英语词汇mother carey-s chickens的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

Mother Carey’s chickens. Mother Carey’s chickens is a mys- tery because no real Mother Carey has ever been found. But many etymologists uphold Brewer’s theory that the phrase is a corruption of the Latin Mater Cara (“Dear Mother”), another name for the Virgin Mary. However, in the absence of evidence, Ernest Weekley’s conclusion in The Romance of Words still seems best: “Mother Carey’s chickens, probably a nautical cor- ruption of some old Spanish or Italian name; but, in spite of in- genious guesses, this lady’s genealogy remains as obscure as that of Davey Jones or the Jolly Roger.” The sea birds are also called petrels.

词汇	mother carey-s chickens
词源	Mother Carey’s chickens. Mother Carey’s chickens is a mys- tery because no real Mother Carey has ever been found. But many etymologists uphold Brewer’s theory that the phrase is a corruption of the Latin Mater Cara (“Dear Mother”), another name for the Virgin Mary. However, in the absence of evidence, Ernest Weekley’s conclusion in The Romance of Words still seems best: “Mother Carey’s chickens, probably a nautical cor- ruption of some old Spanish or Italian name; but, in spite of in- genious guesses, this lady’s genealogy remains as obscure as that of Davey Jones or the Jolly Roger.” The sea birds are also called petrels.
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