Tie the knot

The sweet chime of impending wedding bells inspired us to board our car—that is, embark upon a journey--in November and head for Lexington, Virginia, to witness the daughter of some friends “tie the knot”- that is get married.  We were familiar with the metaphorical slang phrase “tie the knot,” but imagine our surprise to find the bride and groom literally tied together as part of the wedding ceremony!

Before your imagination runs too far into visions of kinky rituals, let me assure you that the ceremony was very much G-rated.  As the groom is of Scottish descent, not only was the bag piper, who supplied the music for the ceremony, a nod to that heritage, but the knot-tying ceremony which preceded their formal vows, as well.

The officiant at the wedding explained to those gathered that the knot-tying ceremony developed out of necessity.  Centuries ago, many rural communities did not have a full-time minister, so one minister would have to serve many far-flung communities.  In today’s world, automobile travel makes this circumstance viable so that rural communities have ministers conveniently available.  However, in the days of travel by foot or by horse, rural communities would go for significant periods of time without having access to a minister.  Therefore, communities developed a ritual which allowed couples ready and willing to marry to bind their relationship publicly--literally and metaphorically--so that they could enjoy all aspects of married life until the minister returned to bless their marriage formally.

This ceremony involved a gathering of the townspeople and several ropes.  (Only in the 19^th century would those ropes become equated sarcastically with nooses, as in “tie the noose,” according to my Chambers Slang Dictionary.)  The couple would join hands and an officiant from the community would ask the couple questions about their commitment to each other.  As the couple answered each question, the officiant bound their hands together with a rope which was then knotted.  By the end of the questioning, the couple’s hands were firmly linked together.  The knot had been tied!

The officiant at the wedding we witnessed asked questions such as “Will you cause your spouse pain?” The gathered company chuckled when the groom answered, “I will,” but quickly amended his response to “I may.” He was experienced enough in love to know that he would not intentionally cause his wife grief. Because we are human, we do upon occasion cause pain to those we love.

After we returned home, I did some research into the knot tying ceremony.  The history of knot tying to celebrate weddings reaches much farther back in history and world culture than the explanation we heard.  Knot tying can also involve twining vines and even clothing to signify the bond of marriage.  As it turns out, this type of ceremony is currently so popular that many wedding sites are dedicated to it.

In addition, I pulled out my trusty Oxford English Dictionary.  Reading deep into the entry on “tie,” I finally found a meaning listed as figurative: “to join closely or firmly; to connect, attach, unite, knit, bind by material other than ties; esp. to unite in marriage,” with the first example from literature going back to the 11^th century.

As I tie up this blog, I wish that those of you who are “tied up,” that is married, are happily bound, not only in the ties of matrimony but bound (or headed) in a sweet direction.

LAGNIAPPE:  By the way, once the literal bonds were tied and the marital promises made and witnessed, the ropes were loosened.

Bed bugging hot shots

                In our recent travels, I have run across two familiar sayings that have taken on clearer meaning for me:  “sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite” and “hot shot.”  In touring historical sites in the South, we learned both Confederate and word history.

                People have been wished off to bed for centuries with the blessing, “sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite.”  I always took the “sleep tight” part to mean “sleep snuggly” or “sleep safely.”  However, the phrase “sleep tight” actually means something entirely different.  We toured the Stonewall Jackson house in Lexington, Virginia and, in the bedroom, saw the mattress resting on a rope weaving.  I have seen these precursors of box springs before, and I knew that people kept keys to tighten the ropes to keep the mattress firm.  I did not know that “sleep tight” refers to tightening the bed ropes in order to sleep on a firm mattress.

                “Don’t let the bed bugs bite” is quite literal.  Bed bugs can come from a variety of sources.  In the olden days when mattresses were stuffed with straw and such, bed bugs came from those materials.  In parts of the South, people used Spanish moss, which contained chiggers (nasty biting bugs), to stuff mattresses.  Occasionally, I like to have fun with this part of the saying by wishing, “Sleep tight, don’t bite the bed bugs!” Henry Ford also used Spanish moss to stuff the seats of his early automobiles.  In fact, the phrase  “you’re itchin’ for a Ford” came from the chiggers.  Spanish moss also made for a “bumpy” ride not attributable to ruts in the road but bugs in the seats.

                If I have bugged you sufficiently at this point, you may want to get out a can of Hot Shot.  If not, keep reading.  I always thought of “hot shot” as a slang term for someone who had considerable prestige or influence, or at least thought so.  In explaining the conflict at Fort Sumter, the docent informed us that the Confederate army fired many cannon shots over a long period of time at the fort, to little avail.  Cold cannon balls cannot do much damage on thick brick walls or even inside the fort.  Finally, the Confederates realized that if they heated the cannon balls and then fired them, they would do considerably more damage.  Heated cannon balls fell onto the store of gun powder and caused an explosion which burned up part of the living quarters.  From this perspective, a hot shot is someone who can make things happen.

                As our tour winds down, I look forward to sleeping on my own firm mattress which does not require a key and we only encounter bed bugs when one of us irritates the other!

A driving question

Recently, Richard and I have done some traveling.  We had the pleasure of watching the waning color of New York wave us into the vivid colors of New Jersey and parts south, foreshadowing, perhaps the holiday lights soon to come.  As I watched the color pageant parade past, I read the roadside signs and thought about--words!  With some words, the meaning is obvious, as in “thruway” or “highway.”  The New York State Thruway spans through the state to make travel more direct, as does a highway or expressway.

Turnpikes serve the same purpose, but what does the word “turnpike” mean?  Does it involve fish or pointed iron tools or weapons?  On the way south, we drove past the Mass Pike and drove on the New Jersey Turnpike.  On the way home, we drove past the Oregon Pike and on the Allentown Pike in Pennsylvania.  I figured that perhaps “turnpike” came from a different language, since various nationalities influenced the settling of the northeast, generally.  For example, in these parts “kill,” as in “Catskill,” comes from the Dutch influence and means “creek.”  Therefore, the word “catskill” does not reflect some vicious plot to eliminate cats from the area but simply means “cat creek.”

As it turns out, my hypothesis regarding a possible foreign origin of “turnpike” was wrong.  “Turnpike” comes from Middle English.  However, my associations of “pike” with a weapon or tool relate to the meaning of “turnpike” as a roadway.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines “turnpike” as “a spiked barrier fixed across a road or passage, as a defence against sudden attack, esp. of men on horseback,” with examples going back to the 15^th century.  In today’s world, similar turnpikes prevent theft of rental cars.  Technically, the turnpike that we drive on is a “turnpike road,” which the OED defines as “a road on which turnpikes are or were erected for the collection of tolls; hence, a main road or highway, formerly maintained by a toll levied on cattle and wheeled vehicles.”  (Can you imagine an E-Z Pass for cattle on cattle drives?)  The American Heritage Dictionary, 5^th edition supplies a more modern definition for “turnpike”:  “a toll road, especially an expressway with tollgates.”

Back in the day, the medieval Department of Transportation would erect iron bars, sometimes curved, across roadways for purposes of defense or to collect a road use fee.  (Perhaps strewing pike fish across the road would have been almost as effective although somewhat less practical.)  In today’s world, toll booths as opposed to turnpikes for the collection of fees are more practical, but they don’t make paying the fees any more palatable!  (Smells like fish!)

LAGNIAPPE 1:  The word “high” originally meant “main,” as in “main” road or way.

LAGNIAPPE 2:  Richard reminded me of George Carlin’s philosophical question, why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?  (Sounds “fishy” to me!)