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May L.
Joined: 21 Apr 2005
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Thu May 12, 2005 6:42 am
Post subject: "Gigot" |
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Could anyone help me? What is the meaning of the word "gigot"? It seems to be the name of a number or quantity in 16th century Scotland.
As far as I have found, this word means "leg of mutton" and its origin is French. But in the book I'm working on at the moment it is supposed to be used in medieval Scotland and to mean a number not more than 20.
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Cymraes
Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 19
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| Posted: Thu May 26, 2005 6:19 pm
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The French term 'gigot' comes from the Old French 'gigue' ( 12th century , of Germanic origin) , which was a stringed instrument . Could the reference you make to numbers in mediaeval Scottish English have something to do with the number of strings on said instrument ?
Cymraes . |
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May L.
Joined: 21 Apr 2005
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Fri May 27, 2005 3:50 pm
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| Cymraes wrote: | The French term 'gigot' comes from the Old French 'gigue' ( 12th century , of Germanic origin) , which was a stringed instrument . Could the reference you make to numbers in mediaeval Scottish English have something to do with the number of strings on said instrument ?
Cymraes . |
Thank you very much indeed! It's a very interesting suggestion. Now, I wonder, how many strings that musical instrument actually had?
On the other hand, the story is about people whose living depends very much on sheep, so they are more likely to use allusions connected with mutton than with music...
The book, in fact, is a fantasy book, so the author might just have invented the expression, mightn't she?
May L.
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Cymraes
Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 19
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| Posted: Fri May 27, 2005 6:53 pm
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Hello again , May
Don't forget that the musical instrument gave rise to the ovine/culinary term . The gigue was a guitar-shaped instrument which made people think of a leg of mutton . Incidentally , the word 'jig' in English comes from the same source . And the jig involves both legs AND music !
Revenons à nos moutons . I agree that my string theory is unlikely , notwithstanding the above . I think that 'gigot' in your text may be a quarter , in the sense that a leg of mutton is either a hindquarter or a forequarter . It could also be the number four .
Do svidiana
Cymraes . |
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May L.
Joined: 21 Apr 2005
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Sat May 28, 2005 12:49 pm
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| Cymraes wrote: | Hello again , May
Don't forget that the musical instrument gave rise to the ovine/culinary term . The gigue was a guitar-shaped instrument which made people think of a leg of mutton . Incidentally , the word 'jig' in English comes from the same source . And the jig involves both legs AND music !
Revenons à nos moutons . I agree that my string theory is unlikely , notwithstanding the above . I think that 'gigot' in your text may be a quarter , in the sense that a leg of mutton is either a hindquarter or a forequarter . It could also be the number four .
Do svidiana
Cymraes . |
Hello again, Cymraes!
That's a charming one about the jig!
I'm afraid the number ought to be more than four. The characters of the book use it when speaking about the number of armed people, who have just burned a farm and stolen all the farmer's sheep.
And how do you know the Russian 'do svidania'?! Are you Russian, by any chance, or do you study the language, or have you got Russian friends?
May. |
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