posted 05-08-2011 10:47 PM            

This is an interesting sign at the Wentzville, Missouri flea market. The sign reads “No dogs or pets on leashes on flea market grounds”. One could assume that dogs and pets are allowed without leashes. The English language is wonderful, but sometimes imprecise.

The rest of the flea market proved exciting with the following finds. The pitcher and bowl are silver plate, but it is nice to find petty objects at flea market prices. The little spoon is coin silver from the 1840s by a St. Louis silversmith and usually spoons of this type are hard to find.

The flea market sign reminded me of another sad occurrence in our language. Sometime ago the English expression “he went missing” crept into the American language and we have even extended this nonsense by our own creation of “he went dead”. Sometimes I think that only silver makes sense.

I hope all Mothers had a great weekend.

posted 05-10-2011 09:32 PM            

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Originally posted by adelapt:
But what's the point of a flea market without the dogs and cats to keep them on?

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Maybe it isn't what it seems but only what it sounds like.

From Ask Yahoo:

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After several unprofitable starts, a search on "flea market term" turned up the goods, sort of. It proved to be one of those tricky etymology questions that's almost impossible to answer with certainty. Nevertheless, we did uncover three plausible suggestions for the origin of "flea market."
The first theory, and the one most popular on the Internet, proposes that the term is a direct translation of the French March� aux Puces, a large, outdoor bazaar in Paris. This original market earned its name from the critter-infested goods it was rumored to sell.

The second theory alleges that the term was coined at a time when the slums and alleys of Paris were demolished and replaced by new construction. The dealers in second-hand goods who lived and worked in these old neighborhoods were forced to flee. The merchants' new gathering place was referred to as the "flee market," which later became "flea market."

The final theory associates the term with New York City's 18th century Fly Market. Apparently, the Dutch name for the market was vlie, which means valley but is pronounced "flea."

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