THE JEWELLERS WINDOW

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29803, 21 April 1962, Page 8

THE JEWELLERS WINDOW

(Specially written for “The Prese” by

ARNOLD WALL)

Professor Arnold Wall, in the present series of articles, discusses the origin of many familiar names, expressions, and phrases. He wishes to iflake it clear that he cannot undertake to reply personally to readers who may comment on any of them. This article is the thirty-first of the series.

“Choir” or “quire,” offering no temptation to err. For a short time, however, an alternative candidate dared to oppose the ruling “quire" (rhymes with “fire”)—Ahis, following the spelling “choir” was “kwoyer.” rhyming with “moir.” It was prescribed, if only as an alternative, by authorities from Perry. 1775, to Enfield. 1807. (t put up a feeble fight and is new on record only as a dialectical variant. “Choir” comes from Greek “chores.” Latin "chorus,” through French where its modern form is “choeur.” As a verb —“still quiring to the youngeyed cherubim” — it is, of course, spelt “quire.” as also in liturgical English, “quires and places where they sing.” “Booze” And “Bouse” Old-style “bouse” or “bowse,” modern "booze.” ugly to look at but faithfully performing its function. Tire old “bouse” was challenged by “booze” after 1768. when Horace Walpole in his “Letters” spelt it in the newway w-hich we now generally use. Dictionaries still record “bouse” and a pronunciation to rhyme with “drowse’’ is allowed as an alternative by Daniel Jones and the big Oxford. Browning rhymed it with “carouse” and “drowse.” The petrol “bowser” is no relation. It is a surname occurring also as Belcher and "Bewsher” from the old French "belsire” which sometimes meant

"grandfather.” All that can be said about the etymology of "bouse”* is that it seems to come from Dutch or Low German was formed, as a verb, from a noun meaning a drinking-vessel. The Germans, both High and Low’, had a great reputation as “bousers.” So, if we are to believe Hamlet had the Danes. I could tell hair-raising (or turn-unsettling) stories of German beer-drinking feats but refrain out of kindness of heart. Glamour What would the stars do without it in these days? No doubt they would more easily dispense with "grammar” and not suspect that “glamour” is really ’grammar” though lightly disguised. "Glamour” was a Scottish perversion of “grammar” recorded in Scottish writers from 1720 and used to mean “magic" and that sort of thing. Its use by Sir Walter Scott introduced it into English and now together wifh its offspring “glamour,” "glamourise” etc. it has, as the sportsmen say. “justified its inclusion.”

How how could "grammar” ever acquire this curious use? What have rules, parts of speech, moods, tenses, cases, etc., to do with magic and uncanny spells? They ring very prosaic, even stuffy, to the groaning young in the class-room.

Part of the answer may be suggested by a sentence from a speech made by Jack Cade, that picturesque scoundrel who invaded London in 1450 at the head of 15,000 Kentish countrymen. He seized Lord Say. a deeply hated favourite of the King and before beheading him accused him in these words: “thou hast men about thee that usually talk of a noun and a verb and such abominable words as no Christian can endure to hear.” Cade himself was not illiterate, he even practised as a physician, but his expression shows how the illiterate tended to regard grammar, something mysterious. something uncanny communicating evil power to those who have mastered it, a form indeed of black

magic. Hence the spell east upon the unwary by “the glamour girl.” Breeches Traditionally "britches." but, as usual, the spelling tempts the speaker to rhyme it with "teaches” and so most of us do in this country. As far as I know one 18-century authority only prescribed “breaches” with long “e;" this was Parry, 1777. It is true that Butler in his “hudibras." 1662. rhymed it with “reaches" —“whose primitive tradition reaches as far as Adam’s first green breeches, but that may have been only one poetic licence. The "Breeches Bible."' more properly named the Geneva Bible, published in 1560. took its name from the reference in Genests iii. 7 It w'as there spelt “breeches." but previously. as bv Wycliffe, 1382. “brechis.” Capillary Stress on “cap—” or “pill—?” Good authorities now generally allow both, e.g. Oxford and Webster. But there was a period of strife between them which is rather puzzling. Daniel Jones recognises “caPlLLary” only as though its rival were now hors de combat. The odd thing is that though “CaPLLLary” was prescribed by the early lexicographers from 1775. these who came later introduced the new champion "CAPillary" and this was preferred by Walker, 1791 and others down tb 1849: after that date honours were more or less divided. How “CAPillary” ever crept in I wonder, because its natural mates are "anClLLary” "disTlLLery." “friTlLLary," a sober and law-abiding bunch. Bronze It comes as a surprise to the average man to learn that "bronze” was ever pronounced in any other way than as we all know it, to rhyme with “dons” or “pons.” Yet our pronunciation with short “o" did not appear till 1807 (Enfield) and before that is was “brones.” rhyming with “Jones” er

“bones,” and this was still prescribed as late as 1844 by Reed, though only as an alternative to the modern “bronz.” The noun was adopted from Italian, through French, in 1721. but the verb, oddly enough, appeared much earlier, in 1645. The rather peculiar “brones" has been explained by its origin from Italian “bronzo;" this may be so. but I have my dnub’s However, I can offer no better explanation.