Bag Idioms

Several words have become part of the language in being used in phrases. Last time we looked at ‘storm’ and now look at ‘bag’.

In the bag has been seen since 1922, it is used to describe something assured.

Left holding the bag, meaning ‘cheated, swindled’, is seen as early as 1793.

Let the cat out of the bag is seen from 1760, and likely comes from the French Acheter chat en poche or ‘buy a cat in a bag’.

Moneybags, to describe a rich person, is seen from 1818.

Grab-bag, used to describe a miscellaneous mixture, is first recorded in 1854.

Beanbag is first seen in 1871, but this was something used in children’s games and nobody had the larger version to sit on until 1969.

Airbags, the vehicle safety feature, is seen from 1970 and as a device for raising sunken vessels from 1836.

Bodybags have been around for the deceased since 1967, prior to that the same term described a kind of sleeping bag.

Mailbags have only ever been used to carry the mail, first described as such in 1794.

Bagpipes have been known as such since the 14th century, although a better description came in 1912 when a English Army officers referred to them as ‘agony bags’.

Nosebag, the way to feed a horse, is seen from 1796.

Nobody carried a handbag before 1854.

Cat Idioms

Several words have found themselves used in a number of phrases. We looked at 'dig' last time and this time it's 'cat'.

Cat’s paw from 1769 and cat’s foot from 1590, is a term derived from the folktale where a monkey (usually) convinces a cat to use its claw to remove chestnuts from a fire. Monkey gets chestnuts, cat gets a burned foot or paw.

Cat burglar is first coined in 1907.

Cat’s miaow or cat’s whiskers (and even cat’s pyjamas) is used to mean the same thing as ‘bee’s knees’, ie the very best, and seen from 1923. We can also find more obscure references, with the same meaning, such as canary’s tusks, cat’s nuts, dog’s bollocks, and flea’s eyebrows.

Cat witted is seen from the 1670s, and while now almost obsolete is worth mentioning for its meaning of ‘obstinate, spiteful’.

Nobody let the cat out of the bag before 1760, and seems to be a poor translation of the French Acheter chat en poche.

Fraidy cat may be more west side of the Atlantic than east, but worth noting it is first seen in 1816, and seems to have been coined by those descended from those brought to the Americas by slave traders. From 1906 the phrase ‘scaredy cat’ is also seen.

Kit-cat was a club founded by Whig politicians in London and named after Christopher ‘Kit’ Catling.

Schroedinger’s car is first coined in 1972, which is rather odd as the famous thought experiment by Erwin Schroedinger appeared in writing in 1935. Perhaps it took 37 years to open the box.

Cat bath, cat wash, or cat lick, all used to describe a wash (usually by a child) which is done merely to obey the parent and doesn’t really perform the ablutions as demanded.

Similarly cat-nap, where the sleeper isn’t really sleeping, is seen from 1823.

Cat-lap is seen from 1785, and today (albeit becoming obsolete) mostly used to refer to weak tea, although traditionally applied to any insipid beverage.

Wildcat has had no less five uses: from the 12th century as a surname; from the 14th century to refer to the undomesticated cat (usually said to be a Scottish Wild Cat); in the sense ‘savage woman’ from 1570; as ‘one who tends to act rashly (particularly with plans or projects) from 1812; and in the financial sense from 1838.

The catkin, the flower spike of trees such as the willow, is named for its soft, fluffy appearance and is seen from around 1570.

Animal Names from Yesteryear

As a boy I recall those traditional names given to animals: badgers were always known as 'Brock'; horses were Dobbin; and Reynard was the name for all foxes (be they dog or vixen). Regular visitors will already have guessed I thought it time that the etymologist (or slightly older boy, if you prefer) should investigate.

Brock the badger is the ideal start, at least for the etymologist, for the animal has been known as a badger since around 1520. Prior to that the largest carnivore in the British Isles was known as a brocc, this an Old English loan word from the languages of the Celtic peoples - Old Irish brocc and Welsh broch two examples. Interesting to note that Middle English brocc was used to mean 'a low, dirty fellow', most often preceded by 'stinking'. Anyone who has ever got close enough to a badger will know they do fit this description, at least aromatically speaking.

