Letter 14, Post 2

Sunday 4 August 2013

To Cassandra, from Steventon, "I took liberty a few days ago of asking your Black velvet Bonnet to lend me its cawl, which it very readily did, & by which I have been enabled to give a considerable improvement of dignity to my Cap, which was before too nidgetty to please me.-I shall wear it on Thursday, but I hope you will not be offended with me for following your advice as to its ornaments only in part-I still venture to retain the narrow silver round it, put twice round without any bow, & instead of the black military feather shall put in the Coquelicot one, as being smarter;-& besides Coquelicot is to be all the fashion this winter.- After the ball, I shall probably make it entirely black.- Jane Austen, Tuesday 18-Wednesday 19 December 1798

Okay, cawl is a Welsh stew, so, Jane Austen must have been referring to caul which Dictionary.com has as two of it's definitions, "a net lining in the back of a woman's cap or hat" and "a cap or hat of net formerly worn by women." This is an old word from the 1300's.

A rare meaning of "nidgetty" is trifling. A Google search seems to give Jane Austen credit for this word, as this letter comes up for most of the entries. I think I will try to add this word to my vocabulary!... nidgetty...I like it.

Perhaps this is an example of what the military feather would have looked like.

Coquelicot is a color of red. So she must have been wearing black and red to the ball, Humm.

I hope you enjoyed your day today!
Terrie