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Do you ever read anything and wonder what in the world it is? Most of the time, I can figure out what a term that is now long dead means because I've read a great deal over the years. However, I have always wondered about a term used in "Rainbow Valley" by Faith when she is convincing Norman Douglas to return to the church. She tells him, "...You are an old vampire and I hope you'll have the Scotch fiddle!"
That is a saying that she heard from Susan that she herself didn't understand. I've been curious and googled it. All I can find is that it is "the itch." That seems bad enough to wish on someone and explains a lot from that passage.
Are there any terms in books that you've wondered about? If so, please feel free to share them.
That is a saying that she heard from Susan that she herself didn't understand. I've been curious and googled it. All I can find is that it is "the itch." That seems bad enough to wish on someone and explains a lot from that passage.
Are there any terms in books that you've wondered about? If so, please feel free to share them.
LOL! That reminds me of Anne not liking diamonds because they aren't purple.
Haha I am reading that and googled it for the very same reason.
According to this site (at the end of the article), "the Scotch fiddle" was scabies. O.O
http://scottishfiddlemusic.com/tag/scotch-fiddle/
I stumbled on this site for the same reason, the yelling at Norman Douglas! I read somewhere that it meant crabs
I think it is scurvy (vitamin c deficiency). That would explain why Norman said he'd had it as a boy, and LM Montgomery would not likely reference crabs (though at first I thought so too!)
One of the first symptoms of scurvy is a rash. It seems it was named that because it used to be that servants in Scotland ate nothing but oatmeal porridge, which was inexpensive, but not nutritionally balanced.
I think it is scurvy (vitamin c deficiency). That would explain why Norman said he'd had it as a boy, and LM Montgomery would not likely reference crabs (though at first I thought so too!)
One of the first symptoms of scurvy is a rash. It seems it was named that because it used to be that servants in Scotland ate nothing but oatmeal porridge, which was inexpensive, but not nutritionally balanced.
The scotch fiddle is having the itch due to crabs.
Clearly, Scotch Fiddle, in the context of Rainbow Valley, is an itching rash of some kind. The author is unlikely to have had a sexually transmitted disease in mind when she used the expression. Most likely thinking of scabies which is caused by a burrowing mite, or perhaps the more common problem of lice.
Crabs aren't just sexually transmitted ;) what Norman most likely had, was an itching rash, thanks to scabies. Scurvy is incredibly unlikely, especially in a shipping harbour, where all the sailors would have by this time understood the need for lemons.
Oh my goodness!! I also came upon this post because of the same reason. I am reading Rainbow Valley and came upon the line and googled it. How alike we humans are! :)
The Scotch Fiddle is scabies. Not an STD.
Julieplaid is right. I looked up scabies versus crabs, and here's what it said.
"Crabs are tiny lice that live in pubic hair or other coarse body hair. Scabies are tiny mites that burrow under the skin of the hands or genital area to lay eggs. Both types of parasitic insect can be easily spread to another person."
Norman Douglas was unconventional, but I doubt he'd have gotten an STD as a boy! It was more likely scabies, which *can* be spread sexually but is more often spread in schools by close physical contact such as handshakes. Susan Baker my have intended an insult, but an STD is *not* something LMM would have intended for one of her characters, even an unpopular one.
Interesting! Ha! Maybe it was like the chicken pox or something!