Words Farrukh Dhondy's private babel

I was in a charity shop a few weeks back and I stumbled across a book called Words by Farrukh Dondhy. I recognised the name from wayback. When I trained as a teacher (yes, I trained as an English teacher many moons ago). I remember a book of short stories for young people he had back then (Come to Mecca). Anyway this little book was right up my street. A rambling sort of book, it consists of a series of musings on words and their meanings with special reference to the Indian subcontinent where Mr Dhondy lived before coming to England to study Kipling and so on. If I tell you that he has worked for Channel 4 you will nt be surprised to hear that he lets himself down badly on the language front at a certain points, which is a shame. The core of the book, however, is full of interest. There were several areas where my understanding of the whole matter advanced (for example I was aware that bungalow is Indian but I had not connected it to the word Bengali). A good find.

Holiday Books

Pointless History of the World, Laurence Rees on The Holocaust, Mark Forsyth's Etymologicon, Short Poems, John Knox, Welwyn Esther and George Eliot's Clerical Life -All Christmas Gifts

The Etymologicon

When I saw a hardback copy of Mark Forsyth's book on etymology going half price last Christmas in Aber I couldn't resist. Etymology is one of those subjects that I find irresistible. Forsyth has found his own persona (not one that is always appreciated by this reader) and that makes for easy reading as he leaps from subject to subject.

The book is written in such a ways that the last section brings you back to the very first. I couldn't really remember where we had come in to be honest by the end of the book but that is my poor recall rather than Forsyth's poor writing. Because of the way the book is written, however, there is no way of finding a half remembered reference, sadly. Forsyth's blog is here and if etymology is your thing also check this out.

Etymology and the Psalms

1. Placebo (n) Early 13c., name given to the rite of Vespers of the Office of the Dead, so called from the opening of the first antiphon, "I will please the Lord in the land of the living" (Psalm 114:9), from Latin placebo "I shall please," future indicative of placere "to please". Medical sense first recorded 1785 "a medicine given more to please than to benefit the patient." Placebo effect attested from 1950.

2. Pony (v) 1824, in pony up "to pay," of uncertain origin. OED says from pony (n.), but not clear how. Other sources suggest from slang use of Latin legem pone to mean "money" (first recorded 16c.), because this was the title of the Psalm for March 25, a Quarter Day and the first payday of the year. Psalm 119:3 begins Legem pone michi domine viam iustificacionum "Teach me, O Lord, the ways of thy statutes".

3. Dirge (n) early 13c., dirige (current contracted form is from c.1400), from Latin dirige "direct!" imperative of dirigere "to direct," probably from antiphon Dirige, Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam, "Direct, O Lord, my God, my way in thy sight," from Psalm 5:9, which opened the Matins service in the Office of the Dead. Transferred sense of "any funeral song" is from c.1500.

4. Golem (n) "artificial man, automaton," 1897, from Hebrew golem [Psalm 139:16] "shapeless mass, embryo," from galam "he wrapped up, folded."

5. Memento (n) c.1400, "Psalm 131 in the Canon of the Mass" (which begins with the Latin word Memento and in which the dead are commemorated), from Latin memento "remember," imperative of meminisse "to remember, recollect, think of, bear in mind," a reduplicated form, related to mens "mind". Meaning "reminder, object serving as a warning" is from 1580s; sense of "keepsake" is first recorded 1768.

6. Asperges (n) 1550s, from Latin asperges, 2nd person singular future indicative of aspergere "to scatter, strew upon, sprinkle," from ad "to" + spargere "to sprinkle". The word is taken from the phrase Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo et mundabor, from Psalm 51 (Vulgate), sung during the rite of sprinkling a congregation with holy water.

7. Brouhaha (n) 1890, from French brouhaha (1550s), said by Gamillscheg to have been, in medieval theatre, "the cry of the devil disguised as clergy." Perhaps from Hebrew barukh habba' "blessed be the one who comes," used on public occasions (eg Psalm 118).

8. Miserere (n) 13c., from Miserere mei Deus "Have mercy upon me, O God," opening line of Psalm 51, from Latin miserere "feel pity, have compassion, commiserate," imperative of misereri "to have mercy," from miser. From 15c.-17c. used as an informal measure of time, "the time it takes to recite the Miserere." Also in miserere mei "kind of severe colic ('iliac passion') accompanied by excruciating cramps and vomiting of excrement" (1610s), literally "have mercy on me."

9. Overjoy (v) late 14c., "to rejoice over," from over + joy; translating Latin supergaudere (in Psalms 34, etc.). Transitive sense of "to fill with gladness" is first recorded 1570s (now usually in past participle overjoyed).

10. Iron entered his soul - this is from Miles Coverdale's mistranslation of the Psalm 105, which includes But he had sent a man before them: even Joseph, who was sold to be a bond-servant Whose feet they hurt in the stocks : the iron entered into his soul. It is beautiful but wrong. It should be his neck was put in irons. The Hebrew word nefesh can mean breath or neck, because that's where you do most of your breathing. Metaphorically it can mean soul because your breath is your soul.