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04 Jul 13 - 05:34 AM (#3533623) Subject: Scuttling nobs From: GUEST,Guest Roger At a sing around amusement was caused during the song Go and Enlist for a Sailor by the phrase 'I'll scuttle your nob'. It also appears in Elvis Costello's 'the Night Before Larry Got Stretched' with the phrase 'I'll scuttle your nob with my dodle'. I assume it is to do with hanging or garotting but can anyone clarify please? Thanks Roger Kennington |
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04 Jul 13 - 06:31 AM (#3533632) Subject: RE: Scutlling nobs From: MartinRyan GuestRoger There are several Mudcat threads on "The Night Before Larry..." over the years, with some general background and explanation. The song is written, as you probably know, in "Newgate cant" a kind of late 18C. jail slang. That phrase is usually written "I'll scuttle your knob" with the sense of "I'll knock holes in your head!". I can't recall what dodle/doddle means offhand. I'll check. Regards |
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04 Jul 13 - 06:40 AM (#3533634) Subject: RE: Scutlling nobs From: MGM·Lion "Nob" = head (NB - no initial 'k') appears also in the Cribbage score system ~~ anyone who gets the knave of the same suit of the turn-up card scores "One for his nob", while a player who gets a knave of any suit as the turn-up card when he has the box (or crib) scores "two for his heels". "Nob" is, of course, not to be confused with identically pronounced "knob". ~M~ |
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04 Jul 13 - 06:44 AM (#3533638) Subject: RE: Scutlling nobs From: MGM·Lion There's a lot of traditional cant in Cribbage. I once wrote an entire one of my Folk Review "Taking the Mike" columns on it. ~M~ |
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04 Jul 13 - 06:54 AM (#3533641) Subject: RE: Scutlling nobs From: MartinRyan And Partridge gives "daddle" as the hand/fist. Regards |
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04 Jul 13 - 06:58 AM (#3533642) Subject: RE: Scutlling nobs From: MartinRyan He also specifically gives "to scuttle a nob" as "to break a head" as boxing slang. Regards |
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04 Jul 13 - 07:00 AM (#3533643) Subject: RE: Scutlling nobs From: GUEST,kenny The phrase also turns up in a song "The Unfortunate Tailor", sung on John Peel's programme once by guest Martin Carthy. I'm not sure that he ever recorded it, but if he did, I'm sure someone here will know. I'd always assumed it meant something like "I'll bang your head". |
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04 Jul 13 - 08:08 AM (#3533660) Subject: RE: Scutlling nobs From: IanC Knob with a K is head. Nob without a k is a posh person. Not the same. :-) |
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04 Jul 13 - 08:51 AM (#3533678) Subject: RE: Scutlling nobs From: MartinRyan "is" is not the point. "nob" WAS "the head" in slang from around 1690, according to Partridge. The "person of rank" usage is later - early 19C. All according to Partridge's Historical Slang, which is the basic reference. Regards |