Re: Thinking to find a lark's nest

On Wed, 23 Jan 2008 19:22:33 -0000, "John Dean"
<john-dean@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Marius Hancu wrote:
On Jan 23, 12:29 pm, the Omrud <usenet.om...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

[Ernest tells his parents he lost his watch, which really had been
given by him to a former female servant of the family, Ellen, now
pregnant.]

Of course, Ernest was made to look for his lost property, and a
reward was offered for it, but it seemed he had wandered a good
deal off the path, thinking to find a lark's nest, more than once,
and looking for a watch and purse on Battersby piewipes was very
like looking for a needle in a bundle of hay: besides it might have
been found and taken by some tramp, or by a magpie of which there
were many in the neighbourhood, so that after a week or ten days
the search was discontinued, and the unpleasant fact had to be
faced that Ernest must have another watch, another knife, and a
small sum of pocket money.

The Way of All Flesh, by Samuel Butler, p. 237
--------

Ernest has given away his watch but tells his parents he has lost it -
dropped it on his way home. They insist he looks for it along the path he
followed home. He claims he wandered off the path from time to time looking
for larks' nests (larks nest on the ground). It's suggested that the watch
may have been picked up by a tramp or a magpie (who are notably attracted to
shiny objects - hence the phrase 'thieving magpie'). Neither, obviously,
could have happened since the watch is on its way to a friendly pawn shop by
now, but Ernest plays the game to deceive his parents and escape the
consequences of his action.

Good explanation, but I was caught by "Battersby piewipes", which
everyone glossed over. In case I'm not the only one who wondered, I
found, via Google, an explanation that this means moorland that is so
desolate as to be suitable only for pewits (or piewipes).

The article is here:
<http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2386/is_3_115/ai_n8694038>
on a site labeled as "the go-to place for management", to provide a
little thread tie.

Mary "This lark's nest was, perhaps, a mare's nest"

--
Mary Shafer Retired aerospace research engineer
We didn't just do weird stuff at Dryden, we wrote reports about it.
reunite.gondwana@xxxxxxxxx or miliff@xxxxxxxx
Visit my blog at http://thedigitalknitter.blogspot.com/
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Thinking to find a larks nest
    ... and looking for a watch and purse on Battersby piewipes was very ... gone off the path to look for a lark's nest. ... stolen, but had in effect been given by the owner (Ernest) to a girl, ... may have been picked up by a tramp or a magpie (who are notably attracted to ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: Thinking to find a larks nest
    ... watch and purse on Battersby piewipes was very like looking for a needle ... unpleasant fact had to be faced that Ernest must have another watch, ... gone off the path to look for a lark's nest. ... stolen, but had in effect been given by the owner (Ernest) to a girl, ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: Thinking to find a larks nest
    ... and looking for a watch and purse on Battersby piewipes was very ... gone off the path to look for a lark's nest. ... stolen, but had in effect been given by the owner (Ernest) to a girl, ... that he's lost it; they make him search for it, ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: Thinking to find a larks nest
    ... and looking for a watch and purse on Battersby piewipes was very ... gone off the path to look for a lark's nest. ... stolen, but had in effect been given by the owner (Ernest) to a girl, ... Ernest has given away his watch but tells his parents he has lost it - ...
    (alt.usage.english)