Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 11:05:17 -0500

From: Mark Mandel Mark[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]DRAGONSYS.COM

Subject: Re: Feist and Cur - Additional info required -Reply



From

dennisr dennisr[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MGL.CA 0910.0415

[...]

The term "feist" and "cur" often are referred to as a dog of uncertain

bloodlines. However certain feist and cur dog varities have been

preserved in Appalachia and Southern Ontario Canada that are bred for

purpose since the 1700's and have been registered since 1980.

[...]

Goethe (he hated dogs) in "Faust" refers to the word.





Considering that Goethe wrote in German, what's that got to do with it?

My (admittedly not exhaustive) G-E dictionary lists "feist" only as an

adjective meaning 'fat' or 'obese'. If Goethe did indeed use "Feist" as a

word for a kind of dog, it may have etymological relevance. If the word

occurs in an English translation, then of course it bears not on Goethe's

usage but the translator's.



Mark A. Mandel : mark[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]dragonsys.com

Dragon Systems, Inc. : speech recognition : +1 617 965-5200

320 Nevada St., Newton, MA 02160, USA : http://www.dragonsys.com/