Busk

[Dr. Goodword]

• busk •

Pronunciation: bêsk • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Verb, intransitive

Meaning: 1. To perform in public places for donations from passers-by who stop to listen or watch. 2. (Sailing) To ramble about the seas, weathering storms, looking for easy money.

Notes: We all have enjoyed buskers in big cities: in the subway, in parks, along the street—well, I have. Some play us unexpected music while others perform various acrobatic and miming routines. Someone who busks is a busker, known for his or her busking. It bears no spelling or pronunciation traps.

In Play: We are all drawn by the romance and freedom associated with these (usually) poor but footloose artists: "Toots Pfeiffer and his flute busked their way through Europe before Toots took on a permanent position with the Philadelphia Symphony." Of course freedom carries with it certain risks: "Amanda Lynn was arrested in Europe for busking by the Conservatoire de Musique in Paris out of key."

Word History: Today's Good Word originally was a verb meaning "to go about seeking, cruise piratically", from an obsolete French verb busquer "to prowl" from Italian buscare, both related to Spanish buscar "to seek, look up". Buskers do tend to be seekers in some sense of the word. We can only guess at its origin: it probably originated as a verb meaning "to hunt", derived from the same root in Italian bosco, Portuguese bosque or French bosquet "woods, forest, grove", but we have no written evidence of such a verb. These words come from Late Latin boscus "woods", which probably comes from the same source as English bush. (The suggestion of today's word also comes from a mysterious source, Kathleen of Norway, who has sent us many other fascinating words.)

[gailr]

To perform in public places for donations from passers-by who stop to listen or watch. . . .

Notes: We all have enjoyed buskers in big cities: in the subway, in parks, along the street—well, I have. Some play us unexpected music while others perform various acrobatic and miming routines.

I spent a few days in Bath, England, where buskers of many nationalities performed in the square between the Abbey, the Roman baths, etc., entertaining the crowds and earning a little backpacking money. I heard several enjoyable acts (including someone bowing a musical saw!).

Then came the morning when I heard the strains of 'American Pie' being sung -- badly -- by a young Yankee accompanying himself on guitar -- worsely -- just belting it out like his inner rock god. I slunk past, avoiding eye contact, trying to project Canadian vibes...

On reflection, I should have given generously, to help speed him on his way.

-gailr

[Bailey]

a very pale street musician would be a Bisque Busker?

mB

[Perry]

I was nineteen when I came to town
They called it the Summer of Love
They were burning babies, burning flags
The hawks against the doves
I took a job in the steamie
Down on Cauldrum Street
And I fell in love with a laundry girl
Who was working next to me

{Refrain}
Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee's wing
So fine a breath of wind might blow her away
She was a lost child, oh she was running wild
She said "As long as there's no price on love, I'll stay
And you wouldn't want me any other way"

Brown hair zig-zag around her face
And a look of half-surprise
Like a fox caught in the headlights
There was animal in her eyes
She said "Young man, oh can't you see
I'm not the factory kind
If you don't take me out of here
I'll surely lose my mind"

{Refrain}
...So fine that I might crush her where she lay...

We busked around the market towns
And picked fruit down in Kent
And we could tinker lamps and pots and knives
Wherever we went
And I said that we might settle down
Get a few acres dug
Fire burning in the hearth
And babies on the rug

She said "Oh man, you foolish man
It surely sounds like hell.
You might be lord of half the world
You'll not own me as well"

{Refrain}
...So fine a breath of wind might blow her away...

We was camping down the Gower one time
The work was pretty good
She thought we shouldn't wait for the frost
And I thought maybe we should
We was drinking more in those days
And tempers reached a pitch
And like a fool I let her run
With the rambling itch

Oh the last I heard she's sleeping rough
Back on the Derby beat
White Horse in her hip pocket
And a wolfhound at her feet
And they say she even married once
A man named Romany Brown
But even a gypsy caravan
Was too much settling down

And they say her flower is faded now
Hard weather and hard booze
But maybe that's just the price you pay
For the chains you refuse

{As Refrain}
Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee's wing
And I miss her more than ever words could say
If I could just taste all of her wildness now
If I could hold her in my arms today
Well I wouldn't want her any other way

Richard Thompson's Bee's Wing

[gailr]

a very pale street musician would be a Bisque Busker?

Or, in parts of the Pyrenees, a Basque Busker.

[Stargzer]

At first I thought there should have been a relation between busk and buskin, but, alas, they seem to have different etymologies.

buskin

SYLLABICATION: bus·kin
NOUN: 1. A foot and leg covering reaching halfway to the knee, resembling a laced half boot. 2a. A thick-soled laced half boot worn by actors of Greek and Roman tragedies. b. Tragedy, especially that which resembles a Greek tragedy.
ETYMOLOGY: Perhaps alteration (influenced by buckskin) of obsolete French broisequin, small leather boot.


The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Wikipedia:

... A Buskin is a knee- or calf-length boot made of leather or cloth which laces closed, but is open across the toes. It was worn by Athenian tragic actors, hunters and soldiers in Ancient Greek, Etruscan and Roman societies.

The word buskin, only recorded in English since 1503 meaning "half boot," is of unknown origin, perhaps from Old French brousequin (in modern French brodequin) or directly from its Middle Dutch model brosekin "small leather boot." Figurative senses relating to tragedy are from the word being used (since 1570) to translate Greek kothurnus, the high, thick-soled boot worn in Athenian tragedy; contrasted with sock, the low shoe worn by comedians. ...

Alas, it appears it took someone 67 years to figure out how to translate korthurnus.

See also:

Sock 'n' Buskin Theatre Company

Howvever, there is a old relationship between Buskin and Bateau:

WFUV Stream: Pete Fornatale's interview with David Buskin and Robin Bateau.

It's hard to find any info on these two talented musical veterans from the 1960s era of Tom Rush and Joni Mitchell. Give the interview a listen to when you have some free time to unwind.

[sluggo]

a very pale street musician would be a Bisque Busker?

Or, in parts of the Pyrenees, a Basque Busker.

On a particularly sunny but cool day, said bisque Basque busker basks brisk 'til dusk tsk tsk...

Larry, I 'member Buskin & Batteau as regulars on the folk scene at least through the '70s. Nice reference.

The Paris Métro is in my travels the best busk cask one could ask. Galway City also rocksks.

[Bailey]

The bisque basque Busker had a cousin who was etruscan by trade, and a busker by heritage, is he a gypsy?

mB.