[Vwoolf] Woolf, Conrad, and bosse

[Caroline Webb]

Sorry for chiming in late, but Conrad seems to be using the phrase as Australians used to talk of “humping a swag” (as in swagman, of sheep-stealing fame in the well-known song “Waltzing Matilda”).   A swag was normally a rolled-up blanket, but I can see how the French might refer to the rope (probably distinctive, as it would be knotted in several places to keep the roll together) as the characterising feature—or that Conrad might interpret it that way.

Caroline

From: Vwoolf <vwoolf-bounces at lists.osu.edu> On Behalf Of Stuart N. Clarke via Vwoolf
Sent: Wednesday, 22 April 2020 7:02 AM
To: vwoolf at lists.osu.edu
Subject: Re: [Vwoolf] Woolf, Conrad, and bosse

Your PS is true about JR, malheureusement.

This “corde à noeuds”, could it be what we call a turk’s head knot?:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turk%27s_head_knot<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turk%27s_head_knot>

One tends to have one of these on the front of a canal boat to protect the prow when you bump into lock gates, etc.  I can’t seem to find what I’m searching for close up, but it looks a bit like a solid version of this:

[Image result for "turk's head knot" on a canal boat]

Various images of boats, some with turk’s heads:
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=canal+boats&FORM=HDRSC2<https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=canal+boats&FORM=HDRSC2>

Stuart


From: Jeremy Hawthorn
Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2020 9:08 PM
To: Stuart N. Clarke ; vwoolf at lists.osu.edu<mailto:vwoolf at lists.osu.edu>
Subject: Re: [Vwoolf] Woolf, Conrad, and bosse


Je m'excuse. Mais comme je l'ai écrit au professeur Haberer, il semble que Conrad ait peut-être mal compris l'idiome francais. "L'expression roulé ma bosse aurait vraisemblablement pour origine le monde marin. Une bosse est une corde à noeuds utilisée par les marins qui étaient réputés pour vagabonder, voyager et voir du pays. Par extension, l'expression s'utilise pour désigner quelqu'un qui a une grande expérience dans un domaine."

Avec mes sincères remerciements à M. Google.

Jeremy H

P.S. but if "bosse" in the idiom is a nautical expression meaning a cord with lots of knots, this cannot help at all with Woolf's text, alas.


On 21.04.2020 21:54, Stuart N. Clarke via Vwoolf wrote:
Vous avez écrasé mon email prochain.

Stuart
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