Category Archives: s

salmagundi

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Swany

Online Etymology Dictionary: salmagundi — 1670s, from Fr. salmigondis, originally “seasoned salt meats” (cf. Fr. salmis “salted meats”), from M.Fr. salmigondin, coined by Rabelais, of uncertain origin, but probably related to salomene “hodgepodge of meats or fish cooked in wine,” … Continue reading →

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Vulgar Errors III.xiv: The Salamander

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Swany

Sir Thomas Browne: “THAT a Salamander is able to live in flames, to endure and put out fire, is an assertion, not only of great antiquity, but confirmed by frequent, and not contemptible testimony.”

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Of messes in pots

Posted on June 18, 2011 by Swany

World Wide Words: “Pepys doesn’t record salmagundi because the name is first recorded shortly after he stopped writing his diary for fear of his eyesight failing. It has been known by many names, including salladmagundy and Solomon Gundy (it can … Continue reading →

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salamander

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Swany

Online Etymology Dictionary: “salamander: mid-14c., ‘a legendary lizard-like creature that can live in fire,’ from O.Fr. salamandre (12c.), from L. salamandra, from Gk. salamandra, probably of eastern origin. The application to an actual amphibian is first recorded 1610s. Aristotle, and … Continue reading →

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Rabelais and Geographical Discovery. II. Jacques Cartier

Posted on October 16, 2010 by Swany

JSTOR: The Modern Language Review, Vol. 3, No. 3 (April 1908), pp. 209-217: “In the summer or early autumn of 1545 Rabelais returned to the project which he had announced thirteen years before of conducting Pantagruel on a long sea-voyage. … Continue reading →

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Medieval Bestiary : Salamander

Posted on December 17, 2006 by Swany

Medieval Bestiary : Salamander: “The salmander is a cold animal. It can live unharmed in a fire, and its coldness will extinguish the hottest flames. If it enters hot water, the water will become cold. From the salamander comes a … Continue reading →

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