tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post7251503024936225252..comments2024-03-28T07:47:45.855+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: 2011 UK-to-US Word of the Year: kettlinglynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-39048195715513886742015-01-03T12:53:29.835+00:002015-01-03T12:53:29.835+00:00Roger
When the word was translated from German it...Roger<br /><br />When the word was translated from German it lost all historical associations. And <i>kettle</i> has nothing but benign connotations in Britain. <i>"Let's put the kettle on and have a nice cup of tea."</i><br /><br />When kettling was first employed and reported on, the word suggested a less confrontational, and certainly less violent tactic than blocking protesters with a line of riot police, or firing tear gas at them. <br /><br />(We didn't use water-cannon, well not on the mainland of Great Britain. And, of course, the use of firearms was out of the question.)<br /><br />Kettling has since acquired a rather less positive image but nothing like the connotations you ascribe .David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-2092559223961421032015-01-03T12:52:17.429+00:002015-01-03T12:52:17.429+00:00Roger
When the word was translated from German it...Roger<br /><br />When the word was translated from German it lost all historical associations. And <i>kettle</i> has nothing but benign connotations in Britain. <i>"Let's put the kettle on and have a nice cup of tea."</i><br /><br />When kettling was first employed and reported on, the word suggested a less confrontational, and certainly less violent tactic than blocking protesters with a line of riot police, or firing tear gas at them. <br /><br />(We didn't use water-cannon, well not on the mainland of Great Britain. And, of course, the use of firearms was out of the question.)<br /><br />Kettling has since acquired a rather less positive image but nothing like the connotations you ascribe .David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-26341149473431062572015-01-02T21:40:42.438+00:002015-01-02T21:40:42.438+00:00Albert surely has to be right. Einkesseln ("k...Albert surely has to be right. Einkesseln ("kettling in" or enclosing in a pocket) was an element of Blitzkrieg, particularly evident on the Eastern Front. Enemy strongpoints were surrounded and bypassed pending their destruction. To me it suggests a more violent attitude than corralling, both because of that historic association and because even to those uninterested in mil history it has connotations of building up pressure.Roger O'Keeffenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-86486684616865738082012-10-17T00:41:05.920+01:002012-10-17T00:41:05.920+01:00I have never heard this word in my life! I guess i...I have never heard this word in my life! I guess it has not made it to the St. Louis area!Mindo14https://www.blogger.com/profile/11511666650523998608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-22572884583235140982012-02-15T17:07:17.495+00:002012-02-15T17:07:17.495+00:00My guess is that the German use of "Kessel&qu...My guess is that the German use of "Kessel" in policing is descended from or related to its military usage for the surrounding and isolation of large military forces occasionally rendered in English as "cauldron" in WW2 narratives - http://bit.ly/xbeRTv - although "pocket" is the normal terms for that sort of situation (e.g. the Bryansk pocket and the Falaise pocket).Albert Herringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05195446593237255598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-24648620448460977792011-12-30T12:56:02.263+00:002011-12-30T12:56:02.263+00:00'Kettling' is also used by birdwatchers to...'Kettling' is also used by birdwatchers to describe flight behaviour where birds (esp. birds of prey) will circle in the air, on thermal updrafts.<br /><br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kettle_%28birds%29quirkycasehttp://wildatiiith.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-33126563029676689942011-12-27T14:34:17.323+00:002011-12-27T14:34:17.323+00:00Off the top of my head, the reason why "kettl...Off the top of my head, the reason why "kettle" is better than "corral" in this context is its connotation of boiling.<br /><br />Corral people (or cattle) and you're just herding them into an area. Kettle them and you're turning up the heat and putting them under pressure -- and if it's not handled well, things may explode.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-55994199471163711662011-12-22T18:10:35.583+00:002011-12-22T18:10:35.583+00:00I don't know a gully from a ravine, i.e. am pr...I don't know a gully from a ravine, i.e. am pretty clueless about geographical terms so I don't know the proper word for a narrow valley that is closed off. Apparently basin is not quite right.<br /><br />And the German newspaper quotes from 1986 are related to the fact that the first big <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburg_Police#Controversies_and_incidents" rel="nofollow">controversial use of kettling</a> happened that year. (English in that wiki link is badly translated.)sista_rayhttp://sister-luck.dreamwidth.org/readnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-69892972071826493222011-12-22T17:57:33.322+00:002011-12-22T17:57:33.322+00:00The German connection sounds very feasible - the (...The German connection sounds very feasible - the <i>(Polizei-)Kessel</i> tactic is well-known here and British and German police frequently exchange notes especially about how to tackle football hooliganism. There were bi-national patrols during the World Cup in Germany.<br /><br />I'm not entirely sure that the word comes from the tea-kettle <i>Kessel</i>, there is also <i>Talkessel</i>, literally valley kettle which is about a narrow valley or basin and fits more with the idea of restricting movement.sista_rayhttp://sister-luck.dreamwidth.org/readnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-87641708071006622342011-12-21T11:25:43.089+00:002011-12-21T11:25:43.089+00:00yes roger u are right ...yes roger u are right ...NCDEX Todayhttp://ncdex-today.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-24845747658354040062011-12-21T11:21:57.080+00:002011-12-21T11:21:57.080+00:00Yes, I see your point re Occupy, though I think it...Yes, I see your point re Occupy, though I think its use this year was a bit more nuanced. Maybe I wasn't reading the right things, but I've never heard the word kettling until this blog.Roger Owen Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05298172138307632062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-8714021107842779282011-12-21T03:03:24.768+00:002011-12-21T03:03:24.768+00:00I had no idea! Have always used corral myself. But...I had no idea! Have always used corral myself. But I'm an Aussie and we just steal from eitehr UK or US as suits our needs :).<br />Looking forward to tomorrow's installment. I'm sure to learn a new word.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com