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Re: [Phys-l] Ancient rib tales




spare-rib, turn-of-the-seventeenth-century term
which owes its existence to folk etymology.
Of course spareribs are neither lean nor superfluous, they just
sound that way. Actually, the English "sparerib" (a cut of pork separated
from the bacon strip) was cooked up from "ribbesper",
a Low German term for pickled pork ribs roasted on a spit."


http://www.freelists.org/post/lit-ideas/Adams-Spare-Rib-and-His-Navel


bc now wonders from where ribbesper came.


On 2009, Apr 03, , at 06:16, chuck britton wrote:

from today's THE STRAIGHT DOPE 04/03/2009 www.straightdope.com

A Straight Dope Classic from Cecil's Storehouse of Human Knowledge
Do women have an extra rib because Eve got one of Adam's?
June 3, 1977

Dear Cecil:

Is it true that women have two more ribs than men do? If so, could
this be the origin of the biblical story about how Eve was made from
Adam's rib? And while we're on the subject, what does the word
"spare" refer to in "spare ribs"?

— Bobby V., Chicago

Cecil replies: