Posted on by Buttons

For Your Weekend

A bit of research and explication of an abbreviation and several words (source, meaning, background, etc.):

  1. A.D.P.
  2. peltries
  3. snow-clad lawn
  4. breaker

3 Replies to “For Your Weekend”

  1. 1. “Now then, we are ready for a further look at some pipes of the Canon. Fox example, when our fearless Doctor says, “There was . . . an A.D.P. briar-root pipe, a pouch of sealskin with half an ounce of long-cut Cavendish,” (SILV) we immediately think of the common (but beautiful) briarwood pipes. We can instantly conjecture that ADP stands for a maker, likely in London, but one which we cannot specify although it must have been a somewhat common name in turn-of-the-century London. Leslie Klinger puts forth the supposition of London’s A. Posener & Son who marketed their pipes under the name of “A.D. Pierson.” At once, we also think of the fire or flue-cured Virginia tobacco that creates Cavendish; and the popular ribbon cut strips. As pouches of several varieties were often used to carry tobacco, I offer a photo of a seal skin pouch below.” I found this paragraph at http://www.jadedcompass.com/ocular_helmsman/tobaccana/pipes.html. I think that covers everything, no?
    2. “The travel-stained adventurers gazed after her in astonishment, and even the unemotional Indians, journeying in with their peltries, relaxed their accustomed stoicism…”(STUD) ‘Pelties’ is the plural form of peltry, coming from Old French peleterie, the trade of a skinner or peltmonger, and meaning pelts or skins, collectively.
    3. “A double carriage-sweep, with a snow-clad lawn, stretched down in front to two large iron gates which closed the entrance.”(BERY) A snow-clad lawn is a lawn that has snow on it. Really, that’s all it is.
    4. “”You are sure it was not a house-breaker’s jimmy?” “Oh, no, it was a knife. I saw the flash of the blade quite distinctly.””(NAVA) As for what a house-breaker’s jimmy is, I have absolutely no idea, and the internet proves unhelpful. If I had to guess, I’d say something like a crowbar.

  2. There are other “breakers” in the Canon, although the definition are all related, inasmuch as some that was whole is broken and is no longer so. My listing is:

    “We had to burn their breaker last year before they became reasonable.” VALL (Breaker: a machine for crushing coal)

    “You are sure it was not a housebreaker’s jemmy?” NAVA as quoted above. (Housebreaker: one who breaks into a house as opposed to just walking in easily)

    “In that case our friend the image-breaker has begun operations in another quarter of London.” SIXN (Image-breaker: one who destroys an image, or in this case a statue)

    “Then comes the sudden swirl round of the wind, the blustering gale from the south-west, the dragging anchor, the lee shore, and the last battle in the creaming breakers.” DEVI (A large wave with a crest on top that breaks into smaller waves as it comes into shore)

    Other than the coal machinery, where the use of the word “breaker” is clearly descriptive despite its unfamiliarity, all of the Canonical appearances use the word in its normal sense.

Comments are closed.