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04 December 2006

This fascinates me. But it may not fascinate you. [More:]

From Jeffrey Kacirk's Forgotten English Calendar (2006):

[Friday, 10 November]

Martinmas Eve
Born about 315, Martin became a patron of beggars and one of the first universally popular saints. A common British expression, "All my eye and Betty Martin," meaning nonsense, owes its existence to St. Martin, according to Albert Haymson's Dictionary of English Phrases (1922). Hyamson explained that it was "supposed to be a corruption of [Latin] ah mihi, beate Martine--woe to me, Blessed Martin--the invocation of Italian beggars to their saint. It is said that a sailor wandered into an Italian church and, when asked by his companions what was transpiring therein, replied, 'All my eye and Betty martin.' In all probablility the phrase has some kinship with 'to have in one's eye,' to have in the mind, the suggestion being that not only is it in the mind but it will remain there and never materialize." The American slang expletive "My eye!" derives from the British original.

There--now I can finally turn the page.
What's today's calendar say?
posted by essexjan 04 December | 09:04
Wow that's cool. I love when languages gets all tangled like that.
posted by Doohickie 04 December | 09:43
I too am a lover of the corruption and reconstruction of language. I have a blog dedicated to nothing but inventing new words (well two right now but that's because I'm migrating to Wordpress).
posted by fenriq 04 December | 10:29
I celebrate the birth of Frisbee Girl, which I call Frismas.

Also, has anyone actually said "My eye!" in the past half a century?
posted by Eideteker 04 December | 10:55
I say "my eye" all the time. Also, I was born on November 10th. I'M IN UR CONSPIRACY CUTTIN' UP UR ALIENS!!~!
posted by eamondaly 04 December | 11:49
I was born on Nov 9th. We had a big Scorpio bday bash out here for about five of us.

essexjan, I'll post today's entry later. Right now I don't have time to type much.
posted by shane 04 December | 13:07
Fascinating stuff. Weirdly, Martinmas in Scotland has been moved to 28 November by Act of Parliament, to even out the term days and quarter days.
posted by jack_mo 04 December | 15:11
REALLY!?!?! THIS guy needs a prescription for his E.D.? || OK PEOPLE.

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