Put Up Your Dukes

Gorgeous though baby Finlay James is I immediately thought of the phrase Put Up Your Dukes when I saw the photo. He looks like a bare knuckle fighter squaring up for a fight. Being an inquisitive kind of a girl I then had to look up on the net the origins of the phrase and this is one explanation.


What we do know is that put up your dukes was known by 1874 - the first record of it that I can find in print is in John C. Hotten's 1874 edition of A dictionary of modern slang, cant, and vulgar words:

"Dooks, or dukes, the hands, originally modification of the rhyming slang 'Duke of Yorks,' forks = fingers, hands... The word is in very common use among low folk. 'Put up your dooks' is a kind of invitation to fight."

Hmm I am not much wiser now but never mind. Does this mean I am common low folk because I use this expression?

I had to post my tests for bowel cancer back today and had the delight of walking half a mile to do so. The Post Office decided long ago to rip out the post box near to my house. Perhaps we just weren't posting enough letters in it. Anyway when I got there there is a temporary restriction piece of plastic bolted over the letterbox but as it still had a narrow slit in it I took the chance and posted my letter through the small gap. I didn't fancy an even longer walk to the main post office. I hope that it wasn't screwed over the posting slot because of the immanent postal strike but was there to prevent the darling little louts in the making who live nearby posting fireworks through the slot as has happened in the past. Either way I hope that my letter reaches it's destination in the 14 days allocated before the test results become compromised. I don't fancy having to repeat the whole procedure. Apparently they let me know the results in about 3 weeks.

Yesterday I made enquiries about whether I should have the swine flu vaccine as well my normal flu vaccine and was told that I wasn't high priority. The fact that I use a CPAP machine to keep me breathing during the night isn't classed as high priority. That's funny because my respiratory specialist told me it was imperative that I have a flu vaccine and keep it up to date but obviously the receptionist knows better! She helpfully suggested that next year I will be eligible for one because of my age. Excuse me madam but hopefully next year this swine flu will be a thing of the past. It's now that I need protection. I didn't manage to get an appointment for a normal flu injection as the clinics are all booked up with people having the swine flu jab. I just can't win. She said I had to try again next week and see if there was an appointment for then.Why she could not book me an appointment for next week I don't know.

I have started the second sleeve of my niece's chunky jacket and turned the heel on the second sock. I have stayed in and knitted this afternoon as the rain has barely ceased all day. I did manage to creep out between the showers to post my letter but had just got home again when the heavens opened.

According to the local paper the trams are supposed to be back up and running into the city centre. Thank goodness for that. My knee really didn't like having to tramp from Victoria Station (where the trams stopped during the line repairs) up into the centre of Manchester, Thank goodness that I can now get right into the heart of the shops once again. well provided that there are no other problems.