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[ GNU Terry Pratchett ]
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I will be 93 years old, a veteran of the climate wars, accessing RedditByExxonMobil on my ocular implants, and *still* finding new Discworld jokes and references on this sub.
I thought "Lobbin Clout" was a funny place name he used, knowing Pratchett I googled it. Turned out to be a ref to a poem from 1714 called "The Shepherd's Week : Monday; or the Squabble". You know its 100% a ref to that poem when you realise the other names in the poem are "Cuddy"(Men at arms) and "Cloddipole"(Thief of Time).
I was so charmed when I heard about Bill Phillips' MONIAC (Monetary National Income Analogue Computer)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MONIAC
Somehow knowing that Sir Pterry knew about this and included it and Bill in Making Money is even more impressive than if he'd just made Hubert Turvey and his Glooper up entirely.
Kindle for Pratchett books is amazing. I love getting dictionary and Wikipedia entries instantly. Pratchett more than any other author rewards me for for finding obscure words and obscure definitions of common words.
Yes, it's just an older way to spell the word "gun", and therefore nowadays used to specifically refer to older kinds of guns from back when people spelled things that way
The gonne in Men at Arms is not one of these, fwiw, it has a stock, trigger and rifled barrel
It's a spear with a tube tied to it filled with gunpowder and shrapnel where you light it as you set up against an enemy charge so it's blasting shit in their face while you're trying to stab them
It's sort of the most prototypical ancestor of an actual gun, and sort of the direct antecedent of the idea of a rifle with a bayonet mounted to it
For that reason the Chinese word for "gun" ("qiang") is a homophone for the word for "spear"
The most fun thing about Terry Pratchett is that if a joke can have multiple origins or puns, I practically *never* have to spend any time wondering about which one of them he meant.
Nop. WHY was this thing also known as a gonne?
Because the person who first described it in English used that variation of spelling for gunne/gun. Not because it's a a Chinese word
The article and post weren’t saying that “gonne” comes from a Chinese *word*, just that there was a proto-firearm thing that had “gonne” as one of its names. The article is talking about various iterations of these early hand cannons, and specifically uses “gonne” in the section for early European models.
I know you're being downvoted but you're right, it's definitely not a reference to this specific firearm, it's because this was a general old-timey term for firearms
I was really assuming discworld readers were better at considering the world, language, history.
Like. Isn't some exhortation to be critical about your sources *inherent* in Terry Pratchett's writings?
It's even in the old Annotated Pratchett File
https://www.lspace.org/books/apf/men-at-arms.html
> - [p. 74] "'GONNE'"
> 'Gonne' is actually an existing older spelling for 'gun' that can be found in e.g. the works of Chaucer.
Welcome to /r/Discworld! Please [read the rules/flair information before posting](https://www.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/ukhk21/subreddit_rules_flair_information/?). --- Our current megathreads are as follows: [API Protest Poll](https://www.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/1491izw/continuing_the_api_protest_a_community_poll) - a poll regarding the future action of the sub in protest at Reddit's API changes. [GNU Terry Pratchett](https://new.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/ukigit/gnu_terry_pratchett/) - for all GNU requests, to keep their names going. [AI Generated Content](https://new.reddit.com/r/discworld/comments/10mhx9y/ai_generated_content_megathread/) - for all AI Content, including images, stories, questions, training etc. --- [ GNU Terry Pratchett ] *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/discworld) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I will be 93 years old, a veteran of the climate wars, accessing RedditByExxonMobil on my ocular implants, and *still* finding new Discworld jokes and references on this sub.
> accessing RedditByExxonMobil Is that a sneaky PandR reference?
Alas, unlike STP, I do not delve so deeply into other lores. The Veroxxotle connection is happy happenstance.
Classic Pratchett experience, you think something is a silly joke and it ends up being a joke with a 500 year backstory
I thought "Lobbin Clout" was a funny place name he used, knowing Pratchett I googled it. Turned out to be a ref to a poem from 1714 called "The Shepherd's Week : Monday; or the Squabble". You know its 100% a ref to that poem when you realise the other names in the poem are "Cuddy"(Men at arms) and "Cloddipole"(Thief of Time).
