One reason for counterclockwise rotation of US merry-go-rounds is that the rider would try to catch the brass ring with the right hand. Judging by pictures, I don't think this means of gaining a free ride is used in UK. The discussion of terms left me wondering what the carney term might be. It always grates on my ears that carnies pronounce the steam or pneumatic keyboard instrument as cally ope, rather than like the muse.
Ferrets come in hob and jill. Modern goatherds claim it is buck and doe, not billy and nanny, but both consider young as kids, with the standard joke as to whether a noisy pregnant doe is kidding or kidding. Queen seems to be a relatively recent term from cat breeders. while the traditional term is puss or pussy. A castrated tom becomes a gib and 1970s Vancouver area had the term gibbled for a situation all messed up. Finally, what is a male octopus?
Children's books: Don't forget Mordekai Richler's "Jacob Two Two and the Hooded Fang", a great two level story, a fairy tale for kids and an allegory for adults. I had the fortune to hear Richler read this book prior to publication, on CBC radio.
hippogriff said
One reason for counterclockwise rotation of US merry-go-rounds is that the rider would try to catch the brass ring with the right hand. Judging by pictures, I don't think this means of gaining a free ride is used in UK.
Nor in the US, in my experience.
Don't you suppose that carousels were in existence before someone came up with the brass ring promotion? I was told at the Landis museum that driving on the right originated with the design of the Conestoda wagon, but they couldn't explain why the wagons were designed so. I suspect it was just that the first one was built that way by chance, and after that, they just copied the first one. Carousels would be easier to build going one way than the other because of the way the engine turned, so I imagine they designed then to be cheaper, simpler, less likely to need adjustment and repair.
hippogriff said
It always grates on my ears that carnies pronounce the steam or pneumatic keyboard instrument as cally ope, rather than like the muse.
It was called the Calliaphone by its inventor, but that's a trademark, not thew generic. Maybe if you'd known that in the beginning, it's make more sense to your ears that it's a callia-ope rather than a Greek god.
In the 1800s, Reedy's Magazine published this poem:
Proud folk stare after me,
Call me Calliope;
Tooting joy, tooting hope,
I am the calliope.
Finally, what is a male octopus?
From what I understand of octopus reproduction, it'd be "dead man walking on eight legs". Shouldn't the male be an octotom?
For that matter, what is the singular of "cattle"? Bulls and steers aren't cows, nor are heifers nor deacon calves, but they all are Bos Taurus, cattle.
deaconB said
I was told at the Landis museum that driving on the right originated with the design of the Conestoda wagon, but they couldn't explain why the wagons were designed so. I suspect it was just that the first one was built that way by chance, and after that, they just copied the first one.
I was always told that left- and right-side driving on opposite sides of the pond had essentially the same source. Horses are mounted on the left because (so it is said) because right-handed knights (most of them) carried their sword on their left and mounting from the left kept from swinging the sword over the horse's back. And, knights wanted to pass by oncoming ones on the left so their strong arm was ready for defence or attack.
Mounting horses from the left then resulted in the US, when wagons pulled by teams met in a narrow road, the left team member was mounted to better control the horses and the left side of the wagon was better seen for the close approach of the left side of the other wagon passing by on the right. Mounting the right horse was impractical because of the intervening harness and wagon tongue.
In the US, horse racing seems to be universally left-veering, with carousels probably following suit. UK racing appears to vary with location – perhaps carousel builders live near right-hand race courses?
I would like to make a remark on 'Crocheted Gidote'.
In Dutch we call a small present 'cadeautje', which sounds a lot like 'gidote'.