(k)nobend
MC
users. I read this as "no bend" and couldn't figure out what the poster
was talking about.
Then realization set in, it was "nob end" or "knob end."
I always assumed the expression referred to the tip of a penis, but a
bit of Googling led me here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nob_End
Nob End is "the site of a former waste tip, and now a Site of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSI) near Kearsley, Bolton, England."
Any thoughts about all this?
--
"If you can, tell me something happy."
- Marybones
Peter Duncanson (BrE)
>I saw the word "nobend" on another news group whose members are all BrE
>users. I read this as "no bend" and couldn't figure out what the poster
>was talking about.
>
>Then realization set in, it was "nob end" or "knob end."
>
>I always assumed the expression referred to the tip of a penis,
That is what I have always assumed, too.
This agrees:
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/k.htm
knob-end
Noun.
1. The head of a penis.
2. A contemptible person.
3. The very end of something. E.g."Ok, I'll eat the knob-end of the
bread, the crusty bits are my favourite."
> but a
>bit of Googling led me here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nob_End
>
>Nob End is "the site of a former waste tip, and now a Site of Special
>Scientific Interest (SSSI) near Kearsley, Bolton, England."
>
>Any thoughts about all this?
--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)
Irwell
Was it sent in by Nosmo King?
Glenn Knickerbocker
> I always assumed the expression referred to the tip of a penis, but a
> bit of Googling led me here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nob_End
A bit more led me here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=Vt0DAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA2-PA135
The Interdict - Isabella Steward - 1840 - History
"I was at my nob's end where to find you," he exclaimed,
So the sense could be the same as "wit's end," also used as a place name.
ï¿œR
John Dunlop
> With nothing other my personal, and possibly deluded, idea, I thought
> there was a word spelled "nob", and that it meant "head". As some
> support for that, the word crops up in the card game Cribbage, where if
> one possesses a Jack in the same suit as the opening or starter card
> placed, one can gain an extra point, which is announced as "one for his
> nob" (my understanding that in such a game, using a word that meant "tip
> of the penis" might not be judged a publicity success for the game). I
> recall reading a very old book (possibly pre-WWII) which gave rules for
> card games, in which the phrase was definitely spelled "one for his
> nob", though I cannot recall if the explanation was given of it meaning
> "head".
>
> See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cribbage#The_show
The OED has "nob" meaning "the head", which it says is "colloquial and
somewhat archaic" and probably originally a variant spelling of "knob".
--
John
Peter Duncanson (BrE)
<ma...@peterduncanson.net> wrote:
>On Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:54:55 -0400, MC <cope...@mapca.inter.net> wrote:
>
>>I saw the word "nobend" on another news group whose members are all BrE
>>users. I read this as "no bend" and couldn't figure out what the poster
>>was talking about.
>>
>>Then realization set in, it was "nob end" or "knob end."
>>
>>I always assumed the expression referred to the tip of a penis,
>
>That is what I have always assumed, too.
>
>This agrees:
>http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/k.htm
>
> knob-end
> Noun.
> 1. The head of a penis.
> 2. A contemptible person.
> 3. The very end of something. E.g."Ok, I'll eat the knob-end of the
> bread, the crusty bits are my favourite."
>
"nob" is an alternative spelling for some senses:
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/n.htm
nob
Noun.
1. A penis.
2. An idiot, an objectionable person.
3. A person of wealth and high social standing, a member of the
upper-classes.
Verb. To have sexual intercourse.
* Also, and more commonly spelt 'knob'.
John Dean
I wouldn't think it has anything to do with the SSSI. 'knob' or 'nob' has
been slang for a penis for a while. 'knob-end' is just an elaboration on
that. See the similar 'bell-end'.
Since 'knob' and 'nob' have many other meanings it's impossible to say
exactly which was the origin in a case like Nob End but an early meaning of
'knob' is a hill or protuberance.
--
John Dean
Oxford
John Dean
> In article <9rWdncHq-LaEqcXT...@bestweb.net>,
> No...@bestweb.net says...
