Читать книгу The Pawky Scot - Graham Moffat - Страница 3
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FOREWORD.
Canniness grew up during the centuries of Scotland's poverty when extreme thrift was a necessity. To the present generation it comes as an inherited gift. In Aberdeen it almost amounts to genius.
The origin of pawkiness is less obvious, but it can be traced back to the stern preaching of the seventeenth century, when it was considered sinful to make a joke consciously, or to laugh at one. It was obviously dangerous even to see one. Determined to run no risks our cautious forefathers avoided all appearance of joking, but developed an earnest truthfulness of speech together with a self-revealing candour and quaintness of expression which never deserted them even in the more serious crises of life. This we call pawkiness.
Take equal quantities of pawkiness and canniness and you have the recipe for Scottish humour.
