Quote:
Originally Posted by bobharvey
why is a greengage a green gage? are there redgages? blackgages?
Is 'gage' from the same root as the 'gog' bit of 'goosegogs'?
|
There's certainly yellow ones.
And a quick google gives me:
Oullin's Golden Gage
Early transparent Gage
and even
Golden Transparent Gage ;-)
Last time anyone asked "what is a gage", we weren't very sure!
http://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/united...plum-gage.html
The Oxford Dictionary gives the derivation of gage as being from Sr William Gage, who is credited with bringing greengages into Britain from France in about 1725
Sir William Gage, 7th Baronet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The OED is silent on the derivation of gog", which various on-line dictionaries suggest is a variant of "gob".
__________________
getstats - A society in which our lives and choices are enriched by an understanding of statistics. Go to
www.getstats.org.uk for more information