Sunday, March 9, 2008

Word of the Week at REDEFiNE iT: Dictionary of Newfoundland English (March 8 - 14): maggoty

Word of the Week (March 8 - 14)
here and at our REDEFiNE iT facebook group

maggoty

Entry from the Dictionary of Newfoundland English:

maggoty a Cp OED ~ a 1 'full of maggots' (1727-). Of cod-fish, improperly cured and infested with the larvae of blow-flies; spoiled, unsavoury; freq in names of small coves where fish are landed and offal discarded. [1773] 1971 SEARY 241 Maggotty Cove (Lane 1773).

[1810] 1971 ANSPACH 25 ~ When the smallest quantity of fresh or rain water is suffered to lodge in any part of the fish ... or when the splitter has left too many joints of the bone, so that any quantity of blood has remained, or where there is too great a quantity of fish in the water horse ... the flies will gather about it, and leave on it fly-blows, which will [soon turn] into maggots.

1905 DUNCAN 125-6 'Way down on Pigeon Pond Island, / When daddy comes home from swilin', (Maggoty fish hung up in the air, / Fried in maggoty butter)!

1953 Nfld & Lab Pilot ii, 106 [At Hickmans harbour] Maggotty cove indents the southern shore of the arm... A large stream discharges into this cove.

1955 DOYLE (ed) 30 "I'se the B'y": I don't want your maggoty fish, / That's no good for winter.

Now, we invite u to RELiVE, REMEMBER and REFRESH iT and/or even REDEFiNE iT!

The main thing is to RELISH iT.

N.B. Any Word of the Week receiving more than 10 posts will trigger a prize from Rattling Books for our favourite.

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Rattling Books is a Canadian audiobook publisher based in Newfoundland and Labrador. REDEFiNE iT was inspired by producing the audio edition of Merrybegot by Mary Dalton (performed by Anita Best with Patrick Boyle on trumpet and flugelhorn) which celebrates Newfoundland speech and also gets joy from the Dictionary of Newfoundland English.

1 comment:

Dave Adey said...

Maggoty also has another meaning. It means many, as in the seals were maggoty this year; meaning that the seals were in great numbers. Being a Nflder, that is the meaning of the word as I had learned it.