h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I reckon that all this stuff about useful mutations cannot be applied to the "civilised" world where all (human, at least) births are regarded as sacrosanct (ignoring the small matter of legalised abortion) and vast sums are invested in prolonging the lives of those that could not survive in a "natural" society. I offer this as an observation not as support for any course of action nor for change.

The mention of dna and becoming too clever for our own good, causes me to say (because I can):

http://www.douglasadams.com/dna/pedants.html

I like this.

http://www.douglasadams.com/shop/

jwf, I don't think you should apologise for being off topic, I didn't think there was such a thing as on topic in this thread! I'm a bit concerned that you might be becoming the Freud of language, though

Hmm, perhaps because there is only one word 'cousin' that doesn't indicate sex or channel of relationship, this is why taboos don't discriminate between different 'types' of first cousins.

We could, of course, invent some variations (e.g. cousine, cousan) to indicate:

1. sex of cousin
2. related through your mother or father
3. related through your aunt or uncle
4. older or younger than you (important in some cultures)

Did I miss anything?

Is the phrase "Country Cousins" in general use in Britain or is it an Irishism? It means those cousins who live in a rural area and come up to the big city about once every two years, being in total awe of things like buses, traffic, department stores and crowds of people.

It's certainly in general use in our family (although come to think of it that doesn't necessarily preclude it being an Irishism )

~jwf~ would your kissing cousins say they had 'intimate relations'?

(I do hope it's permissible to add my two bits worth?)

*s* eccsy x

Welcome to the conversation, Eccentrica. Everybody's welcome to chip in.

Hiya,

Just an aside on jw's Shakespearian kings: I think in many cases the characters in the history plays *were* quite literally cousins. That was the way the English aristocracy worked. The big families ended up producing internecine conflicts and being cousins did not preclude being sworn enemies. (not that it necessarily does today!)

I'm not sure to what extent it became a term of address between non-related people, but you can be sure that any given Sh-ian king was surrounded by his 'real' cousins. Friendly or not.

By the way Jay Dubya, I see you are sticking to your guns on the 'Cor is short for Corpus Christi' question. Good on you, but I am still not convinced. Any evidence? ALL other sources that I have seen (and there are many) indicate that 'cor' is a corruption of 'gor' coming from the 'Gor blimey' corruption of 'God blind me'. Come on then, if you think you're 'ard enough! (chant much beloved of English football hooligans trying to start a fight )

Seeya
Spiff

(playground chant) OK, chaps, as long as you don't spit (another characteristic of foootball hooligans and the only original prohibition of h2g2) No don't ask about those cousins who are the "spitting image of each other" or the derivation of the word hooligan. They've been covered somewhere in the original thread - who quite likes the above connections to sterling starlings.

*puts up dukes*

Dukes? Dooks? Have I made that up, or misheard it, or remembered it wrong, or does someone have an explanation for it?

Seeya
Spiff (definitely not classified as a hooligan - ie 'soft as '!)

uselessknowledge dot com has
"The most common explanation is that it is from the rhyming slang Duke of York, meaning fork or fingers. Another is that it is from the Marquess of Queensbury who published a book on the rules of boxing in 1867. This is certainly false as not only was he a Marqess and not a duke, but his book was published two years after the word first appears.

Partridge (Actually Paul Beale, the recent editor) proposes that it comes from the Romany dukker meaning to tell fortunes by palmistry."

So, put up your fingers, palms or mistaken peerages. Perhaps they should change it to bloodyuselessknowledge dot com.

Hey , what's all this about sex and cousins? Is that legal in your liddle ol' country?

legal up to and including 1st cousin. Any closer and you may have a defecit/surplus of limbs/eyes. And the name 'Bubba' would probably come into vogue.

On the subject of certain societies being well aware of the benefits of select in-breeding, check out most of the Norman Aristocracy thats been in charge of England since 1066 and their descendants. (I only say that as I'm not up on pre- Norman Royalty! But I bet they were up to it as well )

I vaguely seem to remember that when Prince Charlie-boy and Lady Di married it turned out they were related, although more distantly than we are talking about.

In fact, just look at European Royalty / Aristocracy in it's entirety. All those 'special dispensations' must have help to make the Catholic Church as rich as it is.

It was only the common folk who had to adhere to the law (as ever).

Still, if people didn't break these laws, who'd buy all those Banjo's?

I always thought that those who used the "Royal We" were classic examples of inbreeding. As they say in our part of Lincolnshire "not a thumb between them"

Did we cover the various meanings of Charlie, TC? If not, I propose it for the next sidetrek

As a matter of interest, how far removed does a 'cousin' have to be before they are no longer a relative?
The point being, how far removed are any of us?
I heard that if you got talking to a stranger (in a train station, or on a flight), you'd only have to list about ten people you knew before found someone you *both* knew. If that's the case, how many names of relatives and ancestors would you have to go through to find someone you were both related to.

Well well. This is a pretty good environment to test these ideas.

Charlie? He was in the trees wasn't he?
Anyhoo, I've just remembered that I learned something at the weekend that would fit here.
There is a pub on the River Wey in Surrey in a little village called Send (I think the pub is the New Inn, but I can't remember) which used to double as a temporary mortuary for Brookwood Cemetary. Apparently they would hold funerals there, and people would have a drink over the body. This became known as "a stiff drink", and hence the phrase and, indeed, . I never knew drinking in pubs could be so good for my education.

Star, Lincolnshire? Not like the Fens I hope, family tree a line down the centre of the page if I remember correctly! (sorry, but I have Lincolnshire connections as well and have to suffer these things.)

Which I suppose just goes to show, that even if the phrase 'country cousins' doesn't explicitly exist in all areas / contries, then we at least all understand the concept! And also, I guess, means that the 10 people thing could easily be true.

Charlie, H and the big Queen E, it was only time really!

Charlie? Not in the trees...underground. Shhh - do you hear that? What? I don't hear anything...That's what I mean. Given that Inns have cool cellars, the practice might have been quite wide-spread... ps if anyone wants to try that list of names thing, the thread's here. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/F68086?thread=165066&post=1711226#p1711226