>
> With nothing other my personal, and possibly deluded, idea, I thought
> there was a word spelled "nob", and that it meant "head". As some
> support for that, the word crops up in the card game Cribbage, where
> if one possesses a Jack in the same suit as the opening or starter
> card placed, one can gain an extra point, which is announced as "one
> for his nob" (my understanding that in such a game, using a word that
> meant "tip of the penis" might not be judged a publicity success for
> the game). I recall reading a very old book (possibly pre-WWII) which
> gave rules for card games, in which the phrase was definitely spelled
> "one for his nob", though I cannot recall if the explanation was
> given of it meaning "head".
>
> See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cribbage#The_show
OED says this 'nob' is the Jack itself:
2. In Cribbage, the knave of the same suit as the turn-up card, counting
one to the holder; esp. in phr. one for his nob.
1821 Lamb Elia Ser. i. Mrs. Battle's Opinions on Whist, There was nothing
silly in it, like the nob in cribbage. 1844 J. T. J. Hewlett Parsons & W.
liv, Fifteen two, and a pair's four, and his nob's five. 1870 Hardy & Ware
Mod. Hoyle, Cribbage 18 If you hold in your hand or crib a knave of the same
suit as the card turned up you peg one. In the familiar phrase, you take
'one for his nob'.
I'm not sure about that since the phrase is, as you say, one for his nob and
I don't see who the 'his' refers to if the Jack actually *is* the nob.
But the use of 'knob' for penis has certainly made generations of younger
crib-players snigger.
--
John Dean
Oxford
John Holmes
Given the location, it is interesting that it is 'Nob', not 'Lob'.
--
Regards
John
for mail: my initials plus a u e
at tpg dot com dot au
Peter Moylan
--
Peter Moylan, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. http://www.pmoylan.org
For an e-mail address, see my web page.
CDB
> David D S wrote:
>> No...@bestweb.net says...
sensible. It contends that "nob" in this context is "head" in a more
general sense, and "his nibs (or 'nabs')" was a mock-title for a head
man.
>>
http://www.word-detective.com/back-h2.html#nibs
MC
John Dunlop <dunlo...@ymail.com> wrote:
Has anybody mentioned nob meaning someone well placed in society?
Donna Richoux
The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (F. Grose) has two entries:
NOB. The head.
NOB. A king. A man of rank.
From entries relating to the "head" meaning:
JOLLY NOB. I'll lump your jolly nob for you; I'll give you a knock on
the head.
DICKED IN THE NOB. Silly. Crazed.
As for cribbage, searches on the Web show the most common term is "his
heels," followed by "his nibs" and "his nobs".
--
Best -- Donna Richoux
MC
tr...@euronet.nl (Donna Richoux) wrote:
Does it have anything to to with Nob Hill in Boston, I wonder?
Leslie Danks
"His nibs" is also a (somewhat) deprecatory epithet for someone important,
especially someone who is not as important as he thinks. Presumably "her
nibs" also exists, though I have yet to hear it in the wild.
--
Les
(BrE)
R H Draney
>
>Donna Richoux wrote:
>>
>> As for cribbage, searches on the Web show the most common term is "his
>> heels," followed by "his nibs" and "his nobs".
>>
>"His nibs" is also a (somewhat) deprecatory epithet for someone important,
>especially someone who is not as important as he thinks. Presumably "her
>nibs" also exists, though I have yet to hear it in the wild.
"Her Nibs" was the nickname bestowed upon the singer Georgia Gibbs in the late
1940s....r
--
Me? Sarcastic?
Yeah, right.
John Dean
Certainly true. 'His Nibs' is a phrase I knew in childhood and it is still
used for a high mucky-muck or, jokingly, for someone who seems to get more
attention than he merits - a crying baby might elicit the sentiment "Sounds
like his nibs wants changing". However, I don't know anyone who associates
it with cribbage in any historical sense. People use various corruptions of
'one for his nob', very possibly because they know 'nob' is a term for
'penis'.
Looking around on this theme I was reminded that, while 'one for his knob'
is for when you hold the jack of the same suit as the turn-up card, if you
actually turn up a jack you get 'two for his heels'. So I was wrong earlier
to suggest that 'his' might refer to someone other than the jack. But it
seems to strengthen the argument that nob=head in this phrase. A knave has
one head and two heels so the scoring matches up.
