"Parky"
Paul Walter
cold. The best I can come up with is that an Alaskan term
for a parka - a warm coat - is "parky" and that the word
may have been derived from that. But I can find nothing
firm about it.
Thanks,
Paul Walter
* Sent from AltaVista http://www.altavista.com Where you can also find related Web Pages, Images, Audios, Videos, News, and Shopping. Smart is Beautiful
James Follett
<03e6ae67...@usw-ex0108-062.remarq.com>
pwNOp...@bitsmart.com.invalid "Paul Walter" wrote:
>Does anyone know the origin of the word "parky" meaning
>cold. The best I can come up with is that an Alaskan term
>for a parka - a warm coat - is "parky" and that the word
>may have been derived from that. But I can find nothing
>firm about it.
I was confident that Collins English Dictionary would answer
this because it is strong on word origins. But on this occasion
all it could offer was the lame "parky (probably perky)".
God know where they got this from. I know from wide experience
that little about me is perky when it's parky. It's different
for ladies, of course. Particularly Bognor's slappers.
--
James Follett -- novelist http://www.davew.demon.co.uk
Donna Richoux
> Does anyone know the origin of the word "parky" meaning
> cold. The best I can come up with is that an Alaskan term
> for a parka - a warm coat - is "parky" and that the word
> may have been derived from that. But I can find nothing
> firm about it.
I never heard of it, myself. Out of curiosity, perhaps you could
elaborate on what sort of person says it, under what circumstances,
where?
--
Best wishes -- Donna Richoux
(An American living in the Netherlands)
Stephen Toogood
<tr...@euronet.nl> writes
>Paul Walter <pwNOp...@bitsmart.com.invalid> wrote:
>
>> Does anyone know the origin of the word "parky" meaning
>> cold. The best I can come up with is that an Alaskan term
>> for a parka - a warm coat - is "parky" and that the word
>> may have been derived from that. But I can find nothing
>> firm about it.
>
>I never heard of it, myself. Out of curiosity, perhaps you could
>elaborate on what sort of person says it, under what circumstances,
>where?
>
those inside that it is cold outside, and he says it when passing the
time of day with other Yorkshiremen in the said outside.
There is a number of other regional words for cold. For example
'taters' (Somerset)
'monkeys' (many places, but London in particular)
add your own and stir well.
I tried to check in Brewer's, but my copy is in some cardboard box
while we try to paint the sitting room.
--
Stephen Toogood
K. Edgcombe
Donna Richoux <tr...@euronet.nl> wrote:
>> Does anyone know the origin of the word "parky" meaning
>> cold.
>
>elaborate on what sort of person says it, under what circumstances,
>where?
Well, I say it, and you know what sort of person I am.
When I'm cold, usually.
Wherever I happen to be.
"Bit parky 'smorning, innit?"
I associate it with my Northern UK forebears, but I may be imagining this link.
I have no idea of its origins. Most of my friends and contemporaries would
understand it, but I don't think I've heard many of them use it.
The weather can be parky, or a room can be parky, but I don't believe a person
can be parky. It's starting to look *really* silly now.
Katy
Karen
James Follett wrote
> God know where they got this from. I know from wide experience
> that little about me is perky when it's parky. It's different
> for ladies, of course. Particularly Bognor's slappers.
My my my. You are very skilled at quietly imparting your pervertedness. I
could use you as a role model of discretion. =]
Thanks for the giggle.
Karen
John Davies
writes
impersonated by the late Dick Emery:
"Oooh, you are awful!" [bats eyelashes, lowers voice] "But I do like
you".
Actually, Karen, I suspect you may have misread Jimbo's character.
Skilled he undoubtedly is, but rarely quiet, and never discreet. I know
little of his perversions, but I don't think a knowledge of Bognor's
slappers can be taken as evidence of anything other than a normal
appetite. Slappers are simply young females of an uninhibited
character. Jimbo will have undoubtedly carried out extensive research
into their perkiness at different temperatures, solely with the aim of
expanding the boundaries of human knowledge, of course.
--
John Davies (jo...@redwoods.demon.co.uk)
James Follett
<1e5oudk.14pgbbu7ncjnkN%tr...@euronet.nl> tr...@euronet.nl
"Donna Richoux" wrote:
>I never heard of it, myself. Out of curiosity, perhaps you could
>elaborate on what sort of person says it, under what circumstances,
>where?
