Crow

Why are there so many idioms and phrases including 'crow'? While crows, indeed all the corvid family, are known for their intelligence, it would seem more likely that these creatures are associated with all manner of myths and superstitions which has resulted in them being found in so many idioms.

Eat crow is an American phrase used to suggest one should put up with it. This is born of the idea that the flesh of the bird is edible, albeit probably not desirable. The phrase is found from the 1870s, and in the early years as often seen as ‘eat boiled crow’.

Crow’s feet, the lines at corner of the eye, have been described as such since 1385 when they appear in the writings of no less a literary giant than Chaucer.

To crow, as in to boast, today is seen as the sound made by a rooster, but originally this referred to the sound of a crow and continued to do so until at least the 16th century.

Scarecrows, the name self-explanatory, have been known as such since the 1550s but then it was an actual human employed to do the job. The straw figure came into use around the end of the 16th century. Earlier the same figure was referred to as a ‘shewel’, also found are fray-boggard, skerel, and shoy-hoy.

Crowsnest, the look-out high on a mast of a ship, is not found until 1818 – probably used beforehand but beware history authors putting them into their works set in the 18th century and earlier.

Pilcrow is a now obsolete term, but will be found in documents used to refer to a paragraph mark or an asterisk.

Crowbars have been named as such since at least 1748, although prior to that it was simply known as a crow.

As mentioned the amount of folklore associated with the crow family is remarkable. Magpies carry a drop of the devil’s blood under their tongue; a crow over a house foretells a death within that home; three magpies seen together is seen as unlucky (or death); five crows together promises sickness; crows in a churchyard are a bad omen; two crows flying from the left is bad luck (just face the other way!); the French once believed evil priests became crows and bad nuns were turned into magpies; Go to crows was used instead of Go to hell by the Greeks; I have a bone to pick with you used to be I have a crow to pick with you; the Irish expression ‘You’ll follow the crows for it’ meant a person would miss something when it’s gone; in Somerset folk would carry an onion to ward off the ills of crows and magpies; in Wales it was unlucky to have a crow cross your path; and when crows were quiet during their summer moult, it was believed they were preparing their plumage to meet the devil.

Marshall Islands 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 settlements of the Marshall Islands.

Ujeland or Wujlan is from Marshallese wuj lan meaning 'the rough or cloudy sky'.

Ebeye is an island where the first Christian missionaries to visit the Marshall Islands first settled. Oriiginally they wrote the name as Ebeje although correctly should have been more like Ebje and is said to mean 'making something out of nothing' and a reference to how difficult it is to eke out a living here.

Laura is not just a female name, we know the very female after whom it is named. Indeed, the town was named by American GIs stationed here in the Second World War after actress Lauren Bacall. Oddly it was also referred to as Rita, after actress Rita Hayworth, which probably indicates a preference for looks rather than anything else.

Jemo or Jamo features the element mo meaning 'taboo'.

Ailinglaplap is the name given to an atoll which is where the greatest legends of the Marshallese people are invariably located. Hence the name from aelon laplap means 'the greatest atoll' and refers to the legends and not size or population.

Arno is a coral atoll enclosing a lagoon, it is derived from the local tongue and means 'no wave'.

Ebon is the name given to an atoll which is thought to refer to 'their Ebon' and a reference to a people of darker skins who possibly inhabited this place.

Jebat simply refers to itself as 'the hill'.

Jalwoj comes from a local term meaning 'facing beauty' and it's hard to disagree with this descrption of any of the Marshall Islands.

Kole gets its name from the local description of the 'gravel surface'.

Kuwajleen comes from Marshallese waj leen or 'to you its fruit'. This is also told in a legend speaking a typhoon which hit here destroying all the fruit and leaving only flowers, it was these flowers they took to their chief as a tribute.

Lae simply translates as 'calm water'.

Lib or Ellep Island comes from Marshallese el lap or 'big nest'.

Likiep Atoll takes its name from iep or 'basket'.

Majuro or Majro comes from maj ruo or 'two openings' and an apt description of the lagoon.

Maloelap is from malew yelap, Marshallese for 'big lagoon'.

Mejit or Majej represents the Marshallese maj ej 'eastern opening'.

Namdrik or Namdik is from nam dik which is either 'small lagoon' or perhaps 'secondary lagoon'.

Utirik or Utrek is from Marshallese ut rok or 'southern flower'.

Wotho is disputed and, depending on who is asked, could refer to 'the entrance through the reef' or 'island far away'.

Wotje or Wojja is from jejaak which translates delightfully as 'land on which one can overheat'.

Ailing or Aelonin is from aelon ae or 'island of current', a warning of what to expect at sea.

Bikar or Pikaar comes from Marshallese pik ar or 'fly lagoonward'.

Bikini, probably the most famous name of all, should actually be Pikinni and from pik ni meaning 'surface of coconuts'.

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