Happy Happy Berfday Berfday

[the_gneech]

Happy birthday to nekomimikun and happy belated birthday to dilletante!

For your present, here's today's Forgotten English!

squantum
The name of a species of fun known to the Nantucket folks, which is thus described by the New York Mirror: "A party of ladies and gentlement go to one of the famous watering-places of resort, where they fish, dig clams, talk, laugh, sign, dance, play, bathe, sail, eat and have a general good time. ... Care is thrown to the wind, politics discarded, war ignored, pride humbled, stations levelled, wealth scorned, virtue exalted, and this is squantum."

--James Bartlett's Dictionary of Americanisms, 1877

Feast of Squantum
Held annually on the shore to the east of Neponset Bridge at a rocky point projecting into Boston Bay, about five miles from the city. ... Squantum was the name of the last Indian female who resided there, and when the feast is held with the ancient ceremonies a person comes forth dressed as Squantum herself and harangues people in the manner of the Indians. It is a feast of shells, and the refreshments are lobsters, clams, oysters, quahogs, and every fish that is covered with a shell together with the fish soup called chowder. It is common to eat these only with clam shells.

--Robert Thornton's An American Glossary, 1912

I dunno, sounds like they were making a bunch of idiots of themselves, to me ... but who can say?

-The Gneech

Comments

[susandeer.livejournal.com]

Were they crazy? Was THAT their problem?

Sounds like a fun time to me. @:)

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

If there's a breakdown of some kind, do they need the services of a squantum mechanic?

[laurie-robey.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a fun time except for the part about someone dressing up like Squantum and "haranguing" everybody!

[daemionfox.livejournal.com]

It's Chow-dah! Chow-Dah! (Happily hiding up in Plymouth, MA)

[kinkyturtle.livejournal.com]

Shau-dair...

[stilghar.livejournal.com]

"Care is thrown to the wind, politics discarded, war ignored, pride humbled, stations levelled, wealth scorned, virtue exalted, and this is squantum."

Sounds like a helluva party to me. ;)

[frustratedpilot]

Must be how the term Chowderhead came about.