On Mar 19, 2006, at 18:07, Steph Peters wrote:
Anyway, with the book (Stil-Bluten, umlauted "u"; no idea what it
means, or where the Ulrike's usual pun is) not due out till April, I
have plenty of time
Bluten with an umlaut is blooms. Stil is style, as in Jugendstil is
Art
Nouveau. The pun bit might be that Bluten with an umlaut also means
counterfeit money. Counterfeit flowers? I don't know.
Earlier, Aurelia wrote (in response to Agnes):
"Stil" is not the same word as "Still" (but you know that better than
I do!). It's related to "style," all right, just doesn't have quite
the same meaning. So we _still_ have a chance that it has to do with
lace!
Hello all,
Still-Blüte means "stylistic blunder" or "howler".
Don't know what it has to do with lace, but there you are.
First, let me reiterate: the u _is_ umlauted (I just can't reproduce
it on my keyboard), so nothing to do with "blood" (that one, even I
know; had to plow through parts of Remarque all those years ago <g>).
Second, the ending is -en (not -e), which suggests either plural number
(if a noun) or an infinitive (if a verb).
Third, it _is_ "stil" (style), not "still" (still, calm, peaceful)
I have no idea whether Steph's "counterfeit" concept, or Agnes'
"howler" was involved in the pun -- my German never got to the idiomatc
stage, even before it started rusting away... Obviously, Agnes'
interpretation (which I like even better than Steph's) would depend on
precise spelling. But that one of them _was_ involved, I'm almost
certain; Ulrike-now-Voelcker has a delightful sense of linguistic
humour when it comes to naming her books, and exercises it
frequently...
There's "Schwartzarbeit" ("Blackwork")... A book about Chantilly. Which
is made in black thread, so that's the lace connection. But
"schwartzarbeit" also means "to work illegally"... In English, we have
"black market" and "blackmail", where the word "black" has the same
connotation.
There's "Hausdrachen" ("House dragons")... A book of patterns with lace
dragons. That's the _lace connection_ of that one. But "hausdrachen"
also describes those women who rule the roost and strike terror in
their meek hubands' breasts.
There's "Schneeverweht und Durchgedreht" (literally: covered with snow
and ?rolled under? )... A book about Binche. Which is a lace full of
"snowflakes" and altogether difficult, being made in the finest of
threads... No wonder one can feel "snowed under" when making it :)
There's "Viele Gute Grunde" (umlaut over "u" in Grunde; "Many Good
Grounds")... A four-volume compilation of different lace grounds (some
better than others <g>). But, in that particular context, "Grunde" also
means "reasons", so it's both: "many good grounds" _and_ "many good
reasons". English also uses "grounds" and "reasons" as synonyms ("x was
done on the grounds that... y"). That one, BTW, is lace-related both in
the literal and in the punning mode; there are "many good reasons" to
refer to that compendium when designing lace :)
There's "Dick durch Dunn" (umlaut over "u" in Dunn; "Thick Through
Thin")... A book of Binche designs (_thin_ thread) with
interesting/innovative paths of the gimp (_thick_ thread), which is the
"lace connection". To "stick/stay with someone/something _through thick
and thin_" is a common English phrase, which does't require much
explaining (its elaboration is included in the marriage vows; "through
richer and poorer; in sickness and in health...")
Ulrike's titles (at least the later ones) usually have two-layered
meanings; one which refers to the lace -- showcased in the book --
directly, and one which is a play on words. The second meaning doesn't
have to be related to lacemaking at all; it's just an expression of
exuberant enjoyment of both lacemaking and language, both of which are
endless mines of puzzles and wonders and intricate designs.
So... Can any of our German members tell us if there's "something
funny" in "Die Kunst des Hakelns" (umlaut over "a")? It's a book about
the art of making "sewings", with a hook (hak) in lace...
"Connections"? As in "old boys' network"?
And what is the second layer meaning behind the "Stil-Bluten" (umlaut
over "u")?
PS. It's peculiar how words and their meanings "migrate"... :) The
German word I know is "Blume"; you'd have thought it would be "bloom",
in its "cousin" (English) translation. But, nooo...) The better to
confuse you, in English, it's "flower"....
--
Tamara P Duvall http://t-n-lace.net/
Lexington, Virginia, USA (Formerly of Warsaw, Poland)
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