Mag and Magpie, a musing

[linaewen]

I inadvertently stumbled upon a fascinating tidbit of information last night, while writing an email to a friend. I was being chatty and referred to myself as a "magpie" -- then got the idea to look up the word and see if it really had "chatty" connotations or if that was something I came up with myself. Well! What a revelation, hee! I'm almost embarrassed to share this, but here goes:

magpie 1605, common European bird, known for its chattering, earlier simply pie; first element from Mag, nickname for Margaret, long used in Eng. proverbial and slang senses for qualities associated generally with women, especially in this case "idle chattering" (cf. Magge tales "tall tales, nonsense," c.1410; also Fr. margot "magpie," from Margot, pet form of Marguerite). Second element, pie, is the earlier name of the bird, from O.Fr. pie, from L. pica "magpie," fem. of picus "woodpecker," possibly from PIE base *pi-, denoting pointedness, of the beak, perhaps, but the magpie also has a long, pointed tail. The birds are proverbial for pilfering and hoarding, can be taught to speak, and have been regarded since the Middle Ages as a bird of ill omen.

"Whan pyes chatter vpon a house it is a sygne of ryghte euyll tydynges." [1507]

Divination by number of magpies is attested from c.1780 in Lincolnshire; the rhyme varies from place to place, the only consistency being that one is bad, two are good.

My name happens to be Margaret, if you didn't know that already, and I do happen to be a bit chatty at times -- in person and in writing -- as some of you may know from experience. ;-) I am highly amused to learn that "Mag" is proverbial for "idle chattering" -- hee! Sorry about that. I'm too old and set in my ways to change now, you'll just have to put up with my chattiness.

As long as you don't begin to think of me as a "bird" of ill omen, I guess I'm doing all right!  :-D

Comments

[lothithil.livejournal.com]

Very interesting! This all puts me in mind of a movie I went to see recently, called 'Failure to Launch'. Very funny, but mostly so because of Sara Jessica Parker's roommate (the same girl who played Trillion in new version of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) who is haunted by the mocking bird that lives in a tree outside of her bedroom window.

Not a magpie, I know, but it still reminded me... funny movie!

Now look who's idly chattering!!

*sits quietly and acts like a cat*

[estellye.livejournal.com]

If you're chatty, then I am frankly scared of what descriptor could be applied to me, lol. Mostly I think you are elequent and I am verbose. ;)

That was such a great find! I imagine you are glad you looked it up, lol!

[my-cocoon.livejournal.com]

((((((((MargiPie)))))))))))

[captinskywalker.livejournal.com]

Bird of ill omen, you??

No worries in that area, Lin (((((dear))))). Thanks for sharing -- very interesting! :-D

[samarra.livejournal.com]

I, for one, happen to adore magpies. :)

[kimbys-place.livejournal.com]

You nattering mag, you. But I love it when you natter- you don't natter enough, in my opinion. Love you!