| Wednesday, July 06, 2005 |
| SIMPLE INFORMATIONS I TOOK FOR GRANTED!! |
LUNCHEON -- in present usage the name given to a meal between breakfast and tea or dinner. When dinner was taken at an early hour, or when it is still the principal midday meal, Luncheon was and is still a light repast. The deprivation of the word has been obscurred, chiefly owing to the attempted connection with "nuncheon", with which the word has nothing to do etymologically, "Luncheon" is an extended form of "lunch" (another form of "lump", as "hunch" is of "hump") Lunch and Luncheon in the earliest meanings found are applied to a thick piece of bread, bacon, meat, etc.
The word "Nuncheon", or "Nunchion",, with which "Luncheon" has been frequently connected, appears as early as the 14th century in the form noneschenche. This meant refreshment or distribution, properly of drink, but also accompanied with soem small quantity of meat, taken in the early afternoon.
The word literally means, "Noondrink",from none or noon, ie nona hora, the ninth hour, , originally 3 o'clock P.M. but later "midday" -- the church office of "nones",and also the second meal of the day.
BACKSCRATCHER --, a long slender rod of wood, whalebone, tortoiseshell, horn or cane, with a carved human hand, usually if ivory, mounted at the extremity. Its name suggests the primary use of the implement, but little is known of its history, and it was unquestionably also employed as a kind of rake to keep in order the huge "heads" of powdered hair worn by ladies, during a considerable portion of the 18th and the early part of the 19th centuries. The Backscratcher vaies in legnth from 12 to 20 in., and the more elaborate examples, whcih were occasionally hung from the waist, are silver munted, and in rare instances the ivory fingers bear carved rings. The hand is sometimes outstreched, and sometimes the fingers are flexed; the modeling is frequently good, the fingers delicately formed and the nails well defined. As a rule the rod is fibsihed off with a knob. The hand was now and again replaced by a rake or a bird's claw. The hand was indifferently dexter or sinister, but the Chinese variety usually bears a right hand. Like most of the obsolete appliances of daily life, the Backscratcher, or scratch-back, as it is sometimes called, has become scarce, and it is one of the inumerable objects which attract the attention of the modern collector.
TOAST --, a slice of bread scorched brown on the two surfaces by the heatof a fire. The word was borrowed from the O, French Toste,Latin torrere, tostum, to scorch, to burn. It was formerly the custom to have pieces of toast floating in many kinds of liquor, especially when drunk hot. It is said to be from this custom that the word is used of the calling upon a company to drink the health of some person, institution or cause.
(abstracted from the book:ALL THERE IS TO KNOW by: Alexander Coleman and Charles Simmons) |
| posted by infraternam meam @ 2:24 AM |
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