Whats everyone reading?

[Zarjazzer]

Just started Anno Frankenstein which is a great read -a sort of steampunk world where Britain faces off with the dastardly Nazis and their undead soldiers.

Hah! Who's the author? Sounds quite Abaddon Books...

You are correct, sir! It is young Jonathan Green and is a Ulysses Quicksilver tale.

[Mikey]

Bear with me on this one - I think it's the best place for it.

I'm currently reading 'Word Origins and How We Know Them' by Anatoly Liberman. It's absolutely fantastic (if you like etymology that is!). What I really want to share is this...

...my ma would often refer to thunder storms as 'thunner plumps'. Now, a lot of the phrases and words she used are pretty mental but were sometimes easily deciphered, but this one always stumped me. 'Thunner' is simply a thinning of thunder of course, but 'plump' in this context always stumped me. I thought it might be related to French 'pleut', or Icelandic 'blautur' (she also would say 'plutin' for rain), but never came accross anything to confirm this (apart from a French influence on some Scots I understand). Her accent/dialect was that there Scots-Irish, so I presume a lot of the phrases and words were likely from around 17th Century (!). Turns out 'plump' has a provenance from the 14th Century German, as a verb meaning 'to come down or fall with great force'. Fuckin amazing or what?!

M.

[TordelBack]

Turns out 'plump' has a provenance from the 14th Century German, as a verb meaning 'to come down or fall with great force'. Fuckin amazing or what?!

Cool indeed. Would that lead into the idea of 'I'll plump for that one', when making a choice?  As in, to come down heavily on that side.  Not to be confused with one-time top shelf mainstay Plumpers.  I presume.

[SmallBlueThing]

Oh i dont know, ive come down heavily on a plumper or two in my no no i'll shut up right there.
SBT

[Mikey]

[quote author=TordelBack link=topic=24633.msg613999#msg613999
Would that lead into the idea of 'I'll plump for that one', when making a choice?  As in, to come down heavily on that side.  [/quote]

Possibly...I would say 'plum' for that one, so ultimately the etymon may be the same as 'plumbum', which is supposed to have originated as the vernacular for the sound of the device used for drawing water made when it was dropped into the water. It came to be associated with the metal it was made from (according to Liberman).

I can't speak for the magazine title I'm afraid (very afraid), though 'plumping' your seat doesn't have the same etymology.... but SBT might be the expert on that too by the sounds of things!

M.

[SmallBlueThing]

Ive plumped a few seats in my- oh i give up.
SBT

[O Lucky Stevie!]

Stevie enjoyed Poul Anderson's The High Crusade far more than he expected. However, in doing so this leaves him uncertain whether to charitably forgive the glaring logical flaw  in the denouement or become more resentful of it. Bah humbug.

[O Lucky Stevie!]

DOUBLE POST. 

[Dandontdare]

Possibly...I would say 'plum' for that one, so ultimately the etymon may be the same as 'plumbum', which is supposed to have originated as the vernacular for the sound of the device used for drawing water made when it was dropped into the water. It came to be associated with the metal it was made from (according to Liberman).

I thought that was from the Latin for lead - or maybe they got THAT word from the sound? Etymology is fascinating though.

A nice bit of trivia is trivia itself - apparently* there was a spot in ancient Rome where three roads met (TRI VIA) and it's where the women going to market would stop and gossip apparently, hence any tittle-tattle from the three roads was dismissed as trivia.

*there are other less interesting possible meanings, but I like this one!

[Mikey]

I thought that was from the Latin for lead - or maybe they got THAT word from the sound? Etymology is fascinating though.

Yup - that's what I meant, not that it was clear from my post.

A nice bit of trivia is trivia itself - apparently* there was a spot in ancient Rome where three roads met (TRI VIA) and it's where the women going to market would stop and gossip apparently, hence any tittle-tattle from the three roads was dismissed as trivia.

Good work lad! The mighty Dictionary of Etymology agrees - although it's more general than specifically women going to market, just a common meeting place.

I'll share just one (or two) more - 'Lord' comes from Old Engl. 'hláfweard' (hláf - loaf, pron.approx hlowv i think]) which literally means 'bread keeper' and 'Lady' from 'hlæfdige' (hleyevdee), meaning 'bread kneader'. Maybe this 'kneads' it's own thread! 

M.

[nev]

I loved To Kill a Mockingbird.

\
Just finished reading this and found it extremely enjoyable, the last few chapters made me nearly shed a manly tear!

[Emp]

'Black Hand Gang' by Pat Kelleher

Awaiting delivery, sounds good.

[IAMTHESYSTEM]

'Black Hand Gang' by Pat Kelleher

Awaiting delivery, sounds good.

It's a bit strange and I'm afraid it's going down the path of most Doug Mclure movies at the moment but it is an interesting idea if not quite what I hoped it would be.

[Jared Katooie]

I just read WE3.

It was alright.

[nev]

Currently reading Ian Banks' The Wasp Factory.
Fairly grim so far but enjoyable. There's a nice flow.