There were a few words in some poems in "Betting on the Muse" that I didn't know the meaning of. Since I've got lots of spare time I figured I'd post the answers here. The first word is Gunny Sack. What the hell is that?
gun·ny·sack (gŭn′ē-săk′)
n. Chiefly Western U.S.
A bag or sack made of gunny. Also called regionally
crocus sack,
croker sack,
tow bag,
tow sack.
Regional Note: A large sack made from loosely woven, coarse material goes by a variety of names in regional American English. The most general term is
burlap bag, known everywhere but used especially in the Northeast. In the Midwest and West the usual term is
gunnysack, which ultimately comes from the Sanskrit word
gonī, meaning "jute or hemp fiber." In the Upper South such a sack is called a
tow sack, and in Eastern North Carolina, a
tow bag. (The word
tow is another synonym for fabric made from jute or hemp and probably derives from an Old English word for "spinning.") In South Carolina and adjacent parts of Georgia, it is called a
crocus sack, and in the Gulf states, a
croker sack, both terms deriving from the word
crocus. According to Craig M. Carver, who draws on the research of Walter S. Avis, "
Crocus is a coarse, loosely woven material once worn by slaves and laborers and common in colonial New England. It probably took its name from the sacks in which crocus or saffron was shipped." Though the term
crocus sack virtually disappeared from New England by the end of the 19th century, it survives in the South.
I forget which poem that word comes from. Sorry. The other word was Mugwump. This word is in "think of it" from page 186 of "Betting." I thought that perhaps Buk made this word up.
Mugwumps were
Republican political activists who bolted from the United States
Republican Party by supporting
Democratic candidate
Grover Cleveland in the
United States presidential election of 1884. They
switched parties because they rejected the financial corruption associated with Republican candidate
James G. Blaine. In a close election, the Mugwumps supposedly made the difference in New York state and swung the election to Cleveland. The jocular word
mugwump, noted as early as 1832, is from
Algonquian (Natick) mugquomp, "important person, kingpin" (from
mugumquomp, "war leader")
[1] implying that they were "sanctimonious" or "holier-than-thou,"
[2] in holding themselves aloof from party politics.
The last thing was Chicken Giblets. I guess there is a chance I'm stupid for not knowing what this word meant or it just means my Mom and Dad never ate these and as a result I was unfamiliar with them. This word was in the poem "chicken giblets" from page 188 of "Betting."
Definition: In the culinary arts, the word Giblets refers to the heart, liver and gizzard of a chicken or other poultry.
Sounds pretty gross to me. I guess if you eat them growing up then they are quite delicous.