Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site dciem.UUCP Path: utzoo!dciem!mmt From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) Newsgroups: net.jokes.d,net.nlang Subject: Re: Origin of that strongest of words Message-ID: <1160@dciem.UUCP> Date: Tue, 23-Oct-84 15:48:31 EDT Article-I.D.: dciem.1160 Posted: Tue Oct 23 15:48:31 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 23-Oct-84 16:18:41 EDT References: <17@mot.UUCP> Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada Lines: 26 =============== It's possible origin as a corruption of the English "firk" is not to be discounted. This was a very common word in the 11th to 17th centuries. Meanings of "firk" include "to press hard", "to move sharply", "to stroke", "to stir up", "to move about briskly". the OED gives "Your soberest jades are firkers in corners"--Gayton, 1634. Partridges "Slang Today and Yesterday" gives "given to caressing women" for "firking". The loss of the "r" is analogous to the loss of the "r" in "arse". alan filipski =============== There is a Cheshire dialect word "to firkle" (spelling guessed), which seems to relate to this. It seems to mean search by stirring around, or search erratically. The context I heard it was on a record by "Blaster Bates", an explosives expert, who was asked to find unexploded dynamite in a coal pile. He objected to firkling around in the coal for it. Perhaps, in context of this "debate", my contribution is somewhat parectbatical. -- Martin Taylor {allegra,linus,ihnp4,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt {uw-beaver,qucis,watmath}!utcsrgv!dciem!mmt