Sunday, April 14, 2013

Bougetier

Meaning: Cotgrave*: A budget-maker... as in Bougette.  (Bougette: A little coffer, or trunke of wood, covered with leather, wherewith the women of old time carried their jewels, attires, and trinkets at their saddle bowes, when they rid into the countrey; now gentlemen call so, both any such trunke; and the box, or till of their Cabinets wherein they keepe their money; also, a little male, pouch, or budget.)

Usefulness: 1 (Apologies for the intermittent posting recently; by day I'm an accountant, or, as my new business cards will proclaim, a bougetier. Budgets, whether the bags or chests of old, or the spreadsheets of new, take time and energy from important things like how many synonyms Sir Thomas had for bodily functions.)

Logofascination: 1 (Etymologically, budgets are little bags, related to bulges and bellies, and by meaning, to postmen. The male mentioned by Cotgrave above is our mail.)

In the wild: Since it's technically a French word, only on French sites. If you think they're wild, you need to get out more.

Degrees: 1

Connections: bougetier - budget

Which is used in: at least five places in G&P, demonstrating the number of meanings budget has/had. Here are a few:
1,XIII: and ever since have retained them in the budget of my memory
2, VIII: together with a capacity in memory equal to the measure of twelve oil budgets or butts of olives.**
2, XIV: for thy pains I will give thee my codpiece (budget); take, here it is, there are six hundred seraphs in it, and some fine diamonds and most excellent rubies.

*I know, again with the Cotgrave. I'll update the description of the blog.
**cited by the OED for a sense meaning "leather bag".

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