Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Another 17th-Century Thing

Hey! Remember when I told you about a phrase my grandfather used that came down to us from the 17th century, maybe? Well! I was reading this BARTHOLOMEW FAIR play by Ben Jonson and a character refers to a "catamountain," meaning (according to the glossary) a "leopard or panther." My grandfather used to say "cattymount," meaning some sort of wild animal that my young imagination pictured as a cougar, though I think he was probably talking about a bobcat (pictured). All right, my grandfather said a lot of 17th-century stuff, or at least two 17th-century things, that's all I have for you, goodbye.