Now I come to think of it, there's something in Borrow (Lavengro or The
Romany Rye) about a word that has power over horses. It's an Irish word,
there.
Best wishes
Matthew
-----Original Message-----
From: Robin Hamilton <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 30 June 2000 23:42
Subject: Re: Language, ah language is barry
>The title of a pamplet of poems by Edwin Morgan, and (in the rite of the
>Horseman) a recurring theme in George Mackay Brown's +Greenvoe+.
>
>I +think+ that it's used by both EM and GMB drawing on a secret word that
>farriers were taught when they were initiated into their craft ...
>
>Robin Hamilton
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Matthew Francis" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: 30 June 2000 19:34
>Subject: Re: Language, ah language is barry
>
>
>> I'll buy it - what is the Horseman's Word? Or do I have to wait a couple
>of
>> weeks?
>>
>> Best wishes,
>>
>>
>> Matthew
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Roddy Lumsden <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>> Date: 30 June 2000 14:19
>> Subject: Re: Language, ah language is barry
>>
>>
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >>Thanks for this, Roddy. Now what does 'barry' mean? The book is
>excellent,
>> >>but it could do with a glossary.
>> >
>> >
>> >Hi Matthew - yes, I think Trainspotting has been much maligned. It's a
>> good
>> >and singular book, though Irvine hasn't come close to bettering it (not
>> that
>> >he's bothered with all his 'poppy' and 'hireys' in the bank). I should
>> warn
>> >you that Irvine's Scots is very elastic - he made up quite a few of the
>> >slang words. Barry, though, means 'good' in a light way, like 'hunky
>dory'
>> >(what's the derivation of that one? - nothing in Partridge's Catch
>Phrases,
>> >one of my bibles). The opposite of barry is shan, meaning bad, with a
>hint
>> >of filth and / or the devil. Both, again, are cant words which have
>passed
>> >into the working class in mid / East Scotland.
>> >
>> >This leads me to the idea of an archetypal Scottish couple, Sian and
>Barry.
>> >For an extension of this, see Kathleen Jamie's 'Mr and Mrs Scotland are
>> >Dead' (in The Queen of Sheba) and Bill Herbert's 'The King and Queen of
>> >Dumfriesshire' (in Cabaret MacGonagall), two of the finest Scottish
>poems
>> to
>> >appear in recent years. I suppose the London equivalent would be Benny
>and
>> >Stella, due to Londoners' slavery to Benson and Hedges and Stella
>Artois,
>> as
>> >if other brands didn't exist.
>> >
>> >Sorry to lecture you Matthew, but now you've come out as a Scot, you
>have
>> to
>> >be filled in. In a week or two, you'll be ready to learn The Horseman's
>> >Word.
>> >
>> >Roddy
>> >
>> >
>>
>
>
>
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