Dutch Idioms

Several words have found themselves used in a number of phrases. We looked at 'break' last time and this time it's 'Dutch'. Before coming to what turns out to be rather a longer list than I expected, it should be noted that none of these will have been in use before 1600. Furthermore, many of these will be seen as derogatory which is down to the trading conflicts between the English/British and the Dutch since the 17th century.

Going Dutch is where those dining in company pay for themselves.

If that's true I'm a Dutchman is a way of denying what was said. (Also: if not I'm a Dutchman - seeks to strengthen an argument.)

Dutch cure is to commit suicide.

Dutch bargains are settled over drinks.

Dutch auction is where the price starts high and steadily reduced until someone accepts the offer.

Dutch agreement is made when intoxicated.

Beat the Dutch is to exceed expectations.

Dutch collar is a horse collar.

Dutch comfort is to derive comfort by thinking things could be worse.

Dutch concert is to make a lot of noise.

Dutch courage comes from alcohol.

Dutch defence is no defence at all.

Dutch headache is more often called a hangover.

Dutch leaf might look like gold leaf, but it isn't.

Dutch leave when a military man is Absent Without Leave (AWOL).

Dutch gold is an allow of copper and zinc, it's what Dutch leaf (above) is made from.

Dutch oven is an enclosed cooking pot from around 1769, but there is also a later definition in which there are two people sharing a bed and one farts and pulls the covers over the other to give them the dubious benefit of the full experience.

Dutch nightingales are frogs.

Dutch reckoning is a high bill, especially one not itemised.

Dutch rub is when one rubs their knuckles firmly across the top of the head of another.

Dutch talent is best defined as more brawn than brain.

Dutch widow or prostitute.

Dutch wife is a long bolster pillow.

Double Dutch refers to one talking gibberish.

Dutch uncle is seen from 1838 and refers to a kindly figure but one who is straight-talking and strict.

Homonyms, Etymologically Speaking: U

Many words have two meanings, sometimes more, which are often very different. Such words have identical spelling and pronunciation, they are known as homonyms. Here I continue an A to Z list of such words and look at how that word came to have two different meanings.

U is for u ..... well it isn't for anything as there isn't a single homonym beginning with that letter. So let's have some fun with etymologies of words beginng with U and we will begin with....

Union is first seen in the 15th century, it comes from Old French union and Latin unionem both 'oneness' and also seen in the Latin unus 'one' or 'a single pearl, an onion'. All these can be traced to Proto-Indo-European oi-no 'one, unique'.

Urge has an intriguing history, and has changed its meaning almost at every turn. First seen around 1550, it came to English from Latin urgere 'to press hard', and can be traced back to Proto-Indo-European urgh 'to tie, bind'. What is fascinating is how this Proto-Indo-European root have given us Lithuanian vertzi 'to fasten, squeeze', vargas 'need, distress', and vergas 'slave'; Old Church Slavonic vragu 'enemy'; Gothic wrikan 'persecute'; and Old English wrecan 'drive, hunt'.

Uncle came from Old French onlce with the same meaning. The French got it from Latin avunculus 'mother's brother' (father's brother was patruus, literally 'little grandfather'). These can be traced to the Proto-Indo-European root awo meaning 'grandfather' or 'adult male relative other than the father'. Looking at other European languages derived from the same root, it seems nobody can agree on what an uncle is, for Hittite huhhas is 'grandfather'; as is Armenian hav; but Lithuanian avynas is 'maternal uncle'; Old Church Slavonic ujo is 'uncle'; and Welsh ewthyr means 'uncle'.

The Mail Train

Postman William Windridge lived in Dean's Croft, Lichfield with his uncle. On the last day of 1894 he had not been to work due to illness but the next morning had left home at 4:50am, telling his uncle he was going for a walk.

At 10:30am that morning his Uncle William learned how a postman had been killed on the line and, not having seen his nephew for some hours, went along to see find his worst fears realised. Identified by the tobacco pouch he had seen him fill that very morning, for the mutilated remains were hardly recognisable. His skull shattered leaving the contents scattered along the line, one leg severed and missing. His remaining shoe, hat and marks on the body had also confirmed that New Years Day 1895 was the last for 27-year-old Postman Windridge.

At the subsequent inquest further details were revealed. While it had been his job to bring the mail bags to Lichfield Trent Valley Station, he had been suspended some six weeks earlier after the station master found him walking unsteadily and deemed him to have been at risk. While his uncle maintained this was due to illness, the landlord of the Blue Bell Inn, one John Oakley, stated he had been drinking heavily at his establishment the previous day. Indeed he had walked him home that day as he had been the worse for drink and had even been forced to wrestle him into bed and force him to stay there to sleep.

A thorough search did not reveal any blood an any of the engines to have passed through the station that morning. Nor did they ever find the missing limb anywhere near where the impact occurred, at the level crossing here used solely by the farm and not by the public in general.

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death but strongly suspected this may well have been suicide.