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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: BrazilianBombshell on Thursday 16 June 16 23:41 BST (UK)
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I need your help. This is an entry into a my Mother's 1942 war time diary. The word eluding me is on the 4th line after 'rather'. I have tried for the last 5 years (I know I'm sad!) to work out what it could be. Can anyone help me with this mystery? ???
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Could it be "wiz", short for "wizard", in the sense of "delightful"? Chambers dictionary says it is an "old colloquial" usage. "...... he really is a wiz of a wiz ......." as several Munchkins have said.
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I agree with wiz(ard).
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Thank you very much GR2 and Isabel! It makes sense now. This one is now put to bed.... like me. Thank you so.
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I agree with 'wiz' (wizard) too; and the letter reminds me of the small edition of Omar Khayyam which my father used to carry about with him. I think it was popular during WW2: "Awake for morning in the bowl of night, Has flung the stones that put the stars to flight...."
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I have a small copy, about two and a half inches by three and a half.
Sadly the back and front are missing but it has a lovely illustration.
Gosh I`ts a long time since I read that.
Wasn`t it Richard Burton ( the explorer) who actually wrote it or am I getting mixed up?
Viktoria.
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Could the word be wizened edition of . . . . .
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Wizard? In that context what would it mean? Why would anyone abbreviate it?
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Wizard? In that context what would it mean? Why would anyone abbreviate it?
It was British slang used around the 1940s - wiz or whiz meaning superb; excellent; wonderful.
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Used to be used a lot colloquially to indicate something was good - well, more than good. An indication of excellence. As GR2 says, it is listed in Chambers dictionary - and also features in one of the songs from the Wizard of Oz. All together now: "We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz...... " ;D
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"Wizard", meaning really good goes back at least as far as World War 1, when it was common aviator slang.
It even made it as far as the Star Wars films (apparently).
Episode I. Kitster Banai remarks that Anakin's inclusion in the Boonta Eve Podrace is "wizard, Annie."
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Wizard? In that context what would it mean? Why would anyone abbreviate it?
It was British slang used around the 1940s - wiz or whiz meaning superb; excellent; wonderful.
Oh. Well, maybe that's it then. It still doesn't make much sense to me, though. Why would someone describe an edition of a book as 'wizard' as opposed to 'inexpensive' or 'a rare first edition' or 'an especially well illustrated edition' or 'a leather bound edition.' Wizard sounds like it means clever.
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Sorry folks but I thought the missing word was "wiry" ???
Annie
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That wouldn't make any sense though would it?
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Groom,
Could do (make sense), depending on how the writer perceived the word herself & the meaning ???
Wiry...."thin but strong, and often able to bend easily" which may relate to the binding of the book ???
Writer may have used that word in conjunction with the book itself rather than relating to "of people and animals" (from online dictionary) ???
I am unsure who Omar Khayyam was ::)
A "Go ogle" search left me confused ;D
Annie
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Omar Khayyam was an 11th century poet, mathematician and philosopher, and the poems which appear in 'The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam' are attributed to him. The poems (or quatrains, to be more precise) were originally written in Persian, and the most popular translations into English were those by Edward Fitzgerald which date from the late 19th century.
'Omar Khayyam' was a popular book during the first half of the 20th century, and to acquire one during WW2 was obviously worth recording; it may well be that BB's mother found her edition in a second-hand bookshop, rather than buying it new.
I can't see any circumstance where one would buy a volume of poetry and simply record that the book was 'wiry'. That would be like buying a diamond ring, and merely recording details of the box it came in.
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http://www.thefreedictionary.com/wiz
I would vote for wiz
Cas
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Very interesting and enlightening comments. Thank you all very much. In the same diary, I am stumped by the two symbols at the end of sentence 3 after the word "virgin". Any suggestions please?
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Not sure what the word is, but an interesting entry. ;D ;D ;D
Could the word be "know" - I know not what?
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I agree with Groom - the word doesn't look like 'know' but the context is correct.
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I wot not ... (= know not).
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I wot not ... (= know not).
I agree, as it would fit in with not knowing the correct word for a male virgin.
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Well, she did but didn't know the word for a male virgin, in English it's ... wait for it ... virgin.
I searched on the term "definition male virgin" and, let me tell you, you'll be very surprised (maybe not) at what you get!! :o
There are few languages that have a specific word but English isn't one of them.
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Thank you ALL again for your help. The diary was written when she was 22, and the following year she was married to my father. Though it seems she was a "naughty" girl, my twin brother and I were born 9 months and 10 days (mother always said 10 minutes!) after they were married. They had 8 children in total, with two sets of twins. Thank you very much for your sterling help. ;)