trysail
Catch Me Who Can
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2005
- Posts
- 25,593
This one caught my interest;
runcible spoon - noun a sharp-edged fork with three broad curved prongs
It's got a curious etymology ( Edward Lear invented the word solely for use in his well-known poem, The Owl and The Pussycat ). It was strictly a nonsense word until much later when an actual runcible spoon was created so the word would have a meaning.
The Owl and The Pussycat
by Edward Lear
I
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!'
II
Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?'
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
III
'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.'
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.
http://www.nonsenselit.org/Lear/ns/pussy.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runcible_spoon
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Citations:runcible_spoon#English
Last edited: