The Jewellers Window GREAT AUSTRALIAN ADJECTIVE

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29952, 13 October 1962, Page 8

The Jewellers Window GREAT AUSTRALIAN ADJECTIVE

Why This Favouritism?

[Specially written lor “The Preu' t>y ARNOLD WALL!

£*HEY call it "the great ; Australian adjective." Why this favouritism? Why not “the great New Zealand.” "the great English?” Here is a Verbatim report of the speech I beard made by a barman in a pub in a small North Island township. Local farming practice had been under discussion. "There isn’t an adjective tamer in the adjective North Tais nd. If an adjective farmer does grow an adjective crop he has to send to the adjective Sou to Island for an adjective thetcher before he can put up an adjective stack.” Could an Australian barman beat that?

Again, it was in a South Island pub that a man was reported to have left the bar to lock after his bike which he had left outside. He said:

”1 must go out and have a look at my bike.” And went out in a hurry. A moment later he put his head inside and said: "I mean my adjective bike.” Then, having put himself on side he went off and retrieved his duly qualified bike. Its Origin How ibo’it its origin? Well it wns at first the adverb “btoedy drunk" as early as the 17th century, later the adjective with the sense deriving from "biood” meaning a man of high birth but of roystering conduct 'Hie re have been ingenious speculations on the subject. Of all the feeble and foolish theories of this kind the most ridiculous is the very popular explanation that it is a corruption of “by our lady.” Thue, it is supposed, a man used to say, for example: “Bill, hand me that by our lady hammer or 1’1! break your by our lady neck." Likely, isn’t It? Rudeness Can Be Amusing The rejection, omission, or refusal of conventional forms cf courtesy or politness some, times produces an amusing effect, not at all amusing to the person addressed but to the person to whom the story is told. Many such funniments are narrated, for instance, of Dr. Johnson, especially his rude remarks to ladies—most of them, by the way. apocryphal. Thus, he is supposed to correct a lady’s use of English words: ‘‘Don’t I smell nice. Dr. with my new scent?” “I smell, madam, you stink.” And so on. A young

parson preaching his first sermon, has a famous clerical wit in his congregation and timidly asks the Olympian what he thought of h.s sermon. "I thought it was verv OTt - .“® ul 1 was afraid of being tedxoux" “You WERE tecnous.

v 9 n ®fas appealed m vadn to a great French statesmen for some privilege of "1 must The great man repl.es 1 J <he necessity." Finally, a local example A commercial traveller come.-, to a South Canterbury station in the early days and accord;ng to custom, is put up for toe night. The boss is famous tor bis cymca! wit. At the breakfast table he asks the dimmer: ‘When did you tornk of leaving?” "I thought I would be leaving after Ainch.” The boot rings a bell and when a maid appears he looks her in the eve and savs loudly: ‘Bring in lunch.” ‘

Purcell And Company

About three times out of five I reckon, when this great musician is mentioned he is oaltod PurCELL in stead of PURcell as h- ought to be The reason seems to be that the double fine 1 consonant suggests to the eye a heavy syllable and it is the eye. not the ear. which takes note of such matters. So we find that as a general nrie names ending in—it or—ll tend to be pronounced in this unorthodox way. Thus we hear GaIBATT. MorELL. MurrELL. BurNETr: but when the riame is a very common one the stress holds its correc' position—people sav BENNctt not BennETT. Tlx? case of Domett is peculiar in that the correct DOMett is 'never heard at all tn this country as the name of the poet and statesman Alfred Domett end of the township named after him. This name is invariableDomET’’’ in New Zealand but to England it is DOMMit People who bear any of the names here mentioned have a legitimate grievance and can only grind their teeth in impotent rage. French Cricket We used to speak of French cricket to my young days a mere parody of the real game; but what 1 mean now by French cricket is the fact that most of the old terms used in that most characteristically English game are French. Of the old terms. French in origin, are cricket, wicket, bat. bout], bail, and crease; while among ti»e more modern are point and block. Cricket (French criquet) was toe butt a .med at to the game of bowls; as an English word it dales from 1596; but the true game does not appear until the 18th century. Wicket, originally a small gate, dates as a term of cricket from 1738 The bat. the noun, appears in 1706. the verb in 1773; the verb to bow! in 1755. the crease in 1755. the bail to 1770. French words appearing in more modern times are point in 1833. block in 1864. and pitch to 1886.

When Frenchmen play cricket they have to transmogrify the terms and are quite unable to use the old French terms as we do. It is very difficult indeed to render in modern French such terms as innings, bat. catch, run. run out. tine square leg and so on. An old friend of mine was once a teacher of French to very small beginners. His head, a very simple soul, came to see h.w they were getting on and asked them as an easytest. to say in French: “I made 60 off my own bat not out." How would you say: "not out?” "Pas dehors’’" "Chez soi?”