Re: National Limerick Day (12 May) -- (can't be arsed repeating it)

On 5/13/2024 2:45 AM, HenHanna wrote:
> 
>> On 5/12/2024 6:53 PM, Ross Clark wrote:
>>> Birthday of Edward Lear (1812-1888).
>>> A Book of Nonsense (1846) has 112 of them.
>>> But he didn't invent it, says Crystal, and cites:
>>>
>>> And let me the canakin clink, clink;
>>> And let me the canakin clink;
>>>    A soldier's a man
>>>    O, man's life's but a span;
>>> Why, then, let a soldier drink.                                 -- 
>>>                                (Shakespeare, Othello)
>>>
>>> Yah, OK, he didn't invent the metrical pattern or the rhyme scheme.
>>> But still -- The Limerick As We Know It?
>>>
>>> He also didn't name it. Name first attested 1896, several years after 
>>> Lear's death.
>>> Origin of name -- Crystal has a story, can't be arsed repeating it. 
>>> May check with OED.
>>>
> 
> 
> 
> 
>    what's the story?
> 
> 
> 
>                        i don't know that expression. ...
>                      [can't be arsed repeating it] -- is that NZ English?
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, "can't be arsed repeating it" is a common expression in New Zealand 
> English. It's a vulgar slang way of saying "I can't be bothered 
> repeating it" or "I'm too lazy to repeat it."
> 
> Here's a breakdown:
> 
> "Can't be arsed": This is a vulgar slang way of saying "can't be 
> bothered." "Arsed" is a vulgar term for "having to do with the buttocks."
> 
> Context: This expression is used informally among friends or 
> acquaintances. It wouldn't be appropriate in formal settings.
> 
> 
> 
> Here are some ニュージーランド英語 (New Zealand English) alternatives 
> with a similar meaning, but less vulgar:
> 
>            -- "Can't be bothered repeating it"
> 
>            -- "I already said that"
> 
>            -- "Look it up yourself" (informal)
> 
> While "can't be arsed" is understood in New Zealand, it's important to 
> be aware of the informal and potentially offensive nature of the term.




No, William Shakespeare did not invent the limerick.  The exact origin 
of the limerick is a bit hazy, but here's what we know:

Limerick Timeline:          The limerick form likely emerged in the 18th 
or early 19th century. Shakespeare lived from 1564 to 1616, making him 
much too early for the limerick's invention.