"Jiz"
Rex Bradley
bird.
Not just what it looks like, where you can clearly identify it, but in
the sense that we see a bird in the field and can tell what it may be by
an overall picture made up of many variables. e.g. The habitat, what
other birds it may be near, where it is feeding, how it is feeding,
it's flight, time of year etc etc.
I am curious whether this word is in common use, whether it is
nationwide, if not, are there other words for this system of recognition
which I guess in reality we all use?
I would value your feedback on use of this word or others to describe
how we go about birding!
TIA
--
Rex Bradley
AJ KING
First that it is an expression from the West of Ireland used by the
captains of fishing boat who claimed always to be able to identify the
general appearance of any other of their fellow fisherman's boats. The word
that they used for such appearance was jiz.
Secondly that it is derived from an RAF expression meaning General
Impression of Shape, hence GIS then becoming jiz by pronunciation.
I would also be most interested to read other theories.
Alf King.
Rex Bradley <r...@rex.demon.co.uk> wrote in article
<XkCciEA1E5q1Ews$@brad.demon.co.uk>...
Paul Winter
wrote:
>Locally, (Hampshire) I've heard the word "jiz", as in : the jiz of a
>bird.
>
>Not just what it looks like, where you can clearly identify it, but in
>the sense that we see a bird in the field and can tell what it may be by
>an overall picture made up of many variables. e.g. The habitat, what
>other birds it may be near, where it is feeding, how it is feeding,
>it's flight, time of year etc etc.
>
>I am curious whether this word is in common use, whether it is
>nationwide, if not, are there other words for this system of recognition
>which I guess in reality we all use?
>
>I would value your feedback on use of this word or others to describe
>how we go about birding!
>
>TIA
I believe that Jizz originated from US military - General impression
of size and shape.
Birds by character: The fieldguide to Jizz identification: Macmillan
1990; gives a good introduction to Jizz.
Paul
Paul Winter, pwi...@tcp.co.uk
Tony Usher
>Locally, (Hampshire) I've heard the word "jiz", as in : the jiz of a
>bird.
>snip<
>I would value your feedback on use of this word or others to describe
>how we go about birding!
>TIA
>--
>Rex Bradley
I own a copy of Thomas Coward's book "Bird haunts and Nature Memories"
first published in 1922. He devotes a full chapter to "JIZZ" and
describes it thus - "if we are walking on the road and see, far ahead,
someone whom we recognise although we can neither distinguish features
nor particular clothes, we may be certain that we are not mistaken;
there is something in the walk, the general appearance which is
familiar; it is in fact, that individual's jizz.
Coward attributed the word to the west coast fishermen of Ireland who
when asked how, at a glance they could name various wild creatures
which dwelt on or visited their rocks or shores would reply "By their
"jizz.'"
I prefer this explanation, rather than something coined by GI Joe!
Tony Usher
http://www.usher.u-net.com
bigroc...@my-dejanews.com
Rex Bradley <r...@rex.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> Locally, (Hampshire) I've heard the word "jiz", as in : the jiz of a
> bird.
>
> the sense that we see a bird in the field and can tell what it may be by
> an overall picture made up of many variables. e.g. The habitat, what
> other birds it may be near, where it is feeding, how it is feeding,
> it's flight, time of year etc etc.
>
> I am curious whether this word is in common use, whether it is
> nationwide, if not, are there other words for this system of recognition
> which I guess in reality we all use?
>
> how we go about birding!
>
> TIA
> --
> Rex Bradley
Definitions:
This word, in its various spellings, apparently has
more than one meaning. You'd be as amused as I, if you knew
what one of them is in US slang.
Steve McDonald
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Lostcreek1
>Rex Bradley <r...@rex.demon.co.uk>
>wrote:
>>Locally, (Hampshire) I've heard the word "jiz", as in : the jiz of a
>>bird.
>>I am curious whether this word is in common use, whether it is
>>nationwide, if not, are there other words for this system of recognition
>>which I guess in reality we all use?
