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Toasting, a noble art, deserves the attention of all those (etymologists included) who drink for joy, rather than for getting drunk. The origin of the verb to toast “parch,” which has been with us since the end of the 14th century, poses no problems. Old French had toster “roast, grill,” and Italian tostare seems to be an unaltered continuation of the Romance protoform. Tost- is the root of the past participle of Latin torrere (the second conjugation) “parch.” English has the same root in torrid and less obviously in torrent, from torrens “scorching, said of streams; roaring, rushing”). A cognate of the root tor- can be seen in Engl. thirst, a most appropriate word in the present context. Kemp Malone (1889-1971), an eminent American scholar, equally proficient in modern linguistics and medieval literature, once reclassified the senses of the verb toast “parch,” as given in the Oxford English Dictionary, and came to the following conclusion:
“…throughout, the verb means the same thing: ‘to heat thoroughly’. This has always been the basic meaning of the word, but in modern times the process of toasting has come to be restricted to a beneficial application of heat. The source of this heat in early times was either the sun or an open fire, but later uses of the word indicate that toasting may be effected by any source of heat found suitable for the purpose, as an electric current or blasts of hot air.”
This is probably true, but it tells us nothing about toasting occurring at banquets, and yet, from an etymological point of view, it must be the same word.
As usual, popular books and the Internet give lots of anecdotal information about the origin of toast “drinking a guest’s health,” without disclosing their sources, but etymologies unsupported by exact references should never be trusted, for authors tend to copy from one another and thus produce an illusion of consensus and solid knowledge, where a critic easily discerns a Ponzi scheme in historical linguistics. One thing seems to be certain, however: from early on, people put a piece of charred bread at the bottom of a wine glass. Whether this ingredient added flavor, removed flavor, or disguised the presence of poison in the container is less clear. I will quote part of a statement by a professor of chemistry, as given in the periodical Comments on Etymology (January 19, 1990):
“My understanding of the origin of toast is that the French had a custom of floating spiced bits of toast on various drinks (including coffee and tea) on festive occasions. It is certainly possible that some spoiled wines were served this way, so that the spoilage could be hidden by the spices, and also so that the toast could absorb some of the odors…. While charcoal and probably toast can remove ethyl acetate, this is a short-term solution because they are not very effective at removing acetic acid. The primary use of charcoal in the wine industry is the removal of unwanted color and some off-odors.”
It is thus safer to forget for the time being the antiquity and the Middle Ages and start with the 18th century. The main revision of Samuel Johnson’s famous 1755 dictionary was made by H. J. Todd, who expanded Johnson’s etymologies and added a good deal of new material to the great work. He pointed to the now well-known passage from Tatler (June 4, 1709). It has been repr
0 Comments on A drinking bout in several parts (Part 5: Toast) as of 1/1/1900
For some on the scene reporting about this Caldecott and Newbery announcements this week, please dial your computer to Fuse #8's report and Educating Alice. Mother Reader has a nice roundup of links including David Lubar's reflection and vent space for authors whose phones did NOT ring Monday a.m.
All of them Fuse and MR commented on Today Show's Ann-I'm-a-professional-newsreader-Curry's rapid fire monologuistic "interview" with Selznick and Schlitz. Now I am sure Selznick and Schlitz did not have high expectations for their 180 seconds on camera but "Good Gad, Peabody!" Someone get that woman on decaf.
Even the camera man had trouble following Curry's staccato tear through her script, missing a head shot of Laura and barely getting focused on Brian before giving up altogether and retreating for a group shot. I don't expect in depth knowledge from these interviewers. I realize they are supposed to ask the questions of the "great uninformed" but Curry's shock and awe that the winner of the Caldecott Medal had created a book filled with ... illustrations...well that was just too funny.
"Curry: I have to say that I found them [thebooks] surprising in many ways. [to Brian Selznick] "Your book is filled with illustrations that you did yourself... I mean, these images we're seeing, you did these!"
