Porter: mizzle-witted

Marius Hancu

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Nov 5, 2015, 5:32:24 PM11/5/15

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Hello,

~~~
[Rosaleen doesn't fancy too much their "native"/American-born neighbours
either.]

A picture of the neighbors up the hill came into her mind: a
starved-looking woman in a blackish gray dress, and a jaundiced man with
red-rimmed eyes, and their mizzle-witted boy.

Katherine Anne Porter: Collected Stories & Other Writings
~~~

"mizzle-witted"
I only find it here.
Brain/mind as a sieve?

The latter reading, perhaps based on
~~~
mizzle
chiefly dialectal
: a fine rain : drizzle
~~~

Any takers?:-))

Thank you.
--
Marius Hancu

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Horace LaBadie

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Nov 5, 2015, 5:49:51 PM11/5/15

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In article <n1gldi$dbu$1...@speranza.aioe.org>,

Marius Hancu <marius...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello,
>
> ~~~
> [Rosaleen doesn't fancy too much their "native"/American-born neighbours
> either.]
>
> A picture of the neighbors up the hill came into her mind: a
> starved-looking woman in a blackish gray dress, and a jaundiced man with
> red-rimmed eyes, and their mizzle-witted boy.
>
> Katherine Anne Porter: Collected Stories & Other Writings
> ~~~
>
> "mizzle-witted"
> I only find it here.
> Brain/mind as a sieve?
>
> The latter reading, perhaps based on
> ~~~
> mizzle
> chiefly dialectal
> : a fine rain : drizzle
> ~~~
>
> Any takers?:-))
>
> Thank you.
> --
> Marius Hancu

Muddled or confused according to the OED.

Peter Duncanson [BrE]

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Nov 5, 2015, 7:21:49 PM11/5/15

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On Thu, 05 Nov 2015 17:32:18 -0500, Marius Hancu
<marius...@gmail.com> wrote:

>
>
>Hello,
>
>~~~
>[Rosaleen doesn't fancy too much their "native"/American-born neighbours
>either.]
>
>A picture of the neighbors up the hill came into her mind: a
>starved-looking woman in a blackish gray dress, and a jaundiced man with
>red-rimmed eyes, and their mizzle-witted boy.
>
>Katherine Anne Porter: Collected Stories & Other Writings
>~~~
>
>"mizzle-witted"
>I only find it here.
>Brain/mind as a sieve?
>
>The latter reading, perhaps based on
>~~~
>mizzle
> chiefly dialectal
>: a fine rain : drizzle
>~~~
>
>Any takers?:-))
>
>Thank you.

I think "mizzle-witted" means that the brain is "misty", i.e. the person
can't think clearly: the brain seems to be hardly working at all.

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

bert

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Nov 6, 2015, 4:02:47 AM11/6/15

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On Thursday, 5 November 2015 22:49:51 UTC, Horace LaBadie wrote:
> In article <n1gldi$dbu$1...@speranza.aioe.org>,

> Marius Hancu <mar...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > "mizzle-witted"
> > Brain/mind as a sieve?

> Muddled or confused according to the OED.

I don't think the dictionaries have latched on to
the probability that "mizzle (vb) = to confuse" is
a facetious back-formation from the mispronunciation
"mizzled" of "misled", the past tense of mislead.
--

Peter Moylan

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Nov 6, 2015, 4:27:42 AM11/6/15

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In the past we have had some disagreements over whether "misle" should
be pronounced [maizl] or [mIzl]. It's probably regional, but we never
did pin down what the regions were. Where is Marius's book set?

