The title of one of Jack's best short stories, The Gift of Gab, has always left me a bit puzzled. In the story there is no such character, so who, or what, is this "Gab"? Mind you, this was in the pre-internet/wiki days, when such information was difficult to find and full and unabridged dictionaries horribly expensive. The Dutch translation of the title was of no help : "de gave van de woorden." (the gift of words)
Now things are easier. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "gift of gab" as follows : "The ability to talk glibly and persuasively."
So far so good, but where does this "gab" come from? A bit of etymology-googling points to two possible origins :
Now things are easier. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "gift of gab" as follows : "The ability to talk glibly and persuasively."
So far so good, but where does this "gab" come from? A bit of etymology-googling points to two possible origins :
1. idle or trivial talk
gift of the gab ability to speak effortlessly, glibly, or
persuasively
[variant of Northern dialect gob mouth, probably from
Irish Gaelic gob beak, mouth]
or
gab (g
b) Slang
or
gab (g
b) Slang
intr.v. gabbed, gab·bing, gabs
To talk idly or incessantly, as about trivial
matters.
n.
Idle talk; chatter.
[Middle English gabben, to scoff, speak
foolishly, from Old Norse gabba, to scoff.]
I'm currently rogue-reading Norman Davies's monumental history of Europe (1365 pages of fine print). As most of his books, it almost reads like a novel, also because of the 300 "capsules" that "illustrate all the curiosities, whimsies, and inconsequential sidestreams which over-serious historians can often overlook." One of this capsules is titled "Blarney" and its content agrees with the first etymology, the Irish Gaelic origin. It's a delightful anecdote that exemplifies Norman Davies's humorous style :
BLARNEY
In 1602 Cormack McCarthy, Lord of Blarney in County Cork, repeatedly delayed the surrender of his castle to the English through an endless series of parleys, promises, queries, and time-wasting speeches. Despite the support of a Spanish landing force, the Irish lords had already been heavily defeated the previous year at nearby Kinsale; and it was only a matter of time before Mountjoy's English army would reduce the whole of Ireland to obedience. But McCarthy's act of defiance gave people a good laugh;and 'Blarney' passed into common parlance as a synonym for the miraculous 'power of speech' or 'the gift of the gab'.
Indeed, since the defeated Irish became famous for their musical and literary skills, Blarney castle became a symbol of Irishness and of Irish pride. Popularized by the song, 'The Groves of Blarney' (c. 1798) it became a place of pilgrimage. The castle's foundation-stone, which bears the inscription 'Cormac McCarthy fortis me fieri fecit AD 1446' was taken to possess magical powers;and the perilous ritual of 'kissing the Blarney Stone' under the overhanging battlements is said to reward the pilgrim with the gift of persuasiveness. The interesting thing, historically, is that the language in which the Irish became so proficient and persuasive was not their own.
As I told you above, this is a quote from Norman Davies's Europe, but it could as well have been, mutatis mutandis, an excerpt from Baron Bodissey's Life or taken from one of the many introductions to the Demon Prince chapters- the similarity in style and humour is striking! In particular, the last sentence reminds me of the last lines of the famous Battle of Rudyer Moor, when it turns out that the defeated finally profit more from their defeat than the winners from their victory.
I'm currently rogue-reading Norman Davies's monumental history of Europe (1365 pages of fine print). As most of his books, it almost reads like a novel, also because of the 300 "capsules" that "illustrate all the curiosities, whimsies, and inconsequential sidestreams which over-serious historians can often overlook." One of this capsules is titled "Blarney" and its content agrees with the first etymology, the Irish Gaelic origin. It's a delightful anecdote that exemplifies Norman Davies's humorous style :
BLARNEY
In 1602 Cormack McCarthy, Lord of Blarney in County Cork, repeatedly delayed the surrender of his castle to the English through an endless series of parleys, promises, queries, and time-wasting speeches. Despite the support of a Spanish landing force, the Irish lords had already been heavily defeated the previous year at nearby Kinsale; and it was only a matter of time before Mountjoy's English army would reduce the whole of Ireland to obedience. But McCarthy's act of defiance gave people a good laugh;and 'Blarney' passed into common parlance as a synonym for the miraculous 'power of speech' or 'the gift of the gab'.
Indeed, since the defeated Irish became famous for their musical and literary skills, Blarney castle became a symbol of Irishness and of Irish pride. Popularized by the song, 'The Groves of Blarney' (c. 1798) it became a place of pilgrimage. The castle's foundation-stone, which bears the inscription 'Cormac McCarthy fortis me fieri fecit AD 1446' was taken to possess magical powers;and the perilous ritual of 'kissing the Blarney Stone' under the overhanging battlements is said to reward the pilgrim with the gift of persuasiveness. The interesting thing, historically, is that the language in which the Irish became so proficient and persuasive was not their own.
As I told you above, this is a quote from Norman Davies's Europe, but it could as well have been, mutatis mutandis, an excerpt from Baron Bodissey's Life or taken from one of the many introductions to the Demon Prince chapters- the similarity in style and humour is striking! In particular, the last sentence reminds me of the last lines of the famous Battle of Rudyer Moor, when it turns out that the defeated finally profit more from their defeat than the winners from their victory.
