WORDS
May 4th 2020, 9:17 pm
#61
Magnificently Withering
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: Oakville, ON
Posts: 6,720
Re: WORDS
Originally Posted by Lion in Winter
You can see why they gave it up.
Is this in any way connected with those names that start with a double F?
I once met a Mexican consul whose last name was Ffrench.
Is this in any way connected with those names that start with a double F?
I once met a Mexican consul whose last name was Ffrench.
The ff (never Ff) is apparently an obsolete hangover from 15th century legal English handwriting, where a perfectly normal F developed extra vertical "ticks" at the end of the upper horizontal, to the point that it eventually looked like a ligature of two lowercase f's. Few surnames keep the style, but some surnames like ffoulkes, ffrench, ffarington, ffinch, ffloyd and others keep the bastardization alive. And then there are some pretentious abominations who keep the double consonant but capitalize the first: that's just plain wrong, IMO.
May 4th 2020, 9:22 pm
#62
Joined: Aug 2003
Location: City of Broad Shoulders
Posts: 57,197
Re: WORDS
Originally Posted by Oakvillian
Ah. That one I know, since I once knew a guy called ffoulkes who was at pains to point out the impossibility of entering a last name without a capital letter on many online forms.
The ff (never Ff) is apparently an obsolete hangover from 15th century legal English handwriting, where a perfectly normal F developed extra vertical "ticks" at the end of the upper horizontal, to the point that it eventually looked like a ligature of two lowercase f's. Few surnames keep the style, but some surnames like ffoulkes, ffrench, ffarington, ffinch, ffloyd and others keep the bastardization alive. And then there are some pretentious abominations who keep the double consonant but capitalize the first: that's just plain wrong, IMO.
The ff (never Ff) is apparently an obsolete hangover from 15th century legal English handwriting, where a perfectly normal F developed extra vertical "ticks" at the end of the upper horizontal, to the point that it eventually looked like a ligature of two lowercase f's. Few surnames keep the style, but some surnames like ffoulkes, ffrench, ffarington, ffinch, ffloyd and others keep the bastardization alive. And then there are some pretentious abominations who keep the double consonant but capitalize the first: that's just plain wrong, IMO.
He was Mexican, so no idea how that rule applies in Spanish. He was quite nice, except that he would kiss my hand in greeting which was a bit - odd.
May 4th 2020, 9:40 pm
#63
Resident Cynic
Joined: Aug 2013
Location: Suffolk,UK; Alentejo, Portugal
Posts: 7,831
Re: WORDS
Originally Posted by Lion in Winter
He was Mexican, so no idea how that rule applies in Spanish. He was quite nice, except that he would kiss my hand in greeting which was a bit - odd.
May 7th 2020, 1:06 pm
#68
Who - me?
Joined: Jul 2014
Location: Arcos de Valdevez "Onde Portugal se fez"
Posts: 12,875
Re: WORDS
Originally Posted by BEVS
Yes
I had a really good word that I had never come across before , ever , and now I've forgotten it & although it hovers on the edge of my conciousness I cannot bring it to mind at all.
I had a really good word that I had never come across before , ever , and now I've forgotten it & although it hovers on the edge of my conciousness I cannot bring it to mind at all.
May 7th 2020, 1:28 pm
#69
Resident Cynic
Joined: Aug 2013
Location: Suffolk,UK; Alentejo, Portugal
Posts: 7,831
Re: WORDS
When I recall tasting the water in Bath, all I think of was warm and unpleasant.... but I should have realised it was in fact Aequeosalinocalcalinoceraceoaluminosocupreovitriol ic.
A word for us all to remember, describing as it does the equally salty, chalky, waxy, aluminous, copper-oxidy taste of the water..... obvious really.
(and I don't know why this editor insists on putting a space in front of the final "ic", but it does......)
A word for us all to remember, describing as it does the equally salty, chalky, waxy, aluminous, copper-oxidy taste of the water..... obvious really.
(and I don't know why this editor insists on putting a space in front of the final "ic", but it does......)
May 7th 2020, 1:30 pm
#70
Joined: Aug 2003
Location: City of Broad Shoulders
Posts: 57,197
Re: WORDS
Originally Posted by macliam
When I recall tasting the water in Bath, all I think of was warm and unpleasant.... but I should have realised it was in fact Aequeosalinocalcalinoceraceoaluminosocupreovitriol ic.
A word for us all to remember, describing as it does the equally salty, chalky, waxy, aluminous, copper-oxidy taste of the water..... obvious really.
A word for us all to remember, describing as it does the equally salty, chalky, waxy, aluminous, copper-oxidy taste of the water..... obvious really.
May 7th 2020, 3:50 pm
#72
Lt (R)
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 49,397
Re: WORDS
Originally Posted by macliam
When I recall tasting the water in Bath, all I think of was warm and unpleasant.... but I should have realised it was in fact Aequeosalinocalcalinoceraceoaluminosocupreovitriolic.
A word for us all to remember, describing as it does the equally salty, chalky, waxy, aluminous, copper-oxidy taste of the water..... obvious really ......
A word for us all to remember, describing as it does the equally salty, chalky, waxy, aluminous, copper-oxidy taste of the water..... obvious really ......
May 7th 2020, 4:24 pm
#73
Resident Cynic
Joined: Aug 2013
Location: Suffolk,UK; Alentejo, Portugal
Posts: 7,831
Re: WORDS
Originally Posted by Lion in Winter
I'm surprised there's no sulphur in there. Bath water is vile stuff.
Originally Posted by Pulaski
Acidic too, apparently.
Vitriol as an expression is shorthand for oil of vitriol, i.e. that liquid that causes vitriol to be produced, i.e. sulphuric acid.
Bath water was great for swimming - it once had cheap public swimming poools heated by the natural spring water..... the Cross bath, the Royal bath and the Beau street baths, but then the council decided to buils a soulless "heath centre" like everywhere else and abandoned the central pools. There was a story that someone might have contracted diptheria from the untreated water and it gave the council all the excuse they needed to sell off the sites to a private concern.
Welcome to true "soak the tourists" at the private luxury spa that grew up utilising the space of those original pools.
Last edited by macliam; May 7th 2020 at 4:46 pm.
May 7th 2020, 4:43 pm
#74
Lt (R)
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 49,397
Re: WORDS
Originally Posted by macliam
My error, I should have described the taste as equally salty, chalky, waxy, aluminous, copper-sulphatey...... a vitriol is a sulphate, caused by the action of "oil of vitriol" on a metal. Chemistry never was my subject
Vitriol as an expression is shorthand for oil of vitriol, i.e. that liquid that causes vitriol to be produced, i.e. sulphuric acid.
Vitriol as an expression is shorthand for oil of vitriol, i.e. that liquid that causes vitriol to be produced, i.e. sulphuric acid.
May 7th 2020, 4:50 pm
#75
Resident Cynic
Joined: Aug 2013
Location: Suffolk,UK; Alentejo, Portugal
Posts: 7,831
Re: WORDS
Originally Posted by Pulaski
Interesting - I have learned something. I knew that "oil of vitriol" is sulphic acid, but I didn't know that "vitriol" is "sulphate", I had always assumed is was a synonym for "acid".
