

Something else, I suppose. It was never the only book studied, and many
people never studied it or read it. Almost any novel will 'do' for the
purposes of an Eng Lit course.

>> > i guess TV ads made a [travelling salesman]
>> > obsolete
>> > by the end of the 1950s.
>> >
>> > HH
>>
>> They still exist, but the job isn't what it was - and there are far
>> fewer of them. Mostly selling to businesses I think.
>
>
> In a certain book
> -- (pls Guess which one)
> I read that hotel chains often copy other
> hotel chains' newly-introduced amenities
> very quickly.
>
> They must have ppl going around
> checking in and checking rival hotel chains
> -- modern-day's equiv of a [travelling salesman] ?

More like 'industrial spy' or 'secret shopper'. Not any sort of
'salesman'.