>>
>>I would value your feedback on use of this word or others to describe
>>how we go about birding!
>>
>>TIA
>of size and shape.
>Birds by character: The fieldguide to Jizz identification: Macmillan
>1990; gives a good introduction to Jizz.
Joseph Kastner, in "A World of Watchers," Knopf, 1986, defines it essentially
as Paul says, stating that it arose from a World War II acronym for 'general
impression, size and shape.' Rather than 'giss', however, it is almost always
spelled 'jizz', and certainly is in wide use amongst birders all over America.
Ann
Ann Barker
Princeton, Iowa USA
Malcolm Ogilvie
<to...@usher.u-net.com> writes
>Rex Bradley <r...@rex.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>Locally, (Hampshire) I've heard the word "jiz", as in : the jiz of a
>>bird.
>>I would value your feedback on use of this word or others to describe
>>how we go about birding!
>
>>TIA
>>Rex Bradley
>
>I own a copy of Thomas Coward's book "Bird haunts and Nature Memories"
>first published in 1922. He devotes a full chapter to "JIZZ" and
>describes it thus - "if we are walking on the road and see, far ahead,
>someone whom we recognise although we can neither distinguish features
>nor particular clothes, we may be certain that we are not mistaken;
>there is something in the walk, the general appearance which is
>familiar; it is in fact, that individual's jizz.
>Coward attributed the word to the west coast fishermen of Ireland who
>when asked how, at a glance they could name various wild creatures
>which dwelt on or visited their rocks or shores would reply "By their
>"jizz.'"
>I prefer this explanation, rather than something coined by GI Joe!
This is the definitive reference, see, e.g. 'A Dictionary of Birds
(Campbell & Lack 1985). The word can certainly not be claimed by the
Americans, military or otherwise.
Malcolm
--
Malcolm Ogilvie, Isle of Islay, Scotland, U.K.
Jack Harrison
"By their
> >"jizz.'"
> >I prefer this explanation, rather than something coined by GI Joe!
>
> This is the definitive reference, see, e.g. 'A Dictionary of Birds
> (Campbell & Lack 1985). The word can certainly not be claimed by the
> Americans, military or otherwise.
Clearly the term pre-dates GI's.
But why the word Jizz, I wonder? It's an excellent useful word, but
what made those fishermen or others use a word that to my knowledge has
no close relatives in the English language?
Jack
Jill Grey
>
> Malcolm Ogilvie wrote:
> > This is the definitive reference, see, e.g. 'A Dictionary of Birds
> > (Campbell & Lack 1985).
>
Isn't it an old Scottish word for a wig?
Does the Campbell/Lack dictionary give its etymology?
Jill
Dave Emley
Rex Bradley wrote:
> Locally, (Hampshire) I've heard the word "jiz", as in : the jiz of a
> bird.
> I am curious whether this word is in common use, whether it is
> nationwide, if not, are there other words for this system of recognition
> which I guess in reality we all use?
Rex
Have a look at this site - it goes into some depth about "jizz".
http://home.sol.no/~tibjonn/jizztext.htm
cheers
--
__________________________________________________
Dave Emley
Department of Earth Sciences, Keele University, UK
e-mail: d.w....@keele.ac.uk
Alauda4
><to...@usher.u-net.com> writes..
>>I own a copy of Thomas Coward's book "Bird haunts and Nature Memories"
>>first published in 1922.
>>when asked how, at a glance they could name various wild creatures
>>"jizz.'"
>>I prefer this explanation, rather than something coined by GI Joe!
To which Malcolm Ogilvie added..
>This is the definitive reference, see, e.g. 'A Dictionary of Birds
>(Campbell & Lack 1985). The word can certainly not be claimed by the
>Americans, military or otherwise.