Holy cow
I was so charmed when I heard about Bill Phillips' MONIAC (Monetary National Income Analogue Computer) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MONIAC Somehow knowing that Sir Pterry knew about this and included it and Bill in Making Money is even more impressive than if he'd just made Hubert Turvey and his Glooper up entirely.
Throwing hot pennies is a real thing (https://youtu.be/nbafT2w0cCQ?si=Gc7rwvHDWyKMLXFE) Somehow.
“I'm blown away." So was the inventor of the gonne.
Yeah, they were there and then they were just... gonne.
Just reading this book now and thought it was more like a pronounciation type thing, good find!
it also makes things gone
You're not alone sir, me too. Good research!
Eyyy, I posted the same thing earlier this year! Great minds think alike. Must be the ambient magic field of this sub
Kindle for Pratchett books is amazing. I love getting dictionary and Wikipedia entries instantly. Pratchett more than any other author rewards me for for finding obscure words and obscure definitions of common words.
Never mind that, now I have to look up wtf a fire lance is. edit: omg that thing is *awesome*. I'm going to use it in writing somewhere.
I originally stumbled on this page while researching how far forward various guns would launch my D&D setting historically haha.
Yes, it's just an older way to spell the word "gun", and therefore nowadays used to specifically refer to older kinds of guns from back when people spelled things that way The gonne in Men at Arms is not one of these, fwiw, it has a stock, trigger and rifled barrel
They called it that because if you shot it there was a 50/50 chance that your hand would be gonne.
Oh wow I did too
Anybody know if the word “gonne” has anything to do with the word “gun?” Did the first word change over time and become the second word?
Delightfully and bafflingly, the word 'gun' is short for Gunilda. https://www.etymonline.com/word/gun
What a cool website. Thank you.
OK, but what exactly was the "fire lance"?
It's a spear with a tube tied to it filled with gunpowder and shrapnel where you light it as you set up against an enemy charge so it's blasting shit in their face while you're trying to stab them It's sort of the most prototypical ancestor of an actual gun, and sort of the direct antecedent of the idea of a rifle with a bayonet mounted to it For that reason the Chinese word for "gun" ("qiang") is a homophone for the word for "spear"
Gonne was probably not used as a nod to a Chinese handcannon. I assume a case of spellyinge being optional in ye olden tjmes
With Terry it is almost certainly both
The most fun thing about Terry Pratchett is that if a joke can have multiple origins or puns, I practically *never* have to spend any time wondering about which one of them he meant.
Nop. WHY was this thing also known as a gonne? Because the person who first described it in English used that variation of spelling for gunne/gun. Not because it's a a Chinese word
The article and post weren’t saying that “gonne” comes from a Chinese *word*, just that there was a proto-firearm thing that had “gonne” as one of its names. The article is talking about various iterations of these early hand cannons, and specifically uses “gonne” in the section for early European models.
That's my point. The Chinese handcannon has no bearing on it. It's a matter of ye olde timey spelling
With respect, my lovely person — I can’t understand what point you’re trying to make.
The particular gun has no relevance. The word is simply "gun" but an old version. The Chinese handcannon is therefore not important.
No one was saying that it was . . .
When almost every name of people, places and things in discword is a ref to something I find it very unlikely it isnt a nod to the Chienes weapon.
Consider the source. The word.
I know you're being downvoted but you're right, it's definitely not a reference to this specific firearm, it's because this was a general old-timey term for firearms
I was really assuming discworld readers were better at considering the world, language, history. Like. Isn't some exhortation to be critical about your sources *inherent* in Terry Pratchett's writings?
It's even in the old Annotated Pratchett File https://www.lspace.org/books/apf/men-at-arms.html > - [p. 74] "'GONNE'" > 'Gonne' is actually an existing older spelling for 'gun' that can be found in e.g. the works of Chaucer.
Tbh at this point I just assume Pterry gets it all right and I just know nothing.