--
Peter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org
Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Marius Hancu

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Nov 6, 2015, 5:56:35 AM11/6/15

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On Thursday, November 5, 2015 at 7:21:49 PM UTC-5, PeterWD wrote:

> >~~~
> >[Rosaleen doesn't fancy too much their "native"/American-born neighbours
> >either.]
> >
> >A picture of the neighbors up the hill came into her mind: a
> >starved-looking woman in a blackish gray dress, and a jaundiced man with
> >red-rimmed eyes, and their mizzle-witted boy.
> >
> >Katherine Anne Porter: Collected Stories & Other Writings
> >~~~
> >
> >"mizzle-witted"
> >I only find it here.
> >Brain/mind as a sieve?
> >
> >The latter reading, perhaps based on
> >~~~
> >mizzle
> > chiefly dialectal
> >: a fine rain : drizzle
> >~~~
> >
> >Any takers?:-))
> >
> >Thank you.
>
> I think "mizzle-witted" means that the brain is "misty", i.e. the person
> can't think clearly: the brain seems to be hardly working at all.

Looks good.

Thanks, everyone.
--
Marius Hancu

Marius Hancu

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Nov 6, 2015, 6:10:23 AM11/6/15

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This particular piece, "The Cracked Looking Glass," is mainly set in Connecticut, where Dennis, a former headwaiter in a NYC hotel, settles on a farm with his wife, Rosaleen. Both are Irish immigrants, he's from Dublin, she's from Sligo County.

Interesting suggestion, this back-formation.

Peter Duncanson [BrE]

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Nov 6, 2015, 7:01:44 AM11/6/15

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A Northern Irish wording might be "a boy with a head full of sweetie
mice".

https://happydomesticity.wordpress.com/norn-iron-speek-or-northern-irish-dictionary/

yer head’s full of wee sweetie mice – you are daft

It is occasionally used, affectionately, to describe someone with senile
dementia.

"sweetie mice" are confectionary items, candy, in the form of mice made
of sugar.

See the sugar mice recipe here:
http://www.sugarboy.co.uk/acatalog/Recipes.html

Tony Cooper

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Nov 6, 2015, 9:29:30 AM11/6/15

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He would be described as being from Sligo, or from County Sligo, but
not as being from "Sligo County".

In the US, the word "county" follows the name of the county, but the
reverse in Ireland.

--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

Marius Hancu

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Nov 12, 2015, 2:12:32 PM11/12/15

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Right on:-)

Thanks for the catch.
--
Marius Hancu

Marius Hancu

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Nov 12, 2015, 2:14:23 PM11/12/15

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On Friday, November 6, 2015 at 7:01:44 AM UTC-5, PeterWD wrote:

>
> >On Thursday, November 5, 2015 at 7:21:49 PM UTC-5, PeterWD wrote:
> >
> >> >~~~
> >> >[Rosaleen doesn't fancy too much their "native"/American-born neighbours
> >> >either.]
> >> >
> >> >A picture of the neighbors up the hill came into her mind: a
> >> >starved-looking woman in a blackish gray dress, and a jaundiced man with
> >> >red-rimmed eyes, and their mizzle-witted boy.
> >> >
> >> >Katherine Anne Porter: Collected Stories & Other Writings
> >> >~~~
> >> >
> >> >"mizzle-witted"
> >> >I only find it here.
> >> >Brain/mind as a sieve?
> >> >
> >> >The latter reading, perhaps based on
> >> >~~~
> >> >mizzle
> >> > chiefly dialectal
> >> >: a fine rain : drizzle
> >> >~~~
> >> >
> >> >Any takers?:-))

> >>

> >> I think "mizzle-witted" means that the brain is "misty", i.e. the person
> >> can't think clearly: the brain seems to be hardly working at all.
> >
> >Looks good.

>

> A Northern Irish wording might be "a boy with a head full of sweetie
> mice".
>
> https://happydomesticity.wordpress.com/norn-iron-speek-or-northern-irish-dictionary/
>

> yer head's full of wee sweetie mice - you are daft

>
> It is occasionally used, affectionately, to describe someone with senile
> dementia.
>
> "sweetie mice" are confectionary items, candy, in the form of mice made
> of sugar.
>
> See the sugar mice recipe here:
> http://www.sugarboy.co.uk/acatalog/Recipes.html

All great suggestions:-)

charles

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Nov 12, 2015, 2:27:59 PM11/12/15

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In article <47a7710c-2215-463a...@googlegroups.com>,

and there's "County Durham" in England.

--
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