Post #3964455
2026-07-20 15:42 UTC
Realised complete scans of Dr Samuel Johnson's original 1755 dictionary are available free on Wikimedia Commons. So, of course, the first thing to check is whether he included "Sausage". And he didn't, although "Saucisse" sounds like it's closely related.
Messrs. Curtis and Elton (Blackadder The Third, 1987) nailed it.
Replies (3)
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@Dalillama@tsukihi.me 2026-07-20 16:39
@_thegeoff@mastodon.social Saucisse is indeed related, being French for sausage, but it's not an English word and never has been, no matter what Johnson said
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@_thegeoff@mastodon.social 2026-07-20 15:52
Does make me wonder if there were facsimile copies available in the 1980s, or whether Curtis/Elton actually got their hands on an original at some point and went looking for funny words that were missing.
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@AndorianSoup@mastodon.social 2026-07-20 15:51
@_thegeoff@mastodon.social Interesting how saucisson is the modern French word for sausage, but is here listed as some kind of military equipment. Now I am curious to know more