Quisling, Boycott And Co.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 69, 22 March 1941, Page 2 (Supplement)

Quisling, Boycott And Co.

# ; By Cyrano

w IN the history of words it might he impossible to find a man s name coming into use with a .specific meaning so rapidly as "Quisling." a few days of the betrayal of Norway last year the world was applying Major Quisling s name to Fifth Column traitors. Now we find it usod in an official document. 1!,,, joint Brit i-h \dmiralty and Norwegian Navv coin inn n irpie issued on Mjirc|i i; about the raid on the Lofoten Islands said il was desired to capture •■-noli local " 1111 is Ii 11 "a- wore aiding and abet t in- 1 lie cm"m v." and icported the capture of ten "■) 11 i-lings." I he newspaper I have taken ilr- from <b«'sn t give tho a oril a ca pit aI. but pi in! s it. in quotation mark-. lhe-c will disappear, and I lie word "quisling" will be treated as we have lon j treated "boycott." The Need and the Word \ iii- i- ind I an interesi illexample of the readiness of the world to s'i/e on tl useful word. The idea in "quisling. 1 von -ee. .an be expressed otherwise only hv a number of words. "Traitor" will hardlv -nit. because a quisling is a partietilar sort, of traitor. Besides, the particular has a stronger ap|H'al than the general. This is why you find people throw i:i- a brick labelled "Mussolini when they protest against what thev ci• 11si,I, ■ aut ocraev . It i- worth ie,-a 11 in g the hi-tory o( "In iv aiiothiM' very striking ease ol the adoption of a man - name to indicate a. new thing. In INsti Captain t'harh'- ( 'unnitrj ha in Boycott, a retired ariu.v 011 iee r and an Fngli-hma n. was agent fot Lord Ki ne's estates in County Mayo The I,and League war vv a - on. Loi< Krne's tenants offered what, tiiev thought was a lair r< • 111. but this was refused and' aptain Box cot t sent a process serve to enforce eviction. A few days befori this r.irnell. the Nationalist leader. ha< publicly called for putting' into "a mora Coveiu ry" any tenant who hid for a farn trom vvh'.eli his neighbour ha<l l>eei evicted, ('aptain Boycott's proei**; serve was driven back to his employer's house and the captain's servants were eallci out. He found him-elf with no worker

on his plaee. and his criqv were gathered ' in hv a party of Orangemen from I l-:c. 5 protected hv police. The local tra lest men would not deal with him. r In the same year. IS8<», an Irish M P. used the word "boycott" as a verb in a speech, and its use spread rapidly. h, understand why. it is niiiv neci-.-a'--, • , write down what boycott ing mean-. \ , - encyclopaedia defines it a- "a form il coercion con-i-I inin a c-.n-pira \- to a prevent all dealings, social. inner- il e or otherwise, with the person ai:ic.| „t, I and the conspirators back up :he r - e b\- force." I should -a v tie- w.c.l - often used fo denote r.-inn wiih.cn the e l|Se of force, but even so. here ale '_!! u word- expres-ed b.v one. The truth is that when -m'h a -i' .aII tioii as this aii-es. a word has t., he found for it. In hi- book "W.c.l- and Names." from which 1 have taken :h« idea of my title. I'iofe-sor Iviu--: \\,.,.k----ley, an eminent nut':c<ri'v. -a \ s the word "boycott" has heen adonteil in some form or other by evcrv I', u: oj.ea n laiiL'iiaye. But it - !!-<• is prol.ahlv mur'n jl more extensive, for the practice of Km-, is worldwide. There have been national and international bovcot ts. sin-'n as the .set auainst Brit i-h jn.ods in Indi.i and -lapam-sp in (')iinn. \\ < -i-e ~ the word now as current coin. ,>i:h mi thought of its origin. Tl.-re :- tii - difference between the two word-, -'u; "liovi-ott" is deiivi-d from what wato someone, whereas "ipi :c.a i s what someone did. an action both viie and s|K*ct aenl ar. '1 Though Captain Bovcott's action fand bear in mind he was only an i mav be criticised, he was the victim, made his country l lie victim. \t anv ' late after the war. will not he I ii-ed so frequently a- ' 1~-.v cot t." ami its origin will not be covered up to the same extent. Still, there is ;1 n int crest in,, j,.. I si'mblam-e between the w.ii.ls What Would We Call It? 'il Tliori' aro «»f t»lh.T n r t }io truiKlVr <>f |»r«»|»or nann*- land •\ }• I ;i«-i • njirnc-) t<» am] ifuulit •<1 \\ Im'm o talk a ImmiL u•• rs uiUiciut it. to tin- nam.- ..f an

V, i I Amorioan jndge, or, W B ■ K n 1,35 1{ ' a " -WricnpC^li lan have tdopUi >lv' I ho rmioh-used sandwich : iho n " 1P of an Kn gUsh two^Jgji '<• A radian coat r^lu^lß • !r ; 'V.'.ljr- ™? rn n ndw iB i . h " k '"'- "diddle!" *' •I. \ W ?V' howovcr - fall intflo^Bv " ■ • r•r• ■ r romrds you Jfell ;i. „ , h' 1 "?," bat &?*■ p alrno?t ' A, . ." ' with/£**■§ ■ «!"• litm-.-lt down bv i , " "J r w ill .r0d,,,, a Vo^H . A .t.K, 1,,<- K dppaussinß" ti» •'■ '' r 'V' - T ' 11 " . #l,i P s ~ Ul ": name of Url F^B 1 ~au - * «"Tman sc-ientUt of I a;.', wiio*,. work on "*«»■ , effects. No dooi f> « - ar «* S some words :, i r;ij_'i-<| y. I, won't he surprisinj, a 1 " hl - *»pply , HP any Mi.-l, words of oar «« - °"iM " l . ran «nly think "v v " ,np "•'^'hooUn^B : u,:." sa lon s tia *^ii« • Official English M "'T 1 ""' :,i " s ~lp J , •» " l.v word was v N do„h,fui if fnci ■«* •, ui-ii,i^ ~ would have ben, v :l back. !s it fJS iiic-.m- Tin- compiler 0 f , "'"""I'"' '" -nnun™ to write son*!* I " ! '7!"° ni .," V " rwp f«'' 1 then remefflbtrijj, i - '-all for brevhTj* 8 any rati- tin- reference to '•ntritW II illii.t.iit.-s a welcome I ofl.-ial lan 2 .ia ? c : which in sofflZL, E| - was lint ..-cable Mr. (W P ■ 1 wrote 111- famous memorandum. - If ■' old has the directness of a bulk 2 |§ n. tins war every bullet we cu k,J §§ ii bands ..ii l- needed. II