First of all, I’d like too announce that next Monday will mark a pretty cool milestone around here–1,000 posts! Woot! I’ll have to think up some fun way to celebrate. Ideas welcome. 😉
Second, don’t forget that if you haven’t pre-ordered yet, A Hero’s Promise (Culper Ring 2.5 ~ free short story) goes live on Wednesday at midnight! Pre-order and it’ll download automatically then.
And now, a word of the week. =)
I was designing a book cover with a bustle on it, which inspired me to look up the word. Not surprisingly the verb bustle dates back pretty far–all the way to 1570. It meant “be active,” and actually came from bustling, which is from the century before as an adjective. The adjective meant “noisy activity.”
The noun form followed by 1630 with the expected meaning of “activity, stir, fuss, commotion.”
So then, how about the padding in a skirt? Well, that arrived on the scene in the 1780s, though from where and how no one’s quite sure. Speculation is that its rustling sound inspired the name bustle, but it’s also possible that it came from the German buschel, which means “bunch or pad.” Either way, it was a key part of women’s fashion for well over a hundred years.
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.
Oooh – thanks for the reminder of the wonderful gift that will appear on my Kindle tomorrow. Can't wait!
I actually COULD use the extra padding LOL. Thanks for the lesson, as it were 🙂
I'm with you–I love the old fashions! And loved getting to incorporate a slice of this one. =) If I can't wear them, I can at least live vicariously through our characters!
I love it! Not that I want the extra padding, but sometimes I wish we still dressed that way. Some of the dresses are so beautiful. Like the one shown above! 😉