Re: CHAT: cross-culturationd

Over here in the UK, pork refers to Pig meat generally, though Ham is more
or less equivalent to cold pig meat. Presumably ham (cf. jambe, gamba = leg)
must have referred to that part of the animal. My parents used to talk about
"gams" meaning "attractive pair of female legs" and I believe "hams" can
still be used to mean "thighs", especially those of a stocky variety.
Mike
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Starner" <starner@...>
To: <CONLANG@...>
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2001 4:07 PM
Subject: Re: CHAT: cross-culturationd


> On Mon, Dec 03, 2001 at 09:14:33AM -0500, John Cowan wrote:
> > Certainly.  The English language, at least, admits no ham
> > (as a food item) that is not pork.  ("Ham" is also a
> > synonym for "buttock", in which case it can be human.)
>
> Interesting. My online copy of the 1913 Webster's Dictionary has two
> definitions - "The region back of the knee joint", and "the thigh of any
> animal; especially the thigh of a hog cured by salted and smoking."
> Apparently, though this lacks context, ham may have became specifically
> pork in the last century.
>
> --
> David Starner - starner@okstate.edu, ICQ #61271672
> Pointless website: http://dvdeug.dhis.org
> Modern art is what happens when painters stop looking at girls and
> persuade themselves that they have a better idea. -- John Ciardi

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