Gaberlunzie

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Dr. Goodword
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Gaberlunzie

Postby Dr. Goodword » Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:15 pm

• gaberlunzie •

Pronunciation: gæ-bêr-lên-zee • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: 1. A strolling beggar or mendicant. 2. A beadsman (a licensed beggar in Scotland).

Notes: This word is a lexical orphan, without any accompanying adjective or verb. Americans may have never encountered this word, since it does not occur in any US dictionary that I know of. However, it is alive and well in Scotland, where to my surprise I heard it spoken in 2011.

In Play: This rather arcane yet living word refers to a wandering beggar, as opposed to one who settles down: "Candy Cain's neighborhood is still occasionally visited by a wandering gaberlunzie." However, metaphorical applications will probably be more useful: "If you lose your job when you are over 50 years old, you are likely to become a wandering gaberlunzie, begging for any position you can find."

Word History: All we know about this funny word's past is that it seems to be made up of gaber and lunzie. Now, lunzie is the traditional English spelling of the Scottish word lunyie "loin". The first part of the word suggests gaberdine, a smock or coarse cloak worn by medieval pilgrims (never made of gabardine). It is only interesting because blue-gown was another name for gaberlunzies in the Middle Ages—all suggestive, but inconclusive. If gaberlunzie came from the notion of loins girded in a gaberdine, the displacement of a garment usually worn on the shoulders needs an explanation. I have none.
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LukeJavan8
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Re: Gaberlunzie

Postby LukeJavan8 » Mon Oct 06, 2014 12:11 pm

I remember the 'Hoover Brush Man' as a boy. Door to
door, and there was an old gent to made the best
brooms money could buy. My folks bought some and
three of them are still in use.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

Perry Lassiter
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Re: Gaberlunzie

Postby Perry Lassiter » Mon Oct 06, 2014 2:14 pm

Mever heard the word, but have encountered the people.
pl

LukeJavan8
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Re: Gaberlunzie

Postby LukeJavan8 » Mon Oct 06, 2014 8:34 pm

Sorry, it was the Fuller Brush man. Hoover was
the name on the family vacuum.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

Philip Hudson
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Re: Gaberlunzie

Postby Philip Hudson » Thu Oct 09, 2014 5:39 pm

I have difficulty distinguishing between a gaberlunzie and someone "down on his luck." Sometimes I buy a professional beggar's pitch and get "took". It is better to err on the side of generosity, but sometimes I get pretty disgusted when I find I have been, to coin a word, gaberlunzieized.
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