Word o the Week Baste Aficionados of the wilderness of cookery shows so beloved of television schedulers world-wide will be familiar with the word “basteâ€. For the uninitiated, it means to keep meat or other food moist during cooking (usually roasting) using gravy, butter or other liquid. In my mind, it is a technique most commonly associated with the preparation of fowl, particularly turkey at festive times like Christmas. I have also come across another Standard English meaning for “baste†relating to tailoring and meaning the use of loose and large temporary stitching prior to assembling the final finished product. For the Ulster Scots speaker, “baste†has a number of meanings. In an agricultural setting, especially in animal husbandry, the term “baste “is most often applied to cattle, such as a bull, a cow, a bullock or a heifer. Mostly but not exclusively; so for instance, an unwell dog or cat might be referred to a sick baste. Indeed, any animal in a poor state of health or appearance (or in any condition which might elicit pity) could be called a “poor basteâ€. Those who labour on the farm may be heard talking about “moving the bastes tae anither field†or “takkin the bastes tae marketâ€. These uses might be described as formal; the informal use of “baste†is wider. Someone prone to overindulging in pleasures of the flesh might well be accused of “makkin a baste o themsels†as could anyone exhibiting attributes more common in the animal kingdom, perhaps showing a lack of manners or consideration. Those Ulster Scots who adhere to the philosophy proclaimed by an old neighbour of mine who contended that “watter maks ye wake†(contact with water saps your strength) and hence avoid washing and generally neglect their personal hygiene are the very embodiment of a “dirty basteâ€. Similarly defined as “dirty bastes†are those whose sense of humour tends to the saucy, even the risqué. An ill-judged snigger or other inappropriate laughter can reveal the inner “dirty baste†of the most staid individual. Courting deemed too enthusiastic by one of the participants or involving suggestions generally thought to be beyond the pale in polite society may result in people finding themselves described as “dirty bastesâ€. While I am not prepared to be more specific, I feel I can safely leave the precise details of this last to the imaginations of any “dirty bastes†might be reading this. You know who you are.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 12:12:46 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015