When Mr Turner is eating his supper during his first visit to the Booth boarding house, Mrs Booth mentions "shackles" referring to the food which is being eaten. I looked up "shackles" but found only the obvious meaning of chains, bonds, etc. Does anyone know what this mysterious dish might be? Whatever it is, it is salty. Herrings? I copied the line from the screenplay.
shareJust found the answer myself in the Oxford English Dictionary online:
shackles, n.
Pronunciation:
/ˈʃæk(ə)lz/
Etymology: Probably < shackle-bone n.
dial. and slang.
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Broth, soup, or stew.
1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. Shackles.., broth. Every mornin' my old 'ummun makth me a basin o' shackles, and her knowth how to make 'em too, mind, way a plenty o' liks (leeks) in 'em.
1909 W. H. Davies Beggars xiii. 104 The following are a few slang words used by beggars…soup—shackles.
1931 ‘G. Orwell’ Hop-picking in Coll. Ess. (1968) I. 70 New words (i.e. words new to me)... Shackles, broth or gravy.
1969 Telegraph (Brisbane) 29 July 2/4 Mr. Coppard records how one night he stumbled on a field kitchen and enjoyed a wonderful meal of schackels, a soup made up from leftovers.
Interesting, I wondered the same haha
some old vernacular
I was amused that after his follow-up to her, something like "It can never be too salty for me," she giggled as if he'd said something risqué.
Perhaps in those days "salty" meant what "saucy" does now…?
@morganmf - a dictionary definition of "salty" is "coarse, racy".
I understood what Mrs Booth meant when she said it, and I laughed.
I haven't looked it up but my explanation for the etymology of "salty", as used in the film, would be that it relates to the larger-grained salt (sea salt or kosher) known as "coarse salt". Coarse salt, being large in particle size, is more noticeable to the palate (that is more upfront, more dramatic in taste) when it is used in or on foods than a finer grained salt, like table salt. That is desirable in some instances but in many recipes/uses, the increased saltiness would be found to be harsh and unpleasant.
Like chefs/bakers, people use strong/vulgar/swear-laden/cussing/risqué language to add flavour, to be more dramatic, to add emphasis, to be bold and perhaps impertinent.
Mrs. Booth saying "It can never be too salty for me" just means she likes flirty, racy banter.
Salt of the earth, in fact! :-)
shareHaving read definition of shackles I am probably reading too much into it but it could also signify shackles in his personal life (estranged wife children and grandchild, distant fleeting indiscretions with his maid/housekeeper) the shackles could also refer to thing he's unwilling to hold him back...
share