The Fixers Collective-Darn those Socks!

The Fixers Collective is a social experiment in improvisational fixing and mending. Our goal is to increase material literacy in our community by fostering an ethic of creative caring toward the objects in our lives. The Collective grew out of this year’s exhibition at Proteus Gowanus entitled MEND, presenting art, artifacts, books and events focusing on fixing, mending and remaking.

click here for more on the Fixers' Collective and Proteus Gowanus Gallery
Image courtesy of The Knitting Doctor

Cock a Snook

Meaning

A derisive gesture.

Origin

In trying to explain the origin of 'Cock a snook' it would be helpful to know what a snook is. Unfortunately we don't really. There is a species of fish called snook, but it isn't that, unless there's a form of derisive gesture that I've had too sheltered an upbringing to be aware of. A snook is also a promontory of jutting out land. That could have something to do with the gesture as it does involve sticking fingers out. Apart from this single phrase, snook isn't a word you would expect to hear very often. It is sometimes reported to be derived from snout, as in thumbing one's nose. That's possible but, although snout and snook are somewhat similar, why didn't they just 'cock a snout'. That term doesn't appear to be recorded.

The general understanding of what's meant by 'cock a snook' is the spread hand with thumb on the nose, preferably with crossed eyes, waggling fingers and any other annoying gesticulation that comes to mind at the time. It's what the Americans call 'the five-fingered salute'.

The use of cock is also difficult to explain. Again it might refer to the sticking out and turning up of the fingers. That would be in line with the term cocked-hat in which the brim is turned up jauntily. It could also be a reference to the shape of a cock's comb, which is rather like the shape of the gesture. It took some time for the gesture as we now know it to be established - various other forms were used in the past.

The first reference I can find that mentions the phrase is Wynne's Diary, 1791:

"They cock snooks at one on every occasion."

That gives no clue as to what was meant by the term. The next time we see it is in Augustus Hare's The story of my life, 1879:

"If I put my hands so ... (cutting a snooks), they might reproach me very much indeed."

This provides little more clarity. Is 'cutting a snooks' even the same thing? Then, in The Times, 1904, we have "The young monkey puts his tongue in his cheek and cocks a snook at you.", which makes no reference to any sort of hand gesture.

All in all, this is an odd phrase and we know precious little about its origin.
Above quoted with thanks from Phrases.org a site that digs deep into the origin of phrases

Artists in Beijing Respond to the Financial Crisis

The financial meltdown has stimulated a serious reconsideration of artistic practices and resulted in a re-evaluation of Beijing’s hyper-commercial art scene, a not entirely negative development. In fact, many are enjoying a more pensive art world that seems focused on the return of creativity and independent artistic ideas to contemporary Chinese art.
Read more...
artists in Beijing

Letter to the Bank #22

Dear Bankers, 4/1/09

Is a Zombie Bank the same as a dead possum? That is my question of the day. I passed a dead possum this morning that was so dead maggots were crawling out of its eyeballs. Still I fully expected it to jump up and run away as soon as I was around the corner. That is kind of what the banks keep doing. They are all so big they can’t simply lie down and die. Then again if they don’t put on a good act of doing so the government won’t come in with those delicious tricks to revive them. Possums are so good at pretending to be dead one tends to suspect they aren’t dead even when their guts are all over the road. We've grown that used to things being surreal.

I have a suspicion that despite all efforts by the President to harness populist outrage the end result will be some form of collective impotence—not a happy prospect. We will no doubt be left holding not only our own debt but that of the banks as well—swell.

As you are well aware at this point (if you ever pay any attention) my missives are full of ire, laced through with fury. My writing has always contained the seeds of that metaphysical anger that just cannot come to terms with the irrevocable fact that the world is an unfair place. The built in injustice of the whole shebang just gets my goat. That injustice is now no longer playing possum but is dancing around spitting in our eyes yelling: “We are too big to die!” and so, by default, saying: “You are too small to live”, which you have to agree is not very nice.

So a certain populist joy at the prospect of one huge car manufacturer floundering, flapping its fins about on the beach, going down (naturally dragging thousands of hard working people down with it) is, if not excusable, understandable. This is one of those rare David and Goliath moments. As the masses stare into the dying light of the day allow them some small pleasure in the rare spark of a fire fly lighting up the dusk in the off season. Oh I know I’m being dramatic. There is always Art to soothe the Soul and it is accessible to everyone any day of the week unlike your once venerable institutions. Still I suppose if our lives are dreary we’ve only ourselves to blame. But…and there is always a But…could you at least stop trying to make them grimmer?



K. Citizen

April Fool! Of course I love the Banks! Really—dare I do otherwise?

PS—I’ve dated this letter though usually I am loath to do so—just to prove it is April Fool’s Day.
PPS—I did receive your letter—more loathsome I have to say than any of the letters I've ever sent you.