Poor Brian and Laura could barely interject a single syllable. Not only did Curry, professional newsreader and journalist, repeatedly bungle Laura "Ann" Amy Schlitz's name, oblivious to Selznick's gallant attempt to correct her, but she tags Schlitz as a "school teacher" when she is actually the librarian at her school. Now I am a teacher. My teaching certificate says so but if asked to designate my profession, I am a librarian.
The funniest moment was when Curry mangled Schlitz's name for the umpteenth time and mistook Laura's eye roll for embarrassment over the precious photo in the newspaper. Maybe it really was the picture that caused Laura's action but that is not why I was rolling MY eyes. If I had been Laura I would have been thinking, "how much does this woman make to do this?"
I'm thinking, probably more, alas, than a Newbery author.
As Curry tried to get it all done in three minutes, her words accelerated to the point that I thought her head was going to snap off and go shooting through the roof of the studio. She reminded me of the windup artillery my brothers aimed at me when we were kids which has now morphed into the Flying Alarm Clock.
As she brought the segment to an end, she braked hard on her delivery to gush, "Well, there you go...congratulations..."
I agree with Fuse, next time, give it to Al Roker.
0 Comments on Head Spinning Ann Curry as of 1/1/1900
A school day has pre-empted a local book group from discussing HEAD CASE, so here I am. I can post! I have time!
Let's start with a little BSP!!
I am so thrilled that HEAD CASE was listed as a 2008 QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT READERS. I am so proud! This list means a lot to me, because as many of you know, I was a reluctant reader.
(Room 26 Cabinet of Curiosities features new acquisitions, unique documents, and visual and textual curiosities from the collections of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University)
I had mentioned to my friend Jacky back in July that I had no idea what I was going to do for my school visits. Other writers I know play instruments and sing to their young audiences. I play a mean grits box, but that's about where my musical talent ends. Jacky, however, didn't hesitate and said, "PUPPETS!"
Now Jacky and I have worked on some big projects over the years. When I was the community relations director of the elementary school in which Jacky taught art, we installed gigantic murals in the gym that told the history of the school district. We also coordinated a huge art show each year with our four schools and four more private schools. Jacky and I had to "invent" the display boards we used each year because we didn't have money for real display boards.
So when Jacky said PUPPETS! she probably didn't realize that something so small could be so hard to do. First I explored buying the puppets. I searched every online catalog and retail store in sight. Either the puppets were the wrong size, had the wrong hair, were mouth puppets (much harder to do than hand puppets) or were not in enough different skin tones, plus none of them had the right clothes on! I realized even if I purchased puppets, I would be making clothes for them to resemble the attire in the book.
Next I embarked on a journey to find a good puppet pattern and searched the Internet. I found several, but none of them had the size or detail I wanted for my characters. I tried making my own with miserable results. My husband said the first one looked like a voodoo doll. Boo hoo. (He was right, actually.)
The quest became immensely easier when I discovered Kwik Sew pattern 3322 (available online or at Hancock Fabrics--not JoAnne). I have spent the last six weeks transforming the characters from my picture book to hand puppets and having a lot of fun. I still have to get or make a puppet theater but that should be a piece of cake compared to making ten puppets! I have two puppets left to make but I should be able to finish next week.
Drum roll please. . .Presenting Shante' Keys and Friends!
This was an incredible experience. My appreciation of Marion's detail and personality bestowed upon the characters grew. Now I can only hope (and practice like crazy) to be a worthy puppeteer. Shante' and the gang deserve only the best!
Subterranean Press is publishing a special edition of Neil Gaiman's Coraline. They have asked puppeteer Mary Robinette Kowal to build three Coraline dolls, one of them to go to someone who preorders the book.
Kowal is writing about the process of designing the dolls. I find this utterly fascinating. I love paper models and I was one of those "insert tab A into slot a" sort of people and I still will buy paper models to put together even though I never seem to get around to it anymore.
I think puppets are one of the most powerful forces in the universe. My own introduction to the world of puppetry came from a fellow school librarian and I owe her a world of thanks every time Dragon and I sit down with children. (There are times when I wish that the snide, obnoxious creature had never shown up but kids seem to appreciate his anarchy even when I do not.)
