It's the Elgar piece, probably with some LP box-set notes, that had me knowing about the mighty hunter. If asked yesterday I would have guessed Greek or Germanic mythology.

His Wikipedia page is fascinating.

Elgar's less popularly well known outside of the UK, so I'll go out on a limb and guess that the original inspiration for the Elmer Fudd reference was most probably the biblical one. At that time in the US, any churchgoing sort (and that would have been just about everyone) would have been familiar with the name even if the story didn't stick in the memory. And apparently it didn't, because it all went astray from there.

There's a small town in Minnesota called Nimrod, with a population of 69 as of the last census. The smart alecks would say small wonder; people are obviously too embarrassed to live in a town with a name like that. The citizens probably do get a fair amount of grief over it.

_________________
"Time is the wisest counselor of all." - Pericles

"I remain not entirely convinced of it." - Nano

Was watching a foodie show segment about an English-cuisine restaurant in the US; all the iconic items like fish and chips, roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, etc. are served up in veddy English fashion*, and the place does a brisk business. It's owned and run by an Englishman who missed his home fare - hence this little bit of England in the States - and doubtless the staff have ample exposure to Right Pond pronunciation standards, because the owner's usually there, and hands-on. Apparently there's a bit of tone-deafness on our part, though: a server announced a dish that included "Yorkshyre pudding".

We're incorrigible.




* Well, they do make a concession for those Yanks who will absolutely die without Tartar sauce for their fish. The very idea.

_________________
"Time is the wisest counselor of all." - Pericles

"I remain not entirely convinced of it." - Nano

[/quote]
There's a small town in Minnesota called Nimrod, with a population of 69 as of the last census. The smart alecks would say small wonder; people are obviously too embarrassed to live in a town with a name like that. The citizens probably do get a fair amount of grief over it.[/quote]

Nimrod is a stop on the Crow Wing River. A state waterway and a nice canoe venue that starts with the eleventh Crow wing Lake and meets the Mississippi near Little Falls. Nice trip if you have time.

I grew up as a young lad in a family uprooted from Essex and transplanted into the north central US. This made me bi-lingual. English and a strange mix of American/Scandinavian/German. Honestly to this day I am torn between the need to invade, raid, or plant a garden.
I can say when in grade school it is best to lie and say ice cream is your favorite desert when the teacher asks. Being honest and saying you like a spotted dick with golden syrup will result in get a face to face with the principle. It is a surreal experience to have your parents try to explain pudding to an righteously angry Norwegian.

Also note early on that in America saying something is bugging you or someone is a bugger refers to someone being annoying. Like a bug or stinging insect. Not something anatomically disturbing. This will prevent more awkward moments.

Then there's that. It also conveys a difficult or trying situation: Upon asking about a repair, for instance, you might hear, "It was a real bugger," which is a pretty commonplace usage. Personally, I'm much less likely to use the noun "bugger" in direct reference to people, and instead use it to describe my time with them. No idea why; I'm guessing it's just the way I heard it most, and followed suit.

Had my first canoeing experience with fellow Scouts on the Crow Wing Water Trail; we took a few days at it, so there was plenty of time to master the craft, and it made an avid canoeist out of me. The wild rice stands out most in that distant memory.

_________________
"Time is the wisest counselor of all." - Pericles

"I remain not entirely convinced of it." - Nano