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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
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Jew-fish
This summer while making a brief stopover in Portugal, I ate at a restaurant where the English translation for an item on the menu read "jewfis.,"
When I returned home I checked my OED Online which had this entry for "jew-fish."
app. f. JEW n. + FISH: as to origin of name, see quot. 1697.)
A name given to various fishes, chiefly of the family Serranidæ. Among these are Promicrops guasa, Epinephelus nigritus, Megalops atlanticus, and Paralichthys dentatus, of the Atlantic coast of U.S.; Stereolepis gigas of the Californian coast; Polyprion americanus or P. couchi of Madeira; and Sciæna antarctica and Glaucosoma hebraicum of Australia. (Cent. Dict. and Morris Austral Eng.)
1679 T. TRAPHAM Discourse State of Health in Jamaica 65 The Jew fishcrowds to be one of the first three of our most worthy Fish. 1697 W. DAMPIER Voy. (1729) I. 249 The Jew-fish is a very good Fish, and I judge so called by the English, because it hath Scales and Fins, therefore a clean Fish, according to the Levitical Law
Does anybody know which types of fish qualify as "jew-fish" and whether other languages name the fish after Jews? THe 1697 citation explains why it is called "jew-fish" but other types of fish fit the kosher criterion, so the question is why this particular fish is called "jew-fish."
When I returned home I checked my OED Online which had this entry for "jew-fish."
app. f. JEW n. + FISH: as to origin of name, see quot. 1697.)
A name given to various fishes, chiefly of the family Serranidæ. Among these are Promicrops guasa, Epinephelus nigritus, Megalops atlanticus, and Paralichthys dentatus, of the Atlantic coast of U.S.; Stereolepis gigas of the Californian coast; Polyprion americanus or P. couchi of Madeira; and Sciæna antarctica and Glaucosoma hebraicum of Australia. (Cent. Dict. and Morris Austral Eng.)
1679 T. TRAPHAM Discourse State of Health in Jamaica 65 The Jew fishcrowds to be one of the first three of our most worthy Fish. 1697 W. DAMPIER Voy. (1729) I. 249 The Jew-fish is a very good Fish, and I judge so called by the English, because it hath Scales and Fins, therefore a clean Fish, according to the Levitical Law
Does anybody know which types of fish qualify as "jew-fish" and whether other languages name the fish after Jews? THe 1697 citation explains why it is called "jew-fish" but other types of fish fit the kosher criterion, so the question is why this particular fish is called "jew-fish."
Top answer
[nq:1]This summer while making a brief stopover in Portugal, I ate at a restaurant where the English translation for an ... "[/nq] The Jewfish is now called the Goliath Grouper by many. We don't mind offending the Goliaths in Florida, but we don't want to offend our Jewish population here in Florida.
- [nq:1]This summer while making a brief stopover in Portugal, I ate at a restaurant where the English translation for an ...
- "[/nq] The Jewfish is now called the Goliath Grouper by many.
- We don't mind offending the Goliaths in Florida, but we don't want to offend our Jewish population here in Florida.
- htm about the controversies involved in renaming creeks, bridges, and keys in Florida.
- While scuba diving in the Caymans, I've seen huge - up to 8 feet long - Jewfish.
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24 Answers
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[nq:1]This summer while making a brief stopover in Portugal, I ate at a restaurant where the English translation for an ... but other types of fish fit the kosher criterion, so the question is why this particular fish is called "jew-fish."[/nq]
The Jewfish is now called the Goliath Grouper by many. We don't mind offending the Goliaths in Florida, but we don't want to offend our Jewish populati
The Jewfish is now called the Goliath Grouper by many. We don't mind offending the Goliaths in Florida, but we don't want to offend our Jewish populati
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On 31 Aug 2004 07:12:50 -0700, howard richler (Email Removed) wrote, in part:
[nq:1]When I returned home I checked my OED Online which had this entry for "jew-fish." A name given to ... Does anybody know which types of fish qualify as "jew-fish" and whether other languages name the fish after Jews?[/nq]
Toward the last question, modern Hebrew calls some kind of fish 'dag Moshe Rabenu', "
[nq:1]When I returned home I checked my OED Online which had this entry for "jew-fish." A name given to ... Does anybody know which types of fish qualify as "jew-fish" and whether other languages name the fish after Jews?[/nq]
Toward the last question, modern Hebrew calls some kind of fish 'dag Moshe Rabenu', "
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[nq:2]When I returned home I checked my OED Online which ... "jew-fish" and whether other languages name the fish after Jews?[/nq]
[nq:1]Toward the last question, modern Hebrew calls some kind of fish 'dag Moshe Rabenu', "our rabbi Moses fish". It's mentioned ... http://uplink.space.com
[nq:1]Toward the last question, modern Hebrew calls some kind of fish 'dag Moshe Rabenu', "our rabbi Moses fish". It's mentioned ... http://uplink.space.com
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...
