In your list of the synonyms of “nonsense”, you mentioned blather twice.
admin:
March 5th, 2013 at 6:56 pm
Blather, blank out, repeat. Fixed it. Thxsbye.
C S Wellman:
September 23rd, 2019 at 10:16 am
Forgive me for my lack of references, but along the way I had been convinced that the terminology actually came from flimsy and flamboyant. Is there any truth to tha or is my recollection faulty or coincidental?
Angela White:
March 6th, 2021 at 10:41 am
Rigmarole does not mean nonsense.It means something long and complicated.
It originates in a Medieval game called ‘rageman’ or ‘ragman’ where players pulled a string from a long scroll which contained descriptions of characters, which were probably bawdy. Whichever string was pulled, the player had to read out the description. It seems to be an early form of Consequences.
The name was later used for legal documents and treaties which had ribbons and seals of the signatories attached. The most famous of these was the 1291 Oath of Allegiance of the Scottish nobility to Edward I which had over 2,000 seals attached. This type of document was known as a ‘ragman roll’ because of the number of seals and ribbons attached to it.
By the 16th century, a ‘ragman roll’ was a list. It is believed that the expression was of Kentish origin.
Over time, the expression came to mean a long and rambling communication. The spelling changed over time too, becoming ‘rigmon rowle’ in the 18th century.
Now it means a long and overly complicated process and it is spelt ‘rigmarole’.
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Sandbox:
August 4th, 2012 at 3:56 pm
In your list of the synonyms of “nonsense”, you mentioned blather twice.
admin:
March 5th, 2013 at 6:56 pm
Blather, blank out, repeat. Fixed it. Thxsbye.
C S Wellman:
September 23rd, 2019 at 10:16 am
Forgive me for my lack of references, but along the way I had been convinced that the terminology actually came from flimsy and flamboyant. Is there any truth to tha or is my recollection faulty or coincidental?
Angela White:
March 6th, 2021 at 10:41 am
Rigmarole does not mean nonsense.It means something long and complicated.
It originates in a Medieval game called ‘rageman’ or ‘ragman’ where players pulled a string from a long scroll which contained descriptions of characters, which were probably bawdy. Whichever string was pulled, the player had to read out the description. It seems to be an early form of Consequences.
The name was later used for legal documents and treaties which had ribbons and seals of the signatories attached. The most famous of these was the 1291 Oath of Allegiance of the Scottish nobility to Edward I which had over 2,000 seals attached. This type of document was known as a ‘ragman roll’ because of the number of seals and ribbons attached to it.
By the 16th century, a ‘ragman roll’ was a list. It is believed that the expression was of Kentish origin.
Over time, the expression came to mean a long and rambling communication. The spelling changed over time too, becoming ‘rigmon rowle’ in the 18th century.
Now it means a long and overly complicated process and it is spelt ‘rigmarole’.