I have seen the busiest children sit perfectly still and follow directions to the letter in order to experience the joy of a puppet on their hand. One of the most moving school stories I've ever heard was of a distraught child in the principal's office would only talk to the small simple Styrofoam ball and handkerchief puppet creation that was a fellow librarian's side kick for years.
I did a series of puppetry lessons with my students every year once I discovered their power. Dover has a terrific book, Making Puppets Come Alive: How to Learn and Teach Hand Puppetry by Larry Engler and Carol Fijan which is an excellent resource for teaching ideas and has a pattern for a simple, faceless hand puppet which I used. You will need a class set.
Puppets engage imaginations and emotions in deep and important ways. We bemoan the effects of media on young people today, well, I say, hand out the puppets and watch the magic happen.
Camille, my son's 2nd-grade class had a student teacher who was also a puppeteer. The children had a ball and learned to make shadow puppets and put on fairy-tale adaptations with them. Everyone in the class had a voice during the shows, too. It was a wonderful experience.
One of the most beautiful theater pieces I ever saw was Ping Chong's adaptations of stories by Lafcadio Hearn. I was so skeptical going in, but came out of the show as a total puppetry convert. Exquisite art.
Camille said, on 8/21/2007 11:13:00 AM
Houston Grand Opera did Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel with an amazing blend of puppetry and singers last December. We were wow-ed.
Puppetry in the classroom can do so much for accomplishing curriculum goals. People just have to start small and their ideas and skills will expand. I still consider myself a rank amateur but I love it.
Sara said, on 8/21/2007 5:38:00 PM
Hi, Camille. Glad you found the Post story...it was very cool, and I hadn't seen it written up anywhere else.
One of the best presentations I ever saw at a writers conference was given by David Wisniewski, who wrote fabulous picture books like The Secret Life of Grownups and who started his career as a puppeteer. I believe he did mostly shadow and rod puppets. He recently passed away, but his bio is here: http://www.davidwisniewski.com/bio.html
Amy said, on 8/21/2007 6:23:00 PM
I use puppets pretty often with my kiddos and they love it! It's so fun to see the way they react. Some are skeptical of how the puppet works 9talks, moves, etc.), others are very believing and want to talk to the puppet endlessly. I usually have a hard time putting the puppet away!
Alkelda the Gleeful said, on 8/21/2007 10:28:00 PM
Thanks for posting this article! I used to bring out my Folkmanis monkey hand-puppet to be a friendly presence to children during library storytimes. Chester accepted hugs, handshakes or hand-waves, and the bravest people let him nibble their fingers. Chester did get huffy a few times when adults said, "Ohh, look at the toy!" He was a puppet, not a toy.:)
Ididn't know David Wisniewski died recently. It makes me sad. I'm still not used to the fact that Lloyd Alexander is dead.
John L said, on 8/22/2007 10:47:00 AM
As a former puppeteer, I totally agree -- puppets are such a powerful tool for storytelling as well as teaching. Speaking of artists no longer with us, I’m still not used to the fact that Jim Henson is gone, seventeen years later. The Muppets are still around, but it’s not quite the same.
Camille said, on 8/22/2007 2:14:00 PM
My icons have long been Jim Henson and Shari Lewis. Their passing was a real blow. Even though he does not talk, I feel Dragon owes much of his attitude and cheek to Lambchop.
I remember discovering David Wisniewski's Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups just before he died in 2002. It was like loosing someone I knew would be a good friend (through their work) before I had a chance to get to know them.
Sara, you are so lucky to have seen him in person.
Camille said, on 8/22/2007 11:35:00 PM
I just loved Jim Henson and Shari Lewis. Their passing was a real blow. Even though he does not talk, I feel Dragon owes much of his attitude and cheek to Lambchop.
I remember discovering David Wisniewski's Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups just before he died in 2002. It was like losing someone I knew would be a good friend (through their work) before I had a chance to get to know them.