"Parky", meaning cold weather, is not heard much in the soft
south of England. Older folk use it in the north. `Ee... It
be a bit parky, this mornin', missus." Ken Platt, a North
Country comedian had a catch-line. "Bit parky outside. I'll
not take me coat off -- I'm not stopping."
nancy g.
> Does anyone know the origin of the word "parky" meaning
> cold. The best I can come up with is that an Alaskan term
> for a parka - a warm coat - is "parky" and that the word
> may have been derived from that. But I can find nothing
> firm about it.
Where is this word used? I've never heard it before.
nancy g.
from New England
Mike Page
ja...@marage.demon.co.uk (James Follett) wrote:
>On Monday, in article
> <03e6ae67...@usw-ex0108-062.remarq.com>
> pwNOp...@bitsmart.com.invalid "Paul Walter" wrote:
>
>>Does anyone know the origin of the word "parky" meaning
>>cold. The best I can come up with is that an Alaskan term
>>for a parka - a warm coat - is "parky" and that the word
>>may have been derived from that. But I can find nothing
>>firm about it.
>
>I was confident that Collins English Dictionary would answer
>this because it is strong on word origins. But on this occasion
>all it could offer was the lame "parky (probably perky)".
>
The cantankerous old SOD says it comes from park (as enclosed
tract of land) + y, but offers no reason why.
Mike Page
Let the ape escape for e-mail
Donna Richoux
> On Tuesday, in article
> <1e5oudk.14pgbbu7ncjnkN%tr...@euronet.nl> tr...@euronet.nl
> "Donna Richoux" wrote:
>
> >I never heard of it, myself. Out of curiosity, perhaps you could
> >elaborate on what sort of person says it, under what circumstances,
> >where?
>
> "Parky", meaning cold weather, is not heard much in the soft
> south of England. Older folk use it in the north. `Ee... It
> be a bit parky, this mornin', missus." Ken Platt, a North
> Country comedian had a catch-line. "Bit parky outside. I'll
> not take me coat off -- I'm not stopping."
Thanks to one and all. I wonder if the august OED would shed any more
light. (And no, I don't meant the August OED.)
The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue has nothing related to "park"
except "park pailing -- teeth." I wonder if there is some connection to
weather that sets your teeth chattering. Bit of a stretch, though.
--
Best wishes --- Donna Richoux
Bob Cunningham
said:
[ . . . ]
>Thanks to one and all. I wonder if the august OED would shed any more
>light. (And no, I don't meant the August OED.)
The aOED (1920s edition) says nothing about the origin of 'parky' in
the chilly sense. It calls it slang and has citations from 1898 and
1900.
The 1980s _Supplement to the OED_ has 'earlier and later examples'
from 1895 through 1975, but still nothing about the origin.
I can imagine an evening in the park becoming unpleasantly cool as
twilight approaches and someone using 'parky' to refer later to that
condition.
Colin Rosenthal
>On Tuesday, in article
> <1e5oudk.14pgbbu7ncjnkN%tr...@euronet.nl> tr...@euronet.nl
> "Donna Richoux" wrote:
>
>>I never heard of it, myself. Out of curiosity, perhaps you could
>>elaborate on what sort of person says it, under what circumstances,
>>where?
>
>"Parky", meaning cold weather, is not heard much in the soft
>south of England. Older folk use it in the north. `Ee... It
>be a bit parky, this mornin', missus." Ken Platt, a North
>Country comedian had a catch-line. "Bit parky outside. I'll
>not take me coat off -- I'm not stopping."
This is an interesting thread. The Yorkshire-dialect associations of the
word might suggest an old-Norse origin. I've x-posted to soc.culture.nordic
to see if anyone on that group can throw some light on it.
--
Colin Rosenthal
Astrophysics Institute
University of Oslo
James Follett
<QeRQzIB3...@redwoods.demon.co.uk>
jo...@redwoods.demon.co.uk "John Davies" wrote:
>[...] Slappers are simply young females of an uninhibited
>character. Jimbo will have undoubtedly carried out extensive research
>into their perkiness at different temperatures, solely with the aim of
>expanding the boundaries of human knowledge, of course.
Stung by this dreadful slur, last night I did some real, thrusting,
in-depth research into "Parky".