} The Jewfish is now called the Goliath Grouper by many. We don't mind } offending the Goliaths in Florida, but we don't want to offend our } Jewish population here in Florida. See:
} http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/innews/jewfishcr2002.htm } about the controversies involve
} The Jewfish is now called the Goliath Grouper by many. We don't mind } offending the Goliaths in Florida, but we don't want to offend our } Jewish population here in Florida. See:
} http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/innews/jewfishcr2002.htm } about the controversies involve
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[nq:1]... } The Jewfish is now called the Goliath Grouper by many. We don't mind } offending the Goliaths in ... as "square groupers" (but I assume that they don't mean to offend "squares" (ObCrossThread: were there any squares before 1974?)).[/nq]
There were squares in the early '50s, when I was in high school.
dg
There were squares in the early '50s, when I was in high school.
dg
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[nq:1](ObCrossThread: were there any squares before 1974?)).[/nq]
'Square' is of course not the opposite of 'cool', so of course there were squares before 1974.
When I was a young child my elder siblings (born in the early '60s) taught me the 'square gesture', where you take your two index fingers and, starting at the top center, draw a square in the air. Interestingly enough, though, this
'Square' is of course not the opposite of 'cool', so of course there were squares before 1974.
When I was a young child my elder siblings (born in the early '60s) taught me the 'square gesture', where you take your two index fingers and, starting at the top center, draw a square in the air. Interestingly enough, though, this
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[nq:1]When I was a young child my elder siblings...[/nq]
That, to me, stood out like red on green. Do some people actually say 'elder siblings' (without smirking, that is)? Even 'siblings' on its own is dodgy, but when combined with 'elder', it loses all similarity to Hiberno-English and AmE, perhaps BrE too. I assume the good doctor was writing the combination for effect. I'd have writ
That, to me, stood out like red on green. Do some people actually say 'elder siblings' (without smirking, that is)? Even 'siblings' on its own is dodgy, but when combined with 'elder', it loses all similarity to Hiberno-English and AmE, perhaps BrE too. I assume the good doctor was writing the combination for effect. I'd have writ
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"Areff" wrote in message ...
[nq:2](ObCrossThread: were there any squares before 1974?)).[/nq]
[nq:1]'Square' is of course not the opposite of 'cool', so of course there were squares before 1974. When I was ... person being referred to was crazy, nuts, weird, etc., and not 'square'. (At least as far as I >could tell.)[/nq]
Oh, that's the gesture that the Uma Thurman character
[nq:2](ObCrossThread: were there any squares before 1974?)).[/nq]
[nq:1]'Square' is of course not the opposite of 'cool', so of course there were squares before 1974. When I was ... person being referred to was crazy, nuts, weird, etc., and not 'square'. (At least as far as I >could tell.)[/nq]
Oh, that's the gesture that the Uma Thurman character
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[nq:1]"Areff" wrote in message ...[/nq]
[nq:2]'Square' is of course not the opposite of 'cool', so ... not 'square'. (At least as far as I could tell.)[/nq]
[nq:1]Oh, that's the gesture that the Uma Thurman character was doing in Pulp Fiction ! I thought it was her invention. I took its meaning as "square" (according to AHD, "dull, rigidly conventional, and out of touch with current trends
[nq:2]'Square' is of course not the opposite of 'cool', so ... not 'square'. (At least as far as I could tell.)[/nq]
[nq:1]Oh, that's the gesture that the Uma Thurman character was doing in Pulp Fiction ! I thought it was her invention. I took its meaning as "square" (according to AHD, "dull, rigidly conventional, and out of touch with current trends
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[nq:2]When I was a young child my elder siblings...[/nq]
[nq:1]That, to me, stood out like red on green. Do some people actually say 'elder siblings' (without smirking, that is)? ... I wanted to appear an academic, but 'elder siblings' simply will not do. Not in this day and age, anyway.[/nq]
Actually, "sibling" has gotten more common, not less, around here, to the point where it's
[nq:1]That, to me, stood out like red on green. Do some people actually say 'elder siblings' (without smirking, that is)? ... I wanted to appear an academic, but 'elder siblings' simply will not do. Not in this day and age, anyway.[/nq]
Actually, "sibling" has gotten more common, not less, around here, to the point where it's
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