I was doing a bit of aimless browsing through the archives over the weekend and this article caught my eye. I thought the photo was quite a nice one, it is from a 1928 publication after all, newspaper photo printing in those days can leave a bit to be desired so I appreciated the clarity.
Really though, the reason this article made it anywhere near a post was the caption. When I do a search what I first see is a small section of the text, then I make the call as to whether I want to look at the article in its entirety.
In this case the text bought an unusual combination to mind ;
FANCY DRESS CYCLE RACE. All kinds of cycles the tall “penny farthing” type of our grandfathers’ day to a juvenile tricycle were used in a burlesque race at the fancy dress sports held on the University ground on Saturday morning.
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Yep, burlesque cycle race.
What sort of person would I be to not immediately click on this article to see what on earth a burlesque cycle race would look like?
This article again proved to me yet again that the use and meaning of certain words has changed over time.
——
bur·lesque/bərˈlesk/
Noun: A parody or comically exaggerated imitation of something, esp in a literary or dramatic work.
Verb: Cause to appear absurd by parodying or copying in an exaggerated form.
—–
This was clearly the way the word burlesque was used in this article….. blah….
I was kinda hoping that the picture would be a row of scantily clad, Dita Von Teese-esque women desperately pedalling inappropriate cycles, and, really, who could blame me.
So disappointing….
The Argus 30 Jul 1928 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3932861
I think we’re all hoping for a row of scantily clad Dita Von Teese-esque women, but that’s life!
FM
Just imagine how much more popular the olympics would be if some of the sports were performed burlesque? Tickets would be impossible to get and industry would grind to a standstill, with all the workers glued to the box. The medal results wouldn’t matter anymore though would they? ;)
Yeah, I immediately thought that they were going to ride and remove layers at the same time, which is a pretty big feat! This sounds more like the Ministry of Silly Walks, with bicycles, which is pretty cool— but not what comes to mind with a word like burlesque. : )
It always amuses me when words have changed in their use over time and then I stumble upon them now, but with completely different expectations.
The natural shift of language and meaning is a huge fascination of mine. I like archaic words a great deal, and I try to keep running lists of weird words and their meanings. That’s one of the reasons I love your blog, Metan— you do a great job of framing out the history of change. <3 that!
I don’t know if you have seen the Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English by Eric Partridge. It is one of my favourites, and constantly out on the coffee table. It it so thick it is almost a table of its own. I can just pick up books like that and read them at any time, I absolutely love those old words :D
Those huge wheel bike things look pretty dangerous.
Those penny farthing bikes are amazing things, aren’t they? If I was to attempt to get up on one I can guarantee it would not end well :)
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Hugs
Thank you! :)
The Mermaid parade on the boardwalk at Coney Island in New York… just google it. I think you’ll enjoy a good laugh. The annual Halloween Parade in the Village (my hood in NYC) is also a sight, but there’s nothing like the mermaids…
I googled the mermaid parade (and the Halloween parade), yes, I laughed! So many young girls dreams come true :D