I actually climbed onto a step stool in the library and lowered to
the floor by means of a block and tackle, the entire boxed set of
The Oxford Library of Words and Phrases. I prised Volume III
from the slipcase -- The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins
(1986 edition edited by T F Hoad). My fingers trembled as I turned
the pages. At last I was about to make a useful contribution by
clearing up a mystery that has taxed the mighty intellects of the
great and the good of aue, and also John Davies.
Here is the exact entry which I marked with a orange highlight
pen so that it would be a painstaking duplication with no
corners cut, every fullstop faithfully positioned. A most pert
and perky extract that I solemnly promise I have left untweaked:
parky (colloq.) chilly. XIX. of unkn. orig.
I suspect that John divined what I was up to by some devilish
means. He realised that the game was up and sent an acolyte to
confound my efforts. When I tried to put the slipcase back, it
refused to fit the gap on the shelf. A book had to be removed
and now my entire system is in a state of disarray. You have
no idea how low the spirits are at 0200 when confronted with
such a disaster.
Paul Walter
thank you, Colin, for posting the question on the Nordic
culture board.
This excerpt from the UK newspaper,'The Independent' might
further whet your appetite for this matter:
12th March 1999 The Independent
"THERE IS distinct rivalry between Yorkshire towns. In
urging Knaresborough's merits, the owner of the riverside
Marigold cafe contrasted it with Harrogate "which up there,
in this wind, will be right parky". Knaresborough is a
proper place, not a Woking, but parky, used all one's life,
is elusive. Perhaps of Yorkshire origin, it surfaced in the
last century, but there is no apparent link with the parky
that means of a park (which comes from Old French and
ousted parrock). Nor is there a connection with parka, that
repellent item of clothing which, redolent of the
Seventies, has been revived by the pop group Oasis and
which in fact, as sported by Eskimoes, goes back to the
18th century and is from Russian for skin jacket."
I looked up the term "parky" in a dictionary of Alaskan
terms and expressions and found this entry:
Parky - How parka is pronounced in Alaska.
One would suspect that, if "parky" is what they call a
parka (ie a warm coat) in Alaska, then there could well be
some sort of connection - ie. "parky" means weather which
requires the wearing of a "parky" or a "parka".
Any thoughts?
Thank you again,
John Davies
hq.orang.freeserve.net> writes
Which particular old SOD is that? NSOED says "origin unknown."
I can see a possible link with "park", since in the north of England at
least parks are more often cold and windy than warm and welcoming: and
if the word is of urban origin (as most slang is, I think) a park would
be the coldest place your average city dweller could think of.
Pure guesswork, of course.
--
John Davies (jo...@redwoods.demon.co.uk)
Lindsay Endell
>
> "Parky", meaning cold weather, is not heard much in the soft
> south of England. Older folk use it in the north.
Oi! Who are you calling older?
It was pretty parky in my corner of Wet Yorks last night I can tell
you!
Linz
--
Oh, not really a pedant, I wouldn't say.
http://www.gofar.demon.co.uk/ - Issue 2.0 available now
In AUE all Englishes are equal, though each is more
equal than all the others. Bob Lieblich, aue
Mike Page
<jo...@redwoods.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>>The cantankerous old SOD says it comes from park (as enclosed
>>tract of land) + y, but offers no reason why.
>
>Which particular old SOD is that? NSOED says "origin unknown."
Shorter Oxford English Dictionary 3rd Edn, 1967 reprint.
>
>I can see a possible link with "park", since in the north of England at
>least parks are more often cold and windy than warm and welcoming: and
>if the word is of urban origin (as most slang is, I think) a park would
>be the coldest place your average city dweller could think of.
>
>Pure guesswork, of course.
That's all I can think of, too.
Garry J. Vass
<pwNOp...@bitsmart.com.invalid> writes
>Does anyone know the origin of the word "parky" meaning
>cold. The best I can come up with is that an Alaskan term
>for a parka - a warm coat - is "parky" and that the word
>may have been derived from that. But I can find nothing
>firm about it.
>
Paul,
Have you considered the cockney angle? E.g., Bushel = neck because
'Bushel and peck' rhymes with 'neck'.
A citation in Pugh's 'Cockney at Home'... "I couldn't parkie no wedge
to you...". Unfortunately, the 'reverse engineering bit' that enables
one to get at the source rhyme isn't given, suggesting that it must be
commonly obvious. Or that he didn't know either.