Reynard the fox was the title of a series of stories, but the trail goes back much earlier than that. It came to English from Old French in the late 13th or early 14th centuries, the French word came from the Old High German personal name Reginard, itself related to the Latin name Raginohardus - the latter meaning 'strong in counsel' and an early example of the wisdom and cunning associated with this highly successful mammal. The popularity of the stories in France has led to reynard being used as the word for 'fox' in France, replacing the earlier goupil, itself derived from the Latin vulpecula.

Neddy the donkey is only seen in Britain, at least for the most part. In Australia racehorses are known as 'neddy'. Any etymological explanation is lost, but it seems likely to be related to Neddy (or Ned) being used as a pet form of Edward.

Buttercup the cow is probably the obvious answer, butter being associated with dairy and cows. Buttercups were once known by two other names - either a goldcup or a butterflower, thus the modern name borrows a bit of each (and may have been a cupflower). The irony being that certain buttercups contain a chemical called Protoanemonin which is toxic to cattle,

Dobbin the horse was a common name for a working horse, especially a farm horse, and is given as such in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, although certainly used earlier. It seems to be a later version of Dob, a pet form of Robin or Robert. Note 'Dobbie', the name of the elf in Harry Potter, was used to mean 'household sprite' from the late 18th century, while in Sussex it had also been used earlier to describe a 'silly old man'.

Fido the dog comes from a Latin word which meant 'to trust or confide in' and most often used to state 'I am faithful', which is what dogs are deemed to be. Personally I think they are only following their natural instincts and if you were to fuss and pet me and feed me whenever I demand, I'd be pretty faithful, too - just don't throw the ball and expect me to retrieve it.

Tiddles the cat is derived from the Old English word tid meaning 'weak, tender'. Indeed, the first syllable of 'tender' shares that origin, while it is still used in English in the word 'tidbit' - yes, I know the English tend to use 'titbit' but the Americans, and quite correctly, have not corrupted it and still say 'tidbit'.

Quackers the duck was the only modern one I could find, and there's no need to explain that, but research revealed that ducks, and indeed many waterfowl, have been known as Arsefoot for more than four centuries. Of course, this refers to their legs being set back on the body (it helps with swimming).

Bobby-Dazzler - now I know you are going to think this is a term used to describe someone of glitzy appearance, but it began as a reference to a butterfly. Indeed, 'bobby' was also used to describe a plant which was covered in invertebrates - buddleia and butterflies, nettles and caterpillars, etc.

Moths were once known as candleflies - no explanation needed there.

Dumbledore - another J K Rowling loan, but it was an Old English word for any buzzing or humming insect.

Cats

Sometimes when researching I come across a piece which is possibly not intended to be amusing, but I found it so (possibly because of her surname) and for that reason I shall share it. This comes from the Birmingham Daily Post dated 7th November 1894.

Mr. Wynne E. Baxter held an enquiry in London, yesterday, respecting the death of Emma Kipper, aged fifty-eight, the wife of a carpenter. On the 10th of last month deceased crossed her room, when she trod on the tail of her cat, which turned round and bit her on the back of the leg. She said she felt the teeth go right to the bone. She became very ill, and was removed to the hospital, when it was found that there were wounds on the back of the left foot and a portion of the leg was gangrenous. The cause of death was infective spreading gangrene, the origin of which was possibly the bite of the cat. The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death through the bite of a cat."

Malaysia Place Names Explained

Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. Continuing an alphabetical tour of the world and a look at the largest Malaysian cities.

Kuala Lumpur is from the Malay language where it means 'muddy confluence', although some sources refer to earlier names such as Sungai Lumpur 'muddy river' and Pengkalan Lumpur 'muddy landing place'. In truth it should probably be known as Kuala Gombak as this is where the rivers Gombak and Klang meet and as one river is larger should be referred to as a kuala.

George Town was named as such in 1786 in honour of the British monarch, King George III.

Ipoh takes its name from a local tree, once referred to as Pohon Epu and more recently as Pokok Ipoh. Those indegenous peoples of Malay used the poisonous sap of the tree to tip their blowpipe darts when hunting.

Kota Kinabula is named after Mount Kinabalu, itself describing 'the revered place of the dead'. The additional Kota means 'fort, town, city'.

Alor Setar is from two Malay words, Alor or 'small stream' combines with Setar the marian plum or plum mango.

Kuala Teregganu has the same elemnt as the capital city, although here it may be seen as 'estuary' of the river named from the Malay for 'bright rainbow'.

