"Cul - de sac" - French, read on....
I've chanced upon a "John Cul - de - sac"In England this phrase is used for roads with no exit "closes"
I think it literally means "bottom of the sack"?? but what has that got to do with roads?? Help!
vote up1vote down

Replies

age of use of this expresion and what were they called before cul de sacs???
vote up1vote down
This is a *names* site!Please don't clutter up the board with general etymology questions as that is not what this board is for. I suggest you find a dictionary related or French language related board to ask this question on.
ChrisellAll we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.
vote up1vote down
If the person lived a long time ago, it could be nickname to show that he was the John who lived near (or in) the cul-de-sac, and not the John who lived by the river or near the castle...
~~ Claire ~~
vote up1vote down
Hey, that's a Catalan set phrase, too! And yes, it means "bottom of the sack" and it's used for roads with no exit because, as in the bottom of a sack, you can't go anywhere from a road with no exit, right? Does it make sense?
It's also used to express the end of an action, and other things that I can't think of right now...
I think it's a kinda funny expression... but as a surname? It must be hard to "wear"!!!
Eva
vote up1vote down
Hey, Eva......I see you like the name Queralt - I've never heard that before, but I really like it! Is it Catalan? What does it mean?
vote up1vote down
QueraltYes, Queralt is a Catalan name for girls. Actually, it's a name of a marian sanctuary near Berga (a town in the Barcelona Province): Mare de Déu de Queralt (Our Lady of Queralt).The toponyme of "Queralt" comes from the Catalan Quer ("large rock, crag" in Catalan toponymes) + alt ("high").
The name day is 8th September.
http://www.ajberga.es/queralt/santuquer.htm (in Catalan)Lumia
vote up1vote down
Lumia! Are you Catalan?? Queralt is such a lovely name! Most of the "mares de Déu" names are really nice, imo!
That's what my book of Catalan names says about Queralt (trying to translate from Catalan, sorry for the mistakes):
"Very ancient name, probably related to the pre-Roman toponym word "Car", formed very posteriorly with the Nordic termination "Ald", "old". It can be translated for "old rock", although the incorporation of the second component might be produced when the first had already lost any proper meaning. It's also a marian dedication, refering to the Virgin of the sanctuary of this name -(the sanctuary near Berga of which Lumia was talking about)-."Oh, and the pronunciation (more or less): kuh-RAHL(t), with a soft -r-, the "t" hardly sounds. I didn't knew that Quer means "large rock, crack", it's my father's second last name!
Hope that makes sense!Eva (Who loves talking about Catalan names!!!!)
vote up1vote down
Moltes Gràcies!I love the Catalan language, want to learn it. :)
vote up1vote down