General help with obscure english expressions, thread :)

[Kyriakos]

Well, I had to look up 'andirons' myself: according to Wikipedia, these are metal supports (aka 'fire-dogs'), used to provide an airspace under logs while they burn. The front ends may be quite ornately molded, like this set from Tiffany's.

I guess 'covert' may be in the sense of 'covert feathers', which cover (streamline, and insulate) the base of the flight-feathers on birds' wings; although it could also be in the sense of a camouflaged shelter used for e.g. reconnaissance, hunting, or bird-watching. So your idea that the (front base of the) andirons might have moldings shaped like asparagus(-spears?), isn't a bad one.

A remote possibility is that the "asparagus tops" (if spears) are poking out of a pot which is sitting on the hearth, in front of the fire, to boil them for dinner. Objections to that, are that cooking would be done in the kitchen, rather than the parlour (it's a big house, yes? It would surely have a separate kitchen), and that winter is anyway not at all the right season for eating asparagus (unless it had spent the last 6 months in a preserving-jar)!

So I think @Virote_Considon is right, that a pot of asparagus ferns (which develop in late summer/autumn, if you don't harvest the spears in June-ish) has been set on the hearth, in front of the andirons, purely as decoration. Having a room(s) in your house that you use only rarely (and fill with ornaments), is a sign of wealth after all, so the 'best parlour' (and its fireplace) might well not be in daily — or even weekly — use. And the narrator is just peeking round the door, he isn't being invited into that room by his host...

Probably is so. My issue is with:

a) asparagus-shaped ends (which "tops" could refer to) are a usual shape for quality fireplace objects like those mentioned, eg the tongs:

and also it would help explain why they glistened (due to the multi-faceted top of the object, reflecting far more light).

Still, i cannot include "covert" in that sense :/ So yes, it likely is what you and Virote said, about asparagus ferns being obstructing the view (but imo it is a strangely written sentence, unless such a sight would be quite common; can't know ).
In the end i suppose he wants to show that even mostly hindered by the asparagus leaves, those objects still shine considerably.

 

[Hrothbern]

Kyr,
Is this parlour in that farmhouse ?

 

[Kyriakos]

Kyr,
Is this parlour in that farmhouse ?

Yes. Apparently it is in some inner room, not as often used. The "farmhouse" is the entire residence of the rich farmer, though. There exists a seperate building, which serves as a barn.

 

[Hrothbern]

Ok
Traditional farmhouses had often een “opkamer”
Translated: up chamber
This opkamer was usually about 1 meter higher Floor with small stair to access.
Typically it was with brickstone walls, build upon a brickstone cellar. The rest of the farmhouse could be of brick or wood.
The cellar was often used as cool place for milk etc.

It was the best room of the building, also with less moisture from the soil (mostly peat) => dry
All the most expensive belongings were in that room.
Furniture, tapestry, China, official papers and correspondence, etc
It was in practice almost never used.
When you bought the house, or married, or with visits of a magistrate, or when you died.
In the area of Saenredam there was often also a special door from outside to that room, the socalled “dooddeur”, the dead door, the door through which you left the house when dead.

People lived in practice in the eat kitchen.

This room, the opkamer, was also called pronkkamer. Translated: Show chamber.
That tradition to have one chamber only used for special events was also in middle class houses.
Also in cities: houses build for anyone before WW2 had a room en suite. (Except ofc working class houses)
Over time de opkamers and pronkkamers were also used on Sundays, when people were wearing their clean Sunday dresses, and had visitors.

=> almost a holy room, with a strange atmosphere.

 

[Kyriakos]

Maybe, after a visit to Amsterdam, some black tulip could also be kept there

 

[Takhisis]

I really need to resume Dutch classes.

 

[Kyriakos]

Not to go on a limb here, but

Among these, the most formidable was a burly, roaring, roystering blade, of the name of Abraham, or, according to the Dutch abbreviation, Brom Van Brunt, the hero of the country round, which rang with his feats of strength and hardihood. He was broad-shouldered and double-jointed, with short curly black hair, and a bluff but not unpleasant countenance, having a mingled air of fun and arrogance. From his Herculean frame and great powers of limb he had received the nickname of BROM BONES, by which he was universally known.

Does "powers of limb" just mean bodily agility (ie that he was double-jointed)? I just hadn't come across such a use of "limb" before.

Also, another Dutch issue: Is "Yost Van Houten" (@Hrothbern ) the name of an actual architect? (mentioned as such).

 

[Dachs]

Does "powers of limb" just mean bodily agility (ie that he was double-jointed)? I just hadn't come across such a use of "limb" before.

It's vague enough that it could refer to either his brute strength or his agility - or both. "Powers" usually implies brute strength, but Brom's meant to be seen as good at doing pretty much anything physical.

 

[Takhisis]

Also, another Dutch issue: Is "Yost Van Houten" (@Hrothbern ) the name of an actual architect? (mentioned as such).

DDG searches for Yost van Houten take me to Sleepy Hollow pages.

 

[Kyriakos]

Thank you both
Would the nickname "Bones" refer to him being sturdy? (i mean, it is a bit strange, and currently i can only think of it alluding to that. A bone being the antithesis of something agile sort of makes the nickname not that fitting; though i suppose his gang would mostly focus on his strength rather than on his being 'double-jointed' ^_^).

 

[Virote_Considon]

Yeah, Bones would refer to a certain sturdiness or hardiness.

 

[Kyriakos]

Hm, does anyone know of some international name (not the latin taxonomy name; i found that easily) for the plant "supple-jack"? Eg maybe an (british) english or french name for the plant (assuming it exists there) might link to some greek term.
If i am not able to find any name for it in greek (not unlikely) i will just describe it in the text, and present info in a footnote

 

[Valka D'Ur]

According to Wikipedia, there are such plants in Asia, Australia, and some areas in the U.S. I assume the latter is what you're looking for.

I didn't find any other name for it, but the article mentions other information: Alabama supplejack

 

[tjs282]

Could you maybe just use the non-specific English term for the family (and similar plants), i.e. 'buckthorn'? According to GoogleTranslate, the Greek equivalent appears to be "κουτσούρνο (koutsoúrno)", but being an utter barbarian, I have no clue how appropriate that match might be...

(Nor do I have any idea how Latin binomials are written/used when writing primarily in Greek script. The taxonomic family appears to be "Rhamnaceae", if that helps)

 

[Kyriakos]

Could you maybe just use the non-specific English term for the family (and similar plants), i.e. 'buckthorn'? According to GoogleTranslate, the Greek equivalent appears to be "κουτσούρνο (koutsoúrno)", but being an utter barbarian, I have no clue how appropriate that match might be...

(Nor do I have any idea how Latin binomials are written/used when writing primarily in Greek script. The taxonomic family appears to be "Rhamnaceae", if that helps)

Pretty awesome While "κουτσούρνο" appears to be highly obscure (only found a few hits in greek...), I may indeed define the plant as being part of the family of buckhorn plants, which have a quite known greek name; "πεντάνευρα".

 

[Zkribbler]

ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA suggests rattan vine.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA suggests rattan vine.

Reasonable, as the Wikipedia article mentions one of the ways it's used is to make wicker stuff - presumably baskets, shelves, etc.

 

[Kyriakos]

A new one, after a while:

That night the baron dreamt of many a woe;
And all his warrior-guests, with shade and form
Of witch, and demon, and large coffin- worm,
Were long be- nightmared."

-does this just mean that the nightmare where his guests took those macabre forms was long?

 

[sophie]

long as in "for a long time"

 

[Kyriakos]

long as in "for a long time"

But as in one nightmare or a recurrent one?