Gipsywort or Gypsy-Wort (Lycopus europaeus) is a perennialherb of the family Labiatae with a creeping rhizome and a stiffly erect, unbranched, square stem. The numerous leaves are opposite, lanceolate to elliptic, short-stalked and deeply toothed. The lower leaves are pinnately divided. The flowers are small, white and arranged in dense whorls in the axils of the upper pairs of leaves. Gipsywort resembles mint, but may be distinguished by its lack of smell, lobed lower leaves and tight whorls of whitish flowers. Gipsywort is found in Britain in ditches and on river banks. It is so named on account of yielding a dye formerly said to be used by the Gypsies (Romany) to render their skin darker. Research Gipsywort
George Borrow was an English writer. He was born in 1803 at Dumpling Green, Norfolk and died in 1881. He had a passion for foreign languages, stirring scenes, and feats of bodily prowess. He associated much with the gypsies, and acquired an exact knowledge of their language, manners, and customs. As agent of the British and Foreign Bible Society he travelled in France, Germany, Russia, and the East; spent five years in Spain, and published The Gypsies in Spain (1841), and The Bible in Spain (1842), the best known of his works. Other works are Lavengro, largely autobiographical (1850), The RomanyRye (1857), Wild Wales (1862), and Dictionary of the Gypsy Language (1874). Research George Borrow
The Jat are an ethnic group living in Pakistan and north India, and numbering about 11 million; they are the largest group in north India. The
Jat are predominantly farmers. They speak Punjabi, a language belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-European family. They are thought to be related to the Romany people. Research Jat
The Romanys (or Roma) are a nomadic Caucasoid people, also called Gypsy or Gypsies in English countries as they were once thought to originate from Egypt. They were called by the French Bohemiens, from the belief that they were Hussites driven from Bohemia; in Germany the general name was Zigeuner, which is not unlike the Italian Zingari. They are believed to have originated in north west India, and live throughout the world. The Romany language (spoken in different dialects in every country where Gypsies live) is a member of the Indo-European family.
Romanys are remarkable for the yellow brown, or rather olive colour, of their skin; the jet-black of their hair and eyes, the extreme whiteness of their teeth, and generally for the symmetry of their limbs. The typical Romanys rarely settle permanently anywhere, but lived in tents or caravans, traditionally wandering about working in wood and iron, making domestic utensils, telling fortunes, practising tricks, etc. Their talent for music is remarkable, and some of their melodies have become the much-valued property of other nations, or are incorporated in some of our favourite operas. They have no peculiar religion.
The Romanys first appeared in Germany and Italy about the beginning of the 15th century. At that time they wandered about in hordes with a commander at their head. In the Austrian States, where they were very numerous, Maria Theresa formed the plan of converting them into orderly citizens. But her ordinances that they should dwell in settled habitations, practise some trade, and send their children to school remained to a large extent ineffectual. In England the Romanys first appeared about the beginning of the 16th century, and notwithstanding severely repressive enactments on the part of the government continued to maintain themselves as tinkers, mat and basket-makers, etc. In Scotland they were more favourably received, and frequently intermarried with the natives. The town of Yetholm, in Roxburghshire, was once a sort of headquarters for the race, and almost exclusively inhabited by Romanys. Considerable numbers of the British Romanys emigrated to America, where they settled amongst the people and lost their distinctive characteristics.
Romanys have suffered widespread persecution throughout their history in almost every country they have visited. During the Second World War Romanies were also exterminated by the Nazi regime and in Switzerland, Romany babies were forcibly removed from the parents and adopted by non-Romany families until 1973, in an effort to prevent the spread of the Romany population. The Romany tradition has many taboos (for example, when bathing separate towels must be used for drying the upper and lower parts of the body) which, not being understood by non-Romanies lead almost all Romanies to consider non-Romanies as unclean and as such marriage between Romanys and non-Romanys has always been very strongly discouraged by Romanys. Research Romany
Talaat Pasha was a Turkish politician. He was born in 1872 and died in 1921. Of Romany origin he was a telegraphist in the Adrianople post office before later attracting the notice of Enver Pasha and becoming the leading spirit of the Committee of Union and Progress. From 1909 until 1911 he was minister of the interior, took part in the Balkan Wars, and in 1913 was again minister of the interior. In 1916 he became Grand Vizier and was a Turkish delegate at Brest-Litovsk. He left Turkey after her downfall and was assassinated by an Armenian in Berlin in 1921. Research Talaat Pasha
London Cockney slang is mainly comprised of: 1) Words from Romany, such as 'chavvy' a child, and 'mush' a friend. 2) Words from Yiddish such as 'gazump'. 3) Minced oaths and euphemisms, such as 'Blimey' from God blind me. 4) Armed forces slang picked up in Asia and consisting of Arabic and Hindu words such as 'bint' which is Arabic for a girl. 5) Abbreviations sometimes with 'o' appended, such as 'aggro' aggravation. 6) Back slang, such as 'yob' a boy. 7) Run together phrases such as 'wotcha' originally the greeting 'watch cheer!'. The origins of Cockney rhyming slang are unknown, the general rumour is of a thieves' code, but no evidence exists of such a code and it is more likely to find its origins in early 20th century word play so popular in London during the 1930s. Research Cockney Slang
Abbreviations
Research Hickory Dickory Dock