That still doesn't explain its derivation. ' The Oxford English Dictionary'
states that its etymology is unknown. A theory (of mine, not Oxford's!):
Perhaps the military acronym (G.I.S.S. - general impression, size, and shape)
sometimes suspected as the origin of the word was actually coined to fit the
word already in use. A 'which came first, chickens or eggs' situation.
While we may never know its origins, its persistence and international
pervasion are testimony to its practicality of expression. It's a great word!
James Cracknell
Tony Usher wrote in message ...
:
:I own a copy of Thomas Coward's book "Bird haunts and Nature Memories"
:first published in 1922. He devotes a full chapter to "JIZZ" and
:describes it thus -
You are right, it is correctly spelt jizz and has been in use a long
time - it did come from the West Coast fishermen of Ireland.......but
knowing the majority of them would have spoken Irish Gaelic I guess it's
kind of been translated.
It has been picked up by birders.
The word is in common use in East Anglia.
Habitat has nothing to do with it.
It is all down to the way a species behaves.....such as a Great Spotted
Woodpeckers undulating flight.
J.
Malcolm Ogilvie
<pl...@dial.pipex.com> writes
>Jack Harrison wrote:
>>
>> Malcolm Ogilvie wrote:
>> > (Campbell & Lack 1985).
>>
>
>Isn't it an old Scottish word for a wig?
>Does the Campbell/Lack dictionary give its etymology?
>
Malcolm Ogilvie
<d.w....@keele.ac.uk> writes
>
>
>Rex Bradley wrote:
>
>> Locally, (Hampshire) I've heard the word "jiz", as in : the jiz of a
>> bird.
>> I am curious whether this word is in common use, whether it is
>> nationwide, if not, are there other words for this system of recognition
>> which I guess in reality we all use?
>
>Rex
>
>Have a look at this site - it goes into some depth about "jizz".
>
>http://home.sol.no/~tibjonn/jizztext.htm
>
of 'jizz' and definitively, too, proving that Americans had nothing to
do with coining it.
Lostcreek1
>>Have a look at this site - it goes into some depth about "jizz".
>>
>>http://home.sol.no/~tibjonn/jizztext.htm
Malcolm Ogilvie responded..
>What an *excellent* site and definitively the last word on the subject
>of 'jizz' and definitively, too, proving that Americans had nothing to
>do with coining it.
Agree! A fine site and a very thorough treatment. As I digest it, it would
seem to lend support to my theory, posted earlier today from someone else's
computer, sorry:
> A theory (of mine, not Oxford's!):
>Perhaps the military acronym (G.I.S.S. - general impression, size, and shape)
>sometimes suspected as the origin of the word was actually coined to fit the
>word already in use. A 'which came first, chickens or eggs' situation.
However, I'm not sure I'd agree that the website is definitive on the matter of
the etymology of jizz. We still don't 'definitively' know the origin, even if
we do have several good possibilities, and therefore -- by definition -- it
cannot be the last word, can it? I'm still open to new information ;-)
Ann
Ann Barker, Princeton, Iowa USA
James Cracknell
Lostcreek1 wrote in message
<199807160312...@ladder03.news.aol.com>...
:
:However, I'm not sure I'd agree that the website is definitive on the
matter of
:the etymology of jizz.
Jizz does come from the Irish west coast fisherman....books that mention
that term predate the beginings of the use of the American Military
Acronym.
There isn't a z is any celtic language - if I am correct - it's just the
english mutation of it....but references date back to pre-1922 and the
use of the acronym didn't start before the late 60's - if my US military
source is correct. It bore no relation to the name jizz - it's just a
co-incidence.
Honestly I've just read a good paper about House Sparrow jizzium
(spelling? - I don't have a slang dictionary)
Perhaps it's a coincidence that those two words are so similar?
J.
LDitchburn
my info was that during WW2 the quick recognition of aircraft.ships etc was by
General Impression of shape & Size-JIZZ
like alot of our language , service slang sticks
ie a sprog for a small child-sprockets and cogs
meaning small parts of a machine,therefore small child -sprog!
good birding!