30 Aug
2005
30 Aug
'05
3:11 a.m.
Am 29 Aug 2005 14:06 meinte Paul Koning:
>>>> "Kevin" == Kevin Handy <kth at srv.net> writes:
>>> I didn't realize it was so disparaging. I meant more like gewgaw,
>>> knickknack, a nice toy that I don't need but is very nice. >> Don't forget bric-a-brac and whatnot.
>> How many words are there in the English
language to describe
>> quaint but useless crap and what does that say about our culture?
Kevin> Scrimshaw is probably a less generic term
(i.e. nautical
Kevin> knickknancks), but still covers a lot of ground.
Not even close. Scrimshaw very specifically means
engravings on
ivory, traditionally made by sailors on sailing ships in their spare
time. It doesn't mean knickknacks or anything like it; it refers to
a category of art.
Well, still I have it also read in a book to denote some
gimcrack. Maybe, as so often, it might be of dual use by
now. Like Kitsch did it the other way arround. Originaly
invented in th 1870s in Munich to describe worthless art
of simple sentimental expression, nowadays some people
use it as a positive term... well, a weired world it is.
Gruss
H.
--
VCF Europa 7.0 am 29/30.April und 01.Mai 2006 in Muenchen
http://www.vcfe.org/