Date:  Wed, 7 Dec 1994 18:07:28 -0500

From:  "Peter L. Patrick" <PPATRICK[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]GUVAX.BITNET>

Subject: Re: Offensive Sayings "from" PEI -- Last Post



More on this horse-watering subject.

    This is linguistics-by-translation, but Romani gypsies in

northern Europe have, or used to have, a similar expression used by

the men when they were going outside the caravan to the edge of the

campgrounds to urinate: "going to look at the horses". Anatomical

comparisons aside, I assumed the connection with horses is that you do

it outside of your own walking/cooking/etc area, which is also where

you tether horses (who have no such scruples, but never seem to step

in anything either).

    This earthshaking info was gleaned from a book I no longer

have, autobiographical account by a Scandinavian (Dane?) who ran away

with a gypsy group at age 12 and lived with them for years. I don't

remember the author, only that it vanished when I had to get rid of 25

boxes or so of books a year or two ago, along with other gems.

    --peter patrick