And from the eponymial angle, there's a pub called 'Parker's Vaults',
which refers to an Admiral who gained a spot of notoriety in the early
19th century.
Only suggestions here, if you manage to nail this down I would
appreciate hearing from you.
--
Garry J. Vass
Elsie Hemming
It might be a Lancashire dialect word, but I am not sure. I did own
a set of Lloyds Dictionaries which were excellent for tracking down
obsolete or dialect words, but they have disappeared from my
bookshelves. Just a thought - we did eat parkin, a cake made
with oatmeal and treacle and other goodies, on November 5th,
to help us keep warm around the bonfire. Elsie Hemming
James Follett <ja...@marage.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:20000208.1...@marage.demon.co.uk...
> On Monday, in article
> <03e6ae67...@usw-ex0108-062.remarq.com>
> pwNOp...@bitsmart.com.invalid "Paul Walter" wrote:
>
> >Does anyone know the origin of the word "parky" meaning
> >cold. The best I can come up with is that an Alaskan term
> >for a parka - a warm coat - is "parky" and that the word
> >may have been derived from that. But I can find nothing
> >firm about it.
>
> I was confident that Collins English Dictionary would answer
> this because it is strong on word origins. But on this occasion
> all it could offer was the lame "parky (probably perky)".
>
> God know where they got this from. I know from wide experience
> that little about me is perky when it's parky. It's different
> for ladies, of course. Particularly Bognor's slappers.
>
nestor...@my-deja.com
that the origin is related to the directly previous entry "parky" in the
OED, i.e., simply, relating to a park. Of course, a park at one time
was not a little piece of green in a city, but a large expanse of
countryside largely dedicated to the recreational pursuits of the
wealthy. The shooters and keepers and other servants must have spent
many hours standing around waiting for the aristocrats to finsih killing
birds and deer, and would no doubt have had plenty of time in falling
temperatures to feel "parky".
"Elsie Hemming" <ehem...@winsoft.net.au> wrote:
> This is a familiar word from my childhood in Manchester, England.
> It might be a Lancashire dialect word, but I am not sure. I did own
> a set of Lloyds Dictionaries which were excellent for tracking down
> obsolete or dialect words, but they have disappeared from my
> bookshelves. Just a thought - we did eat parkin, a cake made
> with oatmeal and treacle and other goodies, on November 5th,
> to help us keep warm around the bonfire. Elsie Hemming
>
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Paul Walter
I am extremely impressed by the lengths you went to to get
to the bottom of this. Thanks very much, and thanks to
every one else for your contributions. I think I can safely
say that the origin of "parky" is "unknown".
Thank you,
Jerry Friedman
Paul Walter <pwNOp...@bitsmart.com.invalid> wrote:
...
> 12th March 1999 The Independent
>
> "...Knaresborough is a
> proper place, not a Woking, but parky, used all one's life,
> is elusive. Perhaps of Yorkshire origin, it surfaced in the
> last century, but there is no apparent link with the parky
> that means of a park (which comes from Old French and
> ousted parrock). Nor is there a connection with parka, that
> repellent item of clothing which, redolent of the
> Seventies, has been revived by the pop group Oasis and
> which in fact, as sported by Eskimoes, goes back to the
> 18th century and is from Russian for skin jacket."
>
> I looked up the term "parky" in a dictionary of Alaskan
> terms and expressions and found this entry:
>
> Parky - How parka is pronounced in Alaska.
>
> One would suspect that, if "parky" is what they call a
> parka (ie a warm coat) in Alaska, then there could well be
> some sort of connection - ie. "parky" means weather which
> requires the wearing of a "parky" or a "parka".
MWCD on line says:
"Main Entry: par·ka
Pronunciation: 'pär-k&
Function: noun
Etymology: Aleut, from Russian dialect, ultimately from Nenets
(Samoyedic language of northern Russia)
Date: 1780
1 : a hooded fur pullover garment for arctic wear
2 : a usually lined fabric outerwear pullover or jacket"
So "parka" is old enough in English. And maybe it's not as Russian as
the _Independent_ thinks. But the definition strikes me as not nearly
specific enough. Doesn't a parka always have a hood, always go at least
to the hips, and never have a waist?
--
Jerry Friedman
jfrE...@nnm.cc.nm.us
i before e
and all the disclaimers