Folklore/Linguistics: What's a Rinktum?

Subject: RE: BS: What's a Rinktum?
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 09 Aug 04 - 04:58 PM

Some examples that come to mind:

"Brown-swagger" for "braunschweiger" (liverwurst)

"Sour-deans" for "sardines"

"Chowder cheese" for "cheddar"

Subject: RE: BS: What's a Rinktum?
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 09 Aug 04 - 03:53 PM

My father, who was born in 1899 in western Kentucky, and whose forebears probably came from the Appalachians, did indeed use "rinctum" to mean "rectum." He wasn't very musical, but he had relatives who were. As far as I know, he didn't know any song that used "rinctum" as a refrain. If he had, he probably would have considered it risqué, unfit for mixed company, and certainly unfit for a children's song.

I suspect that "rectum" was felt to be a "foreign" (i.e. Latin) word used primarily by doctors—who, after all, often eschew plain language, and are fond of using "contusion" for "bruise," "axilla" for "armpit," and so on. (Plain language would be "asshole.")

My father had a peculiar bias against accepting "foreign" words into his vocabulary. I don't know whether this was an idiosyncrasy of his, or a characteristic of the community he grew up in. It was as if, on hearing an unfamiliar word, he tended to assume the speaker was mispronouncing it, and really meant something else. Then, if he needed to use the word himself, he would often change the pronunciation to something he was already familiar with.

It makes sense to me that, if my father (or someone like him) had already known the word "rinctum" from a folksong, and then heard a doctor refer to a "rectum," he would have assumed that the intended word was really "rinctum."

Something similar was probably going on when "asparagus" came to be called "sparrow grass" in some communities.

Does this help, or am I only spelling out the obvious?

Subject: RE: BS: What's a Rinktum?
From: Joe_F
Date: 09 Aug 04 - 10:01 AM

The OED calls rinktum "rare southern U.S. dialect" and "alteration of RECTUM", with a quotation from Faulkner in 1929 ("I'll skin your rinktum").

Webster's 3rd had not heard of that, but does list "rinktum ditty: [origin unknown]: a mixture of tomato sauce, onion, cheese, egg, and seasonings served on toast".

I suspect that the use in choruses is mock Latin like "harum scarum", that "rinktum ditty" was arbitrarily named by someone who knew one of those choruses (an inmate of a summer camp would be a good guess), and that any allusion to the other end of the digestive system was secondary.

Subject: RE: BS: What's a Rinktum?
From: kendall
Date: 09 Aug 04 - 08:57 AM

Robin, don't give up your day job.

Subject: RE: BS: What's a Rinktum?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 09 Aug 04 - 08:35 AM

Is a Rinktum an abbreviation of a wrinkled tummy?

Subject: RE: BS: What's a Rinktum?
From: kendall
Date: 09 Aug 04 - 06:57 AM

In Maine, a "Rinktum" has come to mean a party of folksingers. When I first met my supervisor in the Warden Service back in the late 50's, he used that word to mean getting called on the carpet for screwing up somehow. I remember when the Explorer sunk he and I were on our way to Augusta to explain what happened, and he said "I'm getting too old for these jeezly rinktums.
Next weekend I'm off to New Brunswick to have a party with a gang of folkies. That is the annual summer rinktum. In February, we have another one in Belfast Maine called the winter rinktum. Both are invitation only as space is limited.
Now you know.

Subject: RE: BS: What's a Rinktum?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 09 Aug 04 - 04:07 AM

What you get when you fall on your arse when ice skating?
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: What's a Rinktum?
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Aug 04 - 02:39 AM

errr the opposite of rectum?

Subject: RE: BS: What's a Rinktum?
From: Peace
Date: 09 Aug 04 - 12:13 AM

It appears in Froggy went a'courtin', and the William Faulkner site that ya get to after googling    rinktum, meaning    says he used it to mean rectum. It is also a meal that sounds a bit like rarebit, so I humbly admit it beats me.

Subject: RE: BS: What's a Rinktum?
From: GUEST,Lonesome Gillette
Date: 08 Aug 04 - 11:49 PM

Wow, that's interesting. I searched the internet for the word and not much comes up at all.

Subject: RE: BS: What's a Rinktum?
From: GUEST,Julia
Date: 08 Aug 04 - 11:47 PM

I've heard a song that has a chorus- To the Rinktum fiddle all the day- by Valentine Doyle
It's about a music party called The Rinktum....

Subject: RE: BS: What's a Rinktum?
From: Bert
Date: 08 Aug 04 - 11:42 PM

I dunno, but the word occurs also in The Swazi (sometimes Zulu) Warrior.

I kumma zeema zeema rinktum
I kumma zeema zeema zee.

Subject: BS: What's a Rinktum?
From: GUEST,Lonesome Gillette
Date: 08 Aug 04 - 11:40 PM

Anybody know the meaning of the word Rinktum?
Like in the song "Ducks on the Millpond"...
Chorus: "Lord, Lord, gonna get on a rinktum,
Lord, Lord, gonna get on a rinktum."