"Yare" is defined primarily as the quality of responsiveness in a watercraft, i.e., having a quick helm. I have usually used it in its second definition: ready, ship-shape. I remember a little drive-in near Detroit called the "Dipsy-Doodle" back in the early 1950s. An American slang dictionary has documented it back to 1946 as referring to a dip in the road, particularly with a roller-coaster-like quality. I've heard it used to describe a bobbing, weaving movement. Regionally, the Northern Oriole is called a "dipsy-doodle" due to its distinctive flight pattern. I found that "tump" is a British term referring to a clump of grass or tussock. Apparently it bears no etymological relation to "tump-line," which I have used for years to describe a strap used to carry a load on the back, by passing it around the forehead. You could "tump" your kayak when portaging it, by hooking a tump-line to the bow and dragging it, leaning forward against the load. Dan Harrison, word junkie *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Fri Feb 23 2001 - 10:57:45 PST
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:38 PDT