The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #96928 Message #1901210
Posted By: Q (Frank Staplin)
05-Dec-06 - 09:15 PM
Thread Name: BS: Need saltpeter for my Yuletide ham
Subject: RE: BS: Need saltpeter for my Yuletide ham
Trivia- Saltpeter in Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Saltpetre in the OED. Should be pronounced salt peetry? English 1501- salt petir English 1528- salte peter (salty peter?) English 1580- saltpeeter Spirits of saltpeter = Nitric acid Captain Smith's Seamans Grammar- moistned with Oyle of Salt-Peter.
18th Century - Became fairly well standardized* as saltpetre in England. (Americans preserved Peter).
* OED preferred spelling. (Standardised is illiterate according to Inspector Morse).
Call it potassium nitrate and avoid linguistic nastiness.