--
John Dean
Oxford
John Dean
I was just thinking about that. Also in San Francisco.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037946/
I dare say there are Nob Hills in other towns and cities. Certainly, I've
known the use of 'nob' for a toff, high-up or upper class type for a while.
A common cry in the Gents of a Manchester pub from an incomer was the
punning "So this is where the nobs hang out".
Tesla had a laboratory on Knob Hill, Colorado Springs.
--
John Dean
Oxford
Mike Lyle
<ma...@peterduncanson.net> wrote:
Hence graffiti in the obvious place: "This is where the big nobs hang
out."
I imagine others have mentioned the slang "head" meaning. There's a
pub near the main Reading University campus called "The Queen's Head",
but known to all as "The Knob".
[...]
--
Mike.
Mike Lyle
<john...@fraglineone.net> wrote:
>MC wrote:
>> In article <1k6o5hx.ixgzeq126tulrN%tr...@euronet.nl>,
>> tr...@euronet.nl (Donna Richoux) wrote:
>[...]
>>>
>>> The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (F. Grose) has two entries:
>>>
>>> NOB. The head.
>>> NOB. A king. A man of rank.
>>>
>>> From entries relating to the "head" meaning:
>>>
>>> JOLLY NOB. I'll lump your jolly nob for you; I'll give you a knock on
>>> the head.
>>>
>>> DICKED IN THE NOB. Silly. Crazed.
>>>
>>> As for cribbage, searches on the Web show the most common term is
>>> "his heels," followed by "his nibs" and "his nobs".
>>
>> Does it have anything to to with Nob Hill in Boston, I wonder?
>
>I was just thinking about that. Also in San Francisco.
>
>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037946/
>
>I dare say there are Nob Hills in other towns and cities. Certainly, I've
>known the use of 'nob' for a toff, high-up or upper class type for a while.
>A common cry in the Gents of a Manchester pub from an incomer was the
>punning "So this is where the nobs hang out".
Oops! Sorry! I must avoid premature articulation.
>Tesla had a laboratory on Knob Hill, Colorado Springs.
--
Mike.
Peter Duncanson (BrE)
wrote:
The OED entry for "nob" discusses its origin:
Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps a spec. use of nab n.2 or nob
n.3 Compare earlier knap n.1 2 and later nabs n., nib n.3, nibs n.
It has been suggested that this word is shortened < noble n.1 or
nobleman n. (perhaps originally as a graphic abbreviation), although
this would not explain the <alpha> forms.
In later use, perhaps influenced by association with nabob n.
slang. depreciative in later use.
A person of some wealth or social distinction.
<alpha>.
1676 Minute Bk. Inverness Tailors 10 Oct., The said John
Baillie..resolved..that the most discreet and sound nabbs of the
freemen should join with him in council.
** 1755 R. Forbes Shop-bill in tr. Ovid Ajax 37 Doughty geer That
either knabbs or lairds may weer.
....
<beta>.
1809 MS Lett. of W. Fowler, My Drawings and Engravings..have
recommended me to the notice of the first Nobbs of this Kingdom.
1825 C. M. Westmacott Eng. Spy I. 255 Nob or big wig.
** I didn't realise that "gear" (various spellings) meaning "Apparel,
attire, dress, vestments" went back as far as:
c1325 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 39 Heo glystnede ase
gold when hit glemede; nes ner gome so gladly on gere.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis II. 227 Let clothen in the same
gere.
nab, n.2
1.
a. The head of a person or animal.
b. The rounded end of a staff.
....
nob, n.3
1.
a. orig. cant. The head.
John Varela
wrote:
> As for cribbage, searches on the Web show the most common term is "his
> heels," followed by "his nibs" and "his nobs".>
Three terms for two objects. From
http://www.cribbage.org/rules/rule1.asp#section6
his heels (nibs): Jack, when it is the starter card, counts two
points for the dealer.
his nobs: Jack of the same suit as the starter card, either in the
hand or crib, counts one point.
