OT-CHAT: first water (was HIST: Lord of June)
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: OT-CHAT: first water (was HIST: Lord of June)
- From: s*@aristotle.net (J. Michael, Celia or Ben Storey)
- Date: Thu, 22 Jan 1998 16:22:31 -0700 (MST)
John asks
>There does remain one question though, if you could. What does "amateur
>grower of the first *water*" mean?
>
"The first water" is an expression meaning top drawer, first flight, elite,
excellent, that sort of thing. The Oxford English Dictionary traces it to
antique descriptive terms once applied to diamonds and pearls.
"Water IV. 20: The transparency and lustre characteristic of a diamond or a
pearl. The three highest grades of quality in diamonds were formerly known
as the first, second and third water; the phrase *of the first water*
survives in popular use as a designation of the finest quality, often
applied to jewels generally."
OED adds that equivalent phrases are found in all the modern Roman and
Teutonic languages; the phrase may have originated in Arabic metaphors
associating water and splendor.
celia
storey@aristotle.net
Little Rock, Arkansas, USDA Zone 7b
-----------------------------------
257 feet above sea level,
average rainfall about 50 inches (more than 60" in '97)
average relative humidity (at 6 a.m.) 84%.
moderate winters, hot summers ... but lots of seesaw action in all seasons
