The Death of Fissiparous and Other Words: A Dictionary of Words & Phrases on the Verge of Extinction

kermess

KUR-muhs

noun

a fair or carnival that raises funds for charity

1865Mary Mapes DodgeHans Brinker or The Silver SkatesMen, women, and children go clattering about in wooden shoes with loose heels; peasant girls who cannot get beaux for love, hire them for money to escort them to the kermis, and husbands and wives lovingly harness themselves side by side on the bank of the canal and drag their pakschuyts to market.1894Anatole France The Red LilyIn the movement and the noise of the kermess she said…1911Gaston LerouxThe Phantom of the OperaBut the curtain rose on the kermess scene and Richard made a sign to the stage-manager to go away.

Labels: Anatole France, Gaston Leroux, Mary Mapes Dodge

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Entry By: CJ Cooney
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macaronic

mak-a-RAW-nik

adjective

a muddle of things; a mixture or jumble to two languages

1889Charles G. LelandThe Breitmann BalladsI trust that I may be pardoned for here mentioning that he often spoke of Breitmann's 'Interview with the Pope' as his favorite Macaronic poem, which, as he had published two volumes of Macaronea, was praise indeed.1894Anatole FranceThe Red LilyAt the beginning of the procession he had gathered vagabonds in the ruins of the Roman theatre, and had delivered to them in a macaronic language, half French and half Tuscan, a sermon…1894Jacques Casanov SeingaltWith VoltaireThereupon I quoted a Macaronic verse by Merlin Coccaeus.

Labels: Anatole France, Charles G. Leland, Jacques Casanov Seingalt

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Entry By: CJ Cooney
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