On The Cornish

[Guest RichardT]

I remembered this like a bolt out of the blue, that is to say, my grandmother, whenever something was said to be on the mantelpiece it was spoken of as 'on the cornish'. Does anyone else remember this expression or indeed has any idea how it came about? Thank you.

[dunsbyowl1867]

Hello Richard

I do remember family using that, especially my grandparents.

I assume it come from this word - "Cornice"?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornice

[Guest RichardT]

Thanks for that, probably so derived from cornice. My grandmother/grandparents almost spoke in a foreign tongue compared to today. Like with behaviour too. A rather unsavioury tip I had given to me was to always walk on the right hand side of a lady so that you didn't have to spit across her to reach the gutter. Urghhh. The Good Old Days? It is debatable! Oh, and I apologise for my grandmothers advice, you will be glad to know I never practised it!

[hilldweller]

I remembered this like a bolt out of the blue, that is to say, my grandmother, whenever something was said to be on the mantelpiece it was spoken of as 'on the cornish'. Does anyone else remember this expression or indeed has any idea how it came about? Thank you.

It's a term I still use myself sometimes.

The old Yorkshire Ranges usually had a "cornish" made of a slab of stone or more usually slate supported on two corble brackets fixed to the vertical uprights.

Most people had a wooden cover which slid over it to make it look more presentable.

My grandparents went one better and had a fancy fabric cover which hung down the front of the wooden gizmo.

This was made of the sort of thick green fabric that people used to cover the best-room table with. It had a series of elaborate tassles hanging down.

Of course the inevitable happened and it caught fire one day and singed the wallpaper on the chimney breast.

When my grandfather died, someone threw his GTN spray on the fire and that did rather more damage. (GTN = Glycerin-Tri-Nitrate), rearrange the glycerin and the nitrate (nitro) :o

HD

[gibbo47]

still use the term myself my son in law from rotherham thinks it hilarious when i say

something is on the cornish.

[Guest dig6]

Another angle on the origin of the word - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corniche

one of the most famouus corniche roads is the one between Nice and Monaco, which I believe was the inspiration for naming the rolls royce corniche car

[Guest shelagh scholfield]

My grandmother used to say (cornish) and when I first thought about it years ago I presumed it was short for cornish stone.Were mantel pieces made of stone?Just a theory.

[ukelele lady]

My grandmother used to say (cornish) and when I first thought about it years ago I presumed it was short for cornish stone.Were mantel pieces made of stone?Just a theory.

I still say cornish and when I tell my grandson to " put it on the cornish" he will walk around with

the object in his hand wondering where the devil I mean.

[Guest RichardT]

My grandmother used to say (cornish) and when I first thought about it years ago I presumed it was short for cornish stone.Were mantel pieces made of stone?Just a theory.

I wonder if originally it was something similar to cornish but has changed through dialect and accent over the years? Mantel pieces were made from several materials I think, stone, wood or marble to name a few. Cast iron as well I think.

[Guest binsted71]

I wonder if originally it was something similar to cornish but has changed through dialect and accent over the years? Mantel pieces were made from several materials I think, stone, wood or marble to name a few. Cast iron as well I think.

Could it have been a corruption of cornice?

[Guest RichardT]

Could it have been a corruption of cornice?

Derivative! That's the word (I think though I have doubts now.....) I'll settle for corruption, thank you.