Kuching has a number of theories as to how it got its name. Among these is the suggestion this is from Kucking the Malay for 'cat' or transferred from the Malabar Coast and the Indian port of Cochin.

Miri takes the name of the local group known as the Jatti Meirek or simply Mirek.

Serebang Perai was originally named Province Wellesley after Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley who served as Governor General from 1797 to 1805. The present name refers to the northern banks of the Perai River, the name originating from the Thai plai meaning 'end' and a reference to this being a boundary between two provinces.

Kajang, as a name, is disputed but generally held to refer to the scew pine found here which the Temuan people used in constructing the roofs of their hames.

Klang, as a place name, takes its name from the Klang River. If this is so then it likely comes from the Mon-Khmer word Klong 'canal, waterway'. However, should the river have taken the name from the place then this is probably the Malay word Kilang and likely referred to the huge number of warehouses once found here, although today modern usage defines kilang as 'factory'.

Sandakan was named by a Glaswegian arms smuggler by the name of William Cowie, who used this Suluk term meaning 'the place that was pawned'. I would doubt a more unlikely source for a place name exists.

Padawan is said to be a combination of the Bidayuh words Padja Birawan, said to recall the story of an elder named Kinyau who discovered some beads nearby. When it transpired these beads had magical properties he named them Birawan and added the suffix to the name of his eldest son, Padja.

Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.

Do You Speak Reindeer?

It's that time of year when certain individuals get to don a certain suit of red. One of the delights of such is hearing what the little ones want for Christmas and having no idea what it is. Requests from more mature individuals have included a blonde of 18 and a Land Rover. Why she wanted an inexperienced driver for such a car when surely half the pleasure is in driving it, I have no idea.

As always I was stumped by one question. A young chap asking "What language does the reindeer speak?" I told him "reindeer" and moved the conversation quickly on. But it did get me thinking as to what animals are heard to sound like in other languages. A quick search failed to reveal anything about speaking reindeer, but I did find this fascinating list of dogs barking, ducks quacking and frogs croaking in other languages.

These alternative sounds can be found here'

Motivational Tricks of the Writing Greats

Often asked how I manage to keep myself motivated and stuck at the desk to write, I was reminded of the episode of There's No Such Thing As A Fish, the podcast by the QI Elves (and much funnier than QI itself), where they discussed the weird ways authors of yesteryear kept themselves at the desk. I recall one Victor Hugo who only ever wrote in the mornings, often spending the afternoons riding around on buses to ensure he wasn't tempted to return to his desk and write. And if that wasn't enough when set a deadline to write The Hunchback of Notre Dame inside five months, he bought a large bottle of ink then put himself under house arrest by having all his clothes removed save for a large grey shawl knitted specially for the purpose of keeping him warm. History records these tactics worked as he finished weeks ahead of schedule.

Another shaved off just one side of his hair.

James Joyce wrote lying on his stomach in bed using a large blue pencil, wearing a white coat. Much of Finnegans Wake was written in said blue on pieces of cardboard. In truth he was nearly blind, having had severe eye problems as a child and rheumatic fever at the age of 25. He underwent more than two dozen operations on his eyes, none of which helped in the slightest.

Virginia Woolf is held to have always written standing up, purchasing a desk with a sloping top and standing 3.1/2 feet high for this very purpose. Not that it was any help to her writing, this was simply so she could write standing up, just as a sister Vanessa Bell painted standing up (hardly the same thing).

Friedrich Schiller could never write unless his olfactory senses were assailed by the smell from a drawer full of rotten apples.

Eudora Welty edited by an early form of cut and paste - cut with scissors and pin the new write in its place.

Vladimir Nabokov, for reasons best known to him, had to keep his feet wet when writing.

John Steinbeck always wrote in pencil, insisting upon twelve perfectly sharpened pencils on his desk before starting work. Working with traditional hexagonal pencils created calluses on his hands, hence his editor kept him supplied with round pencils to alleviate the problem and maintain his productivity.

Truman Capote never started or finished anything on a Friday, never stayed in a hotel room where the telephone number involved '13', and by tucking any surplus into his pocket ensured no more than three cigarette ends in the ashtray.

Edgar Allen Poe balanced a cat on his shoulder while writing.

Further details can be found in the very funny Odd Type Writers: From Joyce and Dickens to Wharton and Welty, the Obsessive Habits and Quirky Techniques of Great Authors by Celia Blue Johnson.