[R] [GG] Slit gaskins, shown moules, torn welchets, spiked figgins
Glyn Bradley
would be taken from this place and his gaskin slit, his moules shown to
the four winds, his welchet torn asunder with many hooks and his figgin
placed upon a spike *yes what is it?*"
"It had been a bad day for the Watch. There had been the funeral of
Herbert Gaskin, for one thing. Poor old Gaskin."
Can anyone elaborate on these words? From the COED I can see a gaskin
is, in our universe, the hinder part of a horse's thigh.
--
Hofstadter's Law: It always takes longer than you think it will take,
even if you take into account Hofstadter's Law.
Andy Davison
> "And it be well for an knowlessman that he should not be here, for he
> would be taken from this place and his gaskin slit, his moules shown to
> the four winds, his welchet torn asunder with many hooks and his figgin
> placed upon a spike *yes what is it?*"
>
> "It had been a bad day for the Watch. There had been the funeral of
> Herbert Gaskin, for one thing. Poor old Gaskin."
>
> Can anyone elaborate on these words? From the COED I can see a gaskin
> is, in our universe, the hinder part of a horse's thigh.
It's to do with the fact that secret societies try to use fancy words and
rituals to give their actions almost religious significance which makes the
less intelligent members feel they are doing something exciting and
important. It is somewhat reminiscent of J Peasmould Gruntfuttock[1] and Rambling Syd Rumpo.
[1] Particularly the 'Shuddering Brethren' bit on 'Round the Horne 5'
side 1 (ZBBC 1326 - ISBN 0563 366 478) from BBC Enterprises.
--
Andy Davison
andyd...@oiyou.force9.co.uk
JZR RIP
Peter Bleackley
|> "And it be well for an knowlessman that he should not be here, for he
|> would be taken from this place and his gaskin slit, his moules shown to
|> the four winds, his welchet torn asunder with many hooks and his figgin
|> placed upon a spike *yes what is it?*"
|>
|> "It had been a bad day for the Watch. There had been the funeral of
|> Herbert Gaskin, for one thing. Poor old Gaskin."
|>
|> Can anyone elaborate on these words? From the COED I can see a gaskin
|> is, in our universe, the hinder part of a horse's thigh.
"Gaskins" is an old word for trousers- cf Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
Maria: Art thou resolute then?
Feste: Not so neither- but I am resolved upon two points [1].
Maria: That if one break, the other shall hold, or if the other break,
your gaskins fall.
Feste: Apt, i'faith, very apt. If Sir Toby were to leave drinking,
thou wert as witty a piece of Eve's flesh as any in Illyria.
"Moules" is described as a game involving tortoises, so may be partly
a pun on "boules", but also resembles Rambling Sid Rumpo's all-purpose
nonsense word "moulies", especially in sounding slightly rude and
rather painful. cf The Ballad of the Woggler's Moulie
So they 'ung him by the postern,
Nailed his moulie to the fence
For to warn all young cordwanglers
That it is a grave offence.
Welchet I have no idea about. The definition of "figgin" as a sort of
tea-cake sounds right, and would make sense of it being placed on a
spike, so as to toast it. The motto of the Guild of Scribes and
Posters is "Ficcinus toastatus vultisne?", this being Latatian [2] for
"Would you like your figgin toasted."
[1] This appears to mean, "I have two pieces of string holding my
trousers up."
[2] i.e. the sort of Latin where "Fabricati diem, pvnc" means, "To
protect and serve".
--
~PETE "QUANTUM" BLEACKLEY~
Daleks! Repent of your evil ways, and live in peace as plumbers!
X-Ray Astronomy Group University of Leicester
p...@star.le.ac.uk ~ Website coming soon
John Warden
Peter Bleackley wrote in message <6r9efv$u...@falcon.le.ac.uk>...
>"Gaskins" is an old word for trousers- cf Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
>
>Maria: Art thou resolute then?
>Feste: Not so neither- but I am resolved upon two points [1].
>Maria: That if one break, the other shall hold, or if the other break,
>your gaskins fall.
>Feste: Apt, i'faith, very apt. If Sir Toby were to leave drinking,
>thou wert as witty a piece of Eve's flesh as any in Illyria.
>
>trousers up."
There is also a reference to "points" in Henry IV,(can't remember which
part), in one of the jocular bits where Falstaff is boasting about his
swordsmanship. AFAICR, the dialogue went something along the lines of :
<Falstaff> ( describing valiant and heroic swordsmanship . . .) "their
ponts being broken"
<Pistol> (or was it Bardolph?) "Down fell their hose."
A pune on points, Falstaff meaning the points of his opponents swords, P (or
B) referring to the bits of string holding up their socks.
John
Norbrewer
Wasn't it also a code name for a Soviet APC??
Martin F.
Uncle Joe's Mint Balls, the best thing to come from Wigan.
Chris and Elisabeth Zakes
Bleackley) to write:
>In , Glyn Bradley writes:
>|> "And it be well for an knowlessman that he should not be here, for he
>|> would be taken from this place and his gaskin slit, his moules shown to
>|> the four winds, his welchet torn asunder with many hooks and his figgin
>|> placed upon a spike *yes what is it?*"
>|>
>|> "It had been a bad day for the Watch. There had been the funeral of
>|> Herbert Gaskin, for one thing. Poor old Gaskin."
>|>
>|> Can anyone elaborate on these words? From the COED I can see a gaskin
>|> is, in our universe, the hinder part of a horse's thigh.
>
>"Gaskins" is an old word for trousers- cf Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
>
>Maria: Art thou resolute then?
>Feste: Not so neither- but I am resolved upon two points [1].
>Maria: That if one break, the other shall hold, or if the other break,
>your gaskins fall.
(snip)
>[1] This appears to mean, "I have two pieces of string holding my
>trousers up."
More-or-less. "Points" in Shakespeare's day were laces that attached
hose, gaskins, venetians, slops, canions or other leg-clothing to the
doublet or jerkin, to keep them from falling down.
Amazing what SCA membership can teach you. <G>
-Chris Zakes
Texas
C and E Zakes
Tivar Moondragon (Patience and Persistence)
and Aethelyan Moondragon (Decadence is its own reward)
moon...@bga.com