Sara, you are so lucky to have seen him in person.
Thanks for sharing this with those of us that don't read the Washington Post (me). I thrilled to see imagination and creativity being spread like a floodlight across the globe to the darkest corners and to the children living there.
I had a Howdy Doody puppet. Every other imaganitive toy I had was a stuffed animal (I know a great tragedy). Nice post!
There is something magical about the relationship of kids and puppets. Bring out the puppets and every kid in a class will be on task. Just watch a child with a puppet on their hand sometime. You will see that they have entered a new world of imagination and wonder.
You have to have ground rules (puppets don't fight and puppets don't bite) otherwise you will lose control. And, alas, there was always one kid who will not follow directions and I would take their puppet and tell them to follow along with their hand. After a minute or two, I would ask them if they thought they could remember their puppet manners and would ALWAYS receive and emphatic, "Yes!" I never could bring myself to deny them the fun of playing for the whole class period. In the meantime, any other students pondering a breach of puppet etiquette had hastily reconsidered. It is just too much fun to have a puppet on your hand.
Much of what I know about working with puppets and kids, I learned from a librarian in our district. You also learn a lot from the kids themselves. There is no more satisfying feeling than hearing 22 voices cheer when they come into a library and see the puppet stage out and the puppets laid out for them.
Thanks to Nat Pacheco, via Puppeteers Unite for this bit of Muppet history. This is why we loved Jim Henson!
0 Comments on Puppets and Muppet History as of 6/14/2007 8:39:00 AM
These window displays (in Toronto's comic book store The Silver Snail) are recreations of the battle for Helm’s Deep from the Lord of The Rings, using Muppet Show action figures.
Little Grandson (LG)is out of school for a week or so before beginning the free summer school provided by the state for pre-kindergarteners next week, so we had the opportunity to have him for the day while his mom was at class.
This morning I golfed, but he had fun helping Papa wash the car, or more likely spraying him... and after LG helped me make lunch we had a variety of 'projects' to complete. Started by making puppets out of paint stirrers and plastic bags...which of course generated several puppet shows. AND we even wrote a script...he wrote his lines (definitely does not need pre-k, but he likes school) and I wrote mine.(Maybe he'll be a writer someday, too!) Then we put together the kite he got for his fifth birthday a couple of weeks ago, took it to the field down the road and flew it, and then went 'exploring' in the woods at the other side of the field. When we got home, he read me a story and then I read to him...a very good day. We get him again on Thursday, too.
I continue to work on marketing...thanks, Kate, for your suggestions. Also am working on a 'Meet the Author' kit for schools, and on editing the press release my publisher sent me. Found a site yesterday that has all the newspapers in the country listed, so I'll have plenty to choose from when mailing the release out...http://www.50states.com/news/ . Now all I have to do is to sit down and DO all this stuff...
Read the rest of this post
A little while ago, I blogged about a fantastic stop-motion animation called Madame Tutli-Putli that is coming out soon. Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski are the sculptors and animators who created this magical world and Jason Walker did the wonderful work of bringing so much soul to the puppets. Jason sent me a link to his site where you can learn more about this amazing process: Jason Walker and here is a link to the trailer if you have not already seen it: Madame Tutli-Putli
Laurie Maher is the actress behind Madame Tutli-Putli. She has a website but I think it is pretty new and not quite up and running yet: Laurie Maher
9 Comments on Update on Madame Tutli-Putli
A little while ago..., last added: 6/8/2007
Gosh I didn't know anything about Jason. The things I read and listening to the interview...sounded like it was ALL just the TWO of them...
Well ! I will certainly go see JASON and I owe him an apology ! wow....
Holly Stinnett said, on 5/15/2007 3:46:00 PM
I am so excited about this 'little' film. Living in Los Angeles, and working for an animation company, and having several friends who produce animation.... well... nothing I've ever seen before compares to this masterpiece! And I have only seen a few seconds of it. I apsolutely cannot wait to see it in its entirety. Hat's off to the amazing creators and thanks so much for sharing.
