oggbashan
Dying Truth seeker
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2002
- Posts
- 56,017
Gentlemen, both are correct because the word means basically "after lunch" and could refer to the nap often taken after the mid-day meal, back when life was less hectic, I suppose.
postilion or postillion - noun one who rides as the guide on a near horse of one of the pairs attached to a coach or post chaise esp. without a coachman
Postillion is one of the words frequently used to ridicule early dictionaries/phrase books produced for aristocrats doing the 18th/19th Century Grand Tours of Europe.
One of the first phrase books included translations from English into French, German, Spanish etc. of "The postillion has been struck by lightning" and similar unlikely statements but nothing about "Where is the hotel?"
Is it a myth? Wikipedia seems to think it is but I have handled several 19th Century books that have so-called 'useful' conversations that are equally unlikely.
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