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| Cricket at Marylebone Field, 1790s -wikimedia |
Nor do I spend all my waking hours, let alone my sleeping ones, trying to think up new ideas for this blog, as I have more than enough ignorance to keep going for quite some time, believe me. Still, I woke up wondering, just how reliable is this dream voice? I'm well aware that dreams tend to speak metaphorically rather than literally, but what was the point of ranting on about this if it wasn't true? So I decided I would find out.
***
They are two different words. For some reason, I thought maybe the word for cricket the game came from India, although as far as I know, the sport is thoroughly British. But no. Both words are European. And actually both words may come from an Old French word, namely criquet.
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Hang on, you say, doesn't that mean they do share a common origin? Apparently not. There are two Old French meanings of criquet. One comes from criquer and means to creak, rattle or crackle, and has according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, an "echoic" origin. This is the criquet that gave English the name for the insect in about the 14th century.
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| Wellington College, circa 1900-wikipedia |
The name for the game is a little more in doubt but this Old French criquet means goal post or stick, and may go back to the Middle Dutch/ or Middle Flemish word cricke, and be related to the root word for crutch.
I'm still not sure just why the dream world felt it was important to call this all to my attention, but it does give me a chance to write down a quote from Antonio Machado, which I found a couple of days ago as the epigraph at the beginning of Stuart Dybek's story collection, The Coast of Chicago:
De todo la memoria, solo vale
el don preclare de evocar los suenos.
Out of the whole of memory, there's one thing
worthwhile: the great gift of calling back dreams.
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Posts
In a week when I creaked and nearly needed a crutch, it is good to learn about criquet. I also learned that the crane flies currently filling the Dallas air are considered a crunchy delicacy by dogs. Everything else I know about cricket I learned from Flashman. How I miss George MacDonald Fraser!
ReplyDeleteCrikey, Nancy, I do believe you've brought it all together.
ReplyDeleteI must check out Flashman some day. I have never been able to figure out if the series is something I'd like or not.
This is in all ways wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathleen.
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ReplyDeleteI should look at Flashman sometime in the not so distant future. I have never possessed the capacity to make sense of if the arrangement is something I'd like or not.
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In seven days when I squeaked and almost required a prop, it is a great idea to find out about cricket. I likewise discovered that the crane flies as of now filling the Dallas air are considered a crunchy delicacy by mutts. Everything else I think about cricket I gained from Flashman. How I miss George MacDonald Fraser!
ReplyDeleteThanks for you comment, Andrew. I missed it previously.It looks like I was traveling. Frazer seems to have many fans. Maybe I'll actually read him some day.
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