Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2013 November 29

Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

November 29

What is the meaning of "pecker?"

Is the meaning of "pecker" penis or pianist in the next passage? Please teach me. Thanks in advance.

    Thus it was that Danny wrote another page of musical history ---
    winning Grammies in both the classical and jazz categories in a
    day. Indeed, as Count Basie himself was overheard to remark, he was
    "a lucky little pecker."---Erick Segal, The Class, p.218.114.176.241.111 (talk) 03:09, 29 November 2013 (UTC)yumi

• "Penis". It is a self-disparaging remark made so the speaker doesn't appear to be an arrogant little prick. μηδείς (talk) 03:35, 29 November 2013 (UTC)

French meanings

Hi. What's the difference in meaning between "sottises" and "betises" (sorry about accents I don't seem able type them in this window). Thanks.184.147.136.249 (talk) 11:45, 29 November 2013 (UTC)

They're almost synonyms. My dictionary gives the same definition for both, and in both cases lists the other term as its first synonym. In day-to-day usage, I can't think of a meaningful difference between the two: they're both mainly applied to the doings of children, they tend to refer to small stupid things done or said, but then the phrases "une grosse bêtise" or "une grosse sottise" are both current for more serious blunders. --Xuxl (talk) 12:41, 29 November 2013 (UTC)

The etymologies suggest a connection with drunkenness for sottise and a connection with beastliness for bêtise, but I'm not sure how much relevance that has for the current-day meanings of the words... AnonMoos (talk) 15:51, 29 November 2013 (UTC)

Thank you for a very well-thought-out and useful answer!184.147.136.249 (talk) 00:08, 30 November 2013 (UTC)

What is the original Japanese version of this Chinese translation?

The Wikipedia article The Peach Blossom Fan is using this as a source:

• Aoki, Masaru 青木正儿 (2010) [1930], Zhongguo jindai xiqushi 中国近代戏曲史 ["History of early modern Chinese musical plays"], translated from Japanese by Wang Gulu 王古魯, Beijing: Zhonghua shuju 中华书局, ISBN 978-7-101-06444-5 {{citation}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |author-name-separator= (help).

What is the title of the original book? What is the kanji of the author? ISBN? Who published it?

Thanks WhisperToMe (talk) 18:11, 29 November 2013 (UTC)

The original title is 支那近世戯曲史/Shina kinse gikyoku shi. The author is 青木正児. See [1]. The Chinese translation (1933) is available at here. Oda Mari (talk) 19:21, 29 November 2013 (UTC)

Thank you! WhisperToMe (talk) 19:22, 29 November 2013 (UTC)

Chinese help: The Peach Blossom Fan

Not all of the characters in The_Peach_Blossom_Fan#Character_List have their Chinese characters. Is anyone interested in finding the rest? WhisperToMe (talk) 19:23, 29 November 2013 (UTC)