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The Owl - 2004-12-03

Paul,

The very best to you and your family.

For those, like me, who were not sure, here is a series of definitions from the internet:

Bobby dazzler
Kel Richards writes:

Bobby-dazzler means something striking or excellent. The earliest citation in the full Oxford English Dictionary for bobby-dazzler is 1866, and is interesting in itself. It says: what a Lancashire man would call a regular bobby-dazzler, a Cornishman would call a regular morgan rattler. (Morgan rattler is a strange one well have to leave for another day.) So, where does this expression bobby-dazzler come from, and how come dazzling is a property particularly belonging to Robert (rather than, say, John or Paul or George)? The verb to dazzle came into English in 15th century and seems to come from an Old Norse word meaning to confound or confuse. This rapidly came to mean to bewilder, confound or confuse the eyes or the vision. Anyone so attractive as to do so came to be called a dazzler a word that turns up around 1800. On the other hand, behind bobby (used as an adjective) is an 18th century word bobbish meaning in good health, in good spirits, in good humour. So anyone who is both sparkling with good health and good humour, and attractive to the eye, is a bobby-dazzler.

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/classic/breakfast/stories/s557696.htm

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Merry Christmas to you Paul -- The Owl -- 2004-12-03
View Thread · Previous · Next Return to Index › Merry Christmas to you Paul





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