Now I see where a drunk man stuck out finger came from. But I never
saw a drunk person with his finger stuck out. Does it happen in
England? :)
Today it persists as a comedic shorthand for snobbery, which is almost the opposite of its intended signal. It's a gesture that outlived its social context entirely and became a caricature of what it once tried to signal.
-------------- (from an AI search)
All of this to say that the lady was trying to be aristocracy and failed miserably.
I see this made fun of sometimes in British sitcoms.
As I see Aunt Petunia was not as drunk as Marge but why _her_
little finger was stuck out, while she drank coffee? ;-)
Now I see where a drunk man stuck out finger came from. But
I never saw a drunk person with his finger stuck out. Does
it happen in England? :)
Today it persists as a comedic shorthand for snobbery
All of this to say that the lady was trying to be aristocracy
and failed miserably.
I see this made fun of sometimes in British sitcoms.
Today it persists as a comedic shorthand for snobbery, which is
almost ??the opposite of its intended signal. It's a gesture
that outlived its social context entirely and became a
caricature of what it once tried to signal.
-------------- (from an AI search)
All of this to say that the lady was trying to be aristocracy
and failed miserably.
I see how a person might stick out a finger when they're
drinking from a ??teacup with a very small handle. Here in
North America coffee is more likely to be served in a mug
which allows space for at least three fingers... and I reckon
most people would probably tuck the fourth underneath the
handle for better balance.
You two have given me another idea, though. When I was growing up it was often believed the working class preferred to drink coffee while the middle class preferred to drink tea. This is an overgeneralization of course. But if Aunt Petunia was putting on airs she may have used a delicate china teacup, and in view of the way her companions were behaving I think Alexander's doubt as to her sobriety is justified. Many people used to think a person could "sober up" by drinking coffee... i.e. until somebody pointed out years ago that the effort was far more likely to result in a "wide awake drunk". :-Q
BTW, I read that there is no expression "give the thumb up", only "give the thumbs up". Do you use the latter one even if you use only one hand gesture?
it is, but a stuck out pinky in Russia is a sing of a great level of alcohol intoxication, as if a person cannot control it in his drunk condition.
BTW, I read that there is no expression "give the thumb up", only
"give the thumbs up". Do you use the latter one even if you use only
one hand gesture?
An interesting evolution of the gesture meaning. It has acquired
quite a different connotation in Russia. Nobody I think can say why
it is, but a stuck out pinky in Russia is a sing of a great level
of alcohol intoxication, as if a person cannot control it in his
drunk condition.
Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to All:
it is, but a stuck out pinky in Russia is a sing of a greatInteresting!
level of alcohol intoxication, as if a person cannot
control it in his drunk condition.
Ardith, your entire message is:
Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to All:
And I rather liked it for that.
Since you brought it up, however, I went back through the
thread to see what I might have missed & noticed that
Alexander used the word "brilliant" as a noun meaning "a
diamond or other gemstone cut to sparkle brightly"
Since you brought it up, however, I went back through the
thread to see what I might have missed & noticed that
Alexander used the word "brilliant" as a noun meaning "a
diamond or other gemstone cut to sparkle brightly"
Was it unusual? My dictionary says that a brilliant is a
sparkling diamond.
Or here:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brilliant
Was it unusual? My dictionary says that a brilliant is aIn my experience the word is used much more often as an
sparkling diamond.
Or here:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brilliant
adjective than as a noun... and it would seem the dictionary
writers agree because every one of the sources I consulted
lists it as an adjective first & some don't list it as a
noun at all. WRT the noun my OXFORD CANADIAN DICTIONARY lists
it as "a diamond cut with many facets" while my GAGE CANADIAN
DICTIONARY explains it as "a diamond or other gem cut to
sparkle brightly". Invoking THE FREE DICTIONARY I also see the
AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY & COLLINS ENGLISH DICTIONARY
list it as a reference to diamonds which may be expanded to
include other gemstones.... :-)
Bethinking how many languages separated one from another
I wonder how English remains as a whole thing. I believe
English has so many words that nobody can learn them all,
and I should be careful using words from books. :)
PS: But you have to agree with my version - a gold ring
with a sparkling diamond on the little finger is a hefty
reason to put the little finger out when you hold a
wineglass in the company of peacocky people. ;-)
Bethinking how many languages separated one from another I
wonder how English remains as a whole thing. I believe
English has so many words that nobody can learn them all,
and I should be careful using words from books.
Well... I'm inclined to think the English we use today is
actually a mixture of languages. The island of Great
Britain was invaded many times during the last >2000 years
by various people who used different languages. Latin, Old
Norse, Old German, and Old French come immediately to my
mind although I realize similar events probably occurred
before the dawn of recorded history.
One of my favourite examples: If you were an Anglo-Saxon
farmer who made his living selling food to wealthy
aristocrats you'd soon learn to say "You want beef? I have
cattle" or "You want pork? I have swine". If you make a few
allowances for the idea that the Brits did their best to
survive among those who didn't care how what appeared on
their dinner table had to do with the peasantry who made
such things happen you can see how & why our vocabulary
expanded. When we adopt new words, we don't necessarily
substitute them for the old ones. :-))
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