--
John Varela
John Dean
I note those rules are from an American body. I've played a lot of crib in
the UK and only ever heard 'one for his nob' and 'two for his heels'.
Cribbage was a development from a game called 'Noddy' and it may be relevant
that an upturned or suited Jack in Noddy was called Knave Noddy
http://www.tradgames.org.uk/games/Cribbage.htm
http://www.davidparlett.co.uk/histocs/noddy.html
A set of English rules uses the standard English phrases:
http://www.mastersgames.com/rules/cribbage-rules.htm
http://www.pagat.com/adders/cribbage.html
--
John Dean
Oxford
Peter Moylan
> I imagine others have mentioned the slang "head" meaning. There's a
> pub near the main Reading University campus called "The Queen's Head",
> but known to all as "The Knob".
> [...]
>
That's where another meaning of "head" comes in. In some places, "The
Queen's Head" would automatically be translated to "The Throne".
Peter Moylan
> Looking around on this theme I was reminded that, while 'one for his knob'
> is for when you hold the jack of the same suit as the turn-up card, if you
> actually turn up a jack you get 'two for his heels'. So I was wrong earlier
> to suggest that 'his' might refer to someone other than the jack. But it
> seems to strengthen the argument that nob=head in this phrase. A knave has
> one head and two heels so the scoring matches up.
In most card decks the jack has two heads and no heels.
MC
"John Dean" <john...@fraglineone.net> wrote:
> Cribbage was a development from a game called 'Noddy' and it may be relevant
> that an upturned or suited Jack in Noddy was called Knave Noddy
Not to be confused with the nickname "Nobby" - often applied to men with
the surname Clark.
Mark Brader
> > Three terms for two objects. From
> > http://www.cribbage.org/rules/rule1.asp#section6
> >
> > his heels (nibs): Jack, when it is the starter card, counts two
> > points for the dealer.
> >
> > his nobs: Jack of the same suit as the starter card, either in the
> > hand or crib, counts one point.
> I note those rules are from an American body. I've played a lot of crib in
> the UK and only ever heard 'one for his nob' and 'two for his heels'.
I learned it from my uncle, who was a Cockney, and I learned "one for
his nobs". On the other hand, when it came up in connection with a
trivia game here a few years ago, some other players (from Canada)
thought was "one for his nibs" was correct, conflicting with the
parenthetical note John Varela quoted.
--
Mark Brader | "I can direct dial today a man my parents warred with.
Toronto | They wanted to kill him, I want to sell software to him."
m...@vex.net | -- Brad Templeton
My text in this article is in the public domain.
Richard Bollard
wrote:
The way I was taught cribbage was that you scored two for his heels if
you turned over a jack and one for his nob, when scoring your hand, if
you had the jack. To me, that was his head and his heels covered in a
pleasing symmetry.
--
Richard Bollard
Canberra Australia
To email, I'm at AMT not spAMT.
Dr Nick
> I saw the word "nobend" on another news group whose members are all BrE
> users. I read this as "no bend" and couldn't figure out what the poster
> was talking about.
>
> Then realization set in, it was "nob end" or "knob end."
>
> I always assumed the expression referred to the tip of a penis, but a
> bit of Googling led me here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nob_End
>
> Nob End is "the site of a former waste tip, and now a Site of Special
> Scientific Interest (SSSI) near Kearsley, Bolton, England."
>
> Any thoughts about all this?
I posted a link to that a bit ago when we talked about (k)nobs. It's
very close to Prestolee and features in the "Nob End breach".
I don't think it's any more related to that sort of knob (which features
in a term of abuse amongst some of my friends when someone is compared
to "a donkey's knob end" - particularly in the sense, when playing
games, that only a DKE couldn't do something beneficial with the current
circumstances) than the (snigger) Gobblers Knob that features in US
spring customs.
--
Online waterways route planner | http://canalplan.eu
Plan trips, see photos, check facilities | http://canalplan.org.uk
R H Draney
>
>only a DKE couldn't do something beneficial with the current
>circumstances) than the (snigger) Gobblers Knob that features in US
>spring customs.
Midwinter....r