ValGalArt said, on 5/15/2007 9:53:00 PM
amazing and wonderful! These guys have amazing dedication and passion and it's so great to see!
cally said, on 5/16/2007 4:09:00 PM
amazing, everything about it, the detail, the camera angles, they way her eyes flutter watching the moth. thanks for sharing.
mike r baker said, on 5/16/2007 8:37:00 PM
Thanks for the head's up, Sweet Pea. :) I've seen this featured on Drawn! and Cartoon Brew as well. It's just beautiful. I want to see it so much.
Okay, now I have something for you. I got tagged, I did the assignment, and now I'm tagging YOU. Sorry. I guess this is going all over IF. I'm not sure if the rules changed as the "tag" was passed around but the rules I got are you need to post 7 things (presumably about yourself) and then tag 7 other people. Sorry. Good luck. Sorry.
les said, on 5/16/2007 11:04:00 PM
Along with Jason, there was another person as well who is rarely mentioned but should be considered one of the four core members of the film, and not just for the obvious reason: the actor behind Madame Tutli Putli's eyes.
Jean-Claude said, on 5/21/2007 4:53:00 PM
Amazing!
Jean-Claude said, on 5/21/2007 5:59:00 PM
U-A-U!!! It's only i can say abut this animation... And I Have only seen a few seconds too...
susanna said, on 6/6/2007 6:31:00 AM
Hey there, guess what?! This film just won two awards at Cannes! It won the Canal + Award for Best Short Film and Petit Rail D'Or for Best Short Film. Cool huh?!
"Once Bil & Cora Baird had ruled the theatrical environs on TV (Bil & Cora Baird Show and Peter & the Wolf) , in theater (Flahooley, Baker Street) and on film (Sound of Music). Yet when the very successful scene in the film, Lili, where Leslie Caron talks to Bil Baird’s marionette, moved to Broadway as the musical, Carnival, it was Jim Henson who built the puppets for the show. A sea change had happened. The marionette had become a hand puppet."
I had never heard of this till your post. . .it's look just marvelous! She is sooo beautiful!
Thanks for sharing!
Gerry said, on 5/5/2007 11:35:00 AM
I found your blog from Art Tea Life. I would love to see this film.
One Crabapple said, on 5/5/2007 2:41:00 PM
Oh I hear you ! I have had nothing else on my mind but making claymation dolls and doing stop animation too since I saw this. I WISH YOU LIVED CLOSER !!!!!
Ps. The dark room / 2 year thing...that kinda swayed me tooo.....REALLY ? wow. Sorta explains their manic demeanor in the "how it was made" clip huh ((((laughing)))) They looked tired and kept talking at the same time. But that long with Miss Tutli ... wow. I guess you would look a bit dishevelled , heh ? (did I spell that right ?)
xo- dream on with me tho , K ? More fun that way. Love, S.
PG said, on 5/6/2007 2:31:00 AM
Oh my God, this looks perfect, never heard of it over here, will keep my eyes peeled to see if it gets UK release.
Abigail said, on 5/8/2007 6:04:00 PM
Wow! Fingers crossed this comes stateside, looks marvelous.
Ellen said, on 5/10/2007 8:40:00 PM
OMG! I didn't even know about this! Now I CAN'T WAIT!
Marjorie said, on 5/11/2007 4:47:00 AM
Oh!! I had not heard anything about this film, and now that I've seen the trailer and browsed the site I am just oooozing with excitement for it!! Thank You so much for sharing such a gem! Also, I just found your gem of a site ( thanks for your comment on my blog!) I'm bookmarking you! : ) SO LOVELY! ♥ ♥
Jason said, on 5/14/2007 8:11:00 AM
MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI Find more on the website of Jason Walker Special visual effects creator. www.jasonpwalker.com www.madametutliputli.com
KarMa said, on 5/15/2007 6:16:00 AM
WOW! and WOW I can't stopping thinking how beautiful it is! Is wonderful!
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hola muy bueno tu blog te mando un fuerte pero fuerte. abrazo chauuu