Grizzly English Questions (English Questions Part 2)

[edison]

From a description of the Tower of London: "But it is, of course, most famous for its grizzly past as a prison and site of execution."

Am I right to assume that this "grizzly" is a misspelling of "grisly" here? I mean, I think I am, but the number of Google hits for "grizzly past" is disconcerting.

[Greg Nog]

It is exactly that misspelling, but I give it points for hilarity, as it conjures up images of Bear Beefeaters.

[edison]

Thanks for the confirmation! I initially found it hilarious too, but then I thought, "wait, what if I am a total ignorant, better ask LPTJ"

[DCDave]

[alex]

I'd laugh too, but my dissertation very nearly went to the printer with "fuss" (as in "making a fuss") spelt as "fuzz", so I'm in no position to point my finger. Luckily S. noticed the mistake a few days before the deadline.

[YojimboMonkey]

True story: I'm following a twitter account called @Grizzly_Details for Chicago Bears news and it was weeks before I got the pun

[coldforge]

Actually most houses prefer fuß these days.

[Good Intentions]

Why are they fussy over fuzzy feet?

[edison]

I need an English equivalent of the French phrase "casser la croûte" that could have believably been used by late nineteenth century workers. The phrase means "have a bite" (to eat), but that's probably too recent a phrase, I assume?

Suggestions welcome.

(Context: a late nineteenth century intellectual's description of the working man's day - he comes home from work late,  has to change clothes and "have a bite")

[alistarr*]

I'm trying to think back to things I've heard actually spoken - maybe something like "fill his belly" or "get something/some food inside him/his stomach" etc? The alternative might be to adopt the intellectual's tone and say something like "have a light supper".

Or just "eat", of course!

[edison]

Actually the French quote specifically mentions that he uses a phrase a worker would use, which is why I was looking for something different than "eat" or "have a light supper", which sounds inordinately bourgeois in the context!

il leur faut le temps de se changer et, suivant l'expression populaire, de casser une croûte

[alistarr*]

fills his boots? (which is actually about eating a lot, not a snack)

wets his whistle? (which is actually about drinking)

Sorry, neither of those are actually right.

[edison]

At least I get to learn a few phrases!

[Ashley]

nom

[coldforge]

It appears that 'have a bite' was indeed current in the 19th century, but only in the context of fishing.

[alistarr*]

Have a nibble? (not sure about this one either).

What does the literal translation look like? "Break the crust"? Maybe you could just use that, with some GI-friendly scare quotes if need be.

[Johnp]

"Break bread" would be the biblical equivalent, but something involving "vittles" (n.) would be apt. Not sure what the verb would be.

[edison]

Have a nibble? (not sure about this one either).

What does the literal translation look like? "Break the crust"? Maybe you could just use that, with some GI-friendly scare quotes if need be.

Yeah, break the crust. But if I'm going to give up on something adequate, I'd rather write "casser la croûte [have a bite]" than put in something that will not mean anything to the reader in scare quotes, I suppose?

I considered "nibble" but thought it was too recent; "break bread" indeed sounds too biblical; not sure how something with "vittles" would fit into the sentence.

At least I'm relieved that I didn't overlook an obvious solution to this, apparently! Thanks for the ideas, people.

[edison]

("Casser la croûte" dates back to 1871 but is still very much used today, btw)

[coldforge]

The simple 'snack' is attested in that period. The phrase 'take a snack' is particularly well-attested in the 19th century.

[edison]

That sounds great, thanks!

[coldforge]

Also morsel: to eat a morsel of dinner, or just to eat a morsel.

[YojimboMonkey]

googling "19th century slang" led me to this page which contains the phrase "putting on the nosebag" to describe eating quickly, possibly while continuing to work.

[edison]

The phrase should ideally be slangy but not too slangy - the writer speaking in my text, by using that colloquial phrase and pointing out that it's what working people say, is both showing off his knowledge of the working-class and making sure everyone knows he doesn't belong to it. I assume "casser la croûte" was an expression that was more or less used only in the lower classes in the nineteenth century; now everyone uses it, so it doesn't sound particularly jarring or weird to the modern reader.

[bethany_m]

I'd say 'have some grub', but that might imply a heavier meal.