Thursday Thirteen--13 Words for sheep
Feminist librarians say naming (cataloging and classification) is a form of power. Yawn. Librarians always say that about information, i.e., knowledge is control, power, etc. That's why they have such fabulous salaries and get government appointments. Ha. But other professions besides librarians and government bureaucrats also name by gender, role, age, economic value, hierarchy, etc., too. Like sheep farmers. One time I saw a list of 50+ English words for sheep (most of New Zealand and Australian origin where sheep are essential to the economy), only a few of which I remember. Here's a few I found on the Internet . . . plus a poem. Just because I'm a formerly powerful librarian.
1) buck - uncastrated male sheep
2) dam - sheep mother
3) ewe - female sheep of breeding age
- Two tooth ewes (not pregnant)
5) wether - male sheep castrated at an early age before secondary sexual characters have developed. A bellwether is a sheep with a bell leading the flock (also called a mob).
6) hogg - a sheep up to the age of one year; one yet to be sheared
7) hoggett - castrated male sheep usually 10 to 14 months old.
8) lamb - young sheep still with its dam (mother) or up to five months of age. Qualified as
- ewe lamb or
ram lamb or
Cade lamb - regional term for an orphan lamb
10) Gimmer - regional term for a young ewe that has not yet born a lamb.
11) Tegs - regional term for fat lamb in second season
12) Theaves - another regional term for a young ewe up to first lambing.
13) Tups or tips - male sheep, usually an entire breeding male ram
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My sheep poem
by Norma
Buck, dam,
Ewe, lamb,
Wether, hogg,
Hoggett, ram--
Yearling,
Gimmer,
tups, tegs, tips,
Theaves, shearling--
Waltz Matilda, waltz!*
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*Waltzing Matilda is Australia's unofficial anthem. The spell check says it has never heard of any of these words.
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7 comments:
Nifty list. I learn something every day. I'd hate to be a wether though.
Blogger's spell checker is THE most lame spell checker I've ever encountered.
Who knew there were this many words to describe sheep? I had no idea they had so many classifications either. I need to get out more!
I have a special TT today about everything happening on my blog on Saturday for Blogathon 2007! Hope you'll stop by!
Happy TT!
Jessica The Rock Chick
I learnt so much from this post.
Huh? Who knew?! Too cute!
Thanks for the list of names for sheep, I knoew some of them but most were new to me. The precision and specificity of language can be amazing sometimes.
and who better to rhyme sheep with... be you a kiwi or an aussie????
this is my first time here,,, and i am delighted!!!!
Always something new
It's what we get
When we read ewe.
Until this read, my knowledge of sheep is limited to Mary, Baa-baa & Liddle lamzy divey!
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