the early hours are the best time to get ideas. today I am much occupied with ‘short shrift’. Where does the phrase come from. What is ‘shrift’? Is it the past tense of ‘shrive’. If so, is ‘shift’ the past participle of ‘shive’ – as in ‘tut and shive’ which is I believe a pub name?
|I reach for the dictionary which happens to be by my bed.
Shrift: (orig) penance, absolution, confession.
short shrift: short time for confession before execution. summary treatment of a person or matter.
Shift: …(OE sciften – to divide, allot)
Shive: a slice (of bread), a thin cork or bung
So, yes, shrift has a similar relation to shrive as shift has to shive, or perhaps a mirror image.
I have just done a shift at Projectile, pulling pints and heating pasties (wholemeal, veggie). I’m sure I had recourse to a shive – whether on the barrel, or the plate. But I haven short shrift to chz-swann
Random Pen 