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What does 'rond' mean?


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Posted by Robin Selby on September 19, 2018 at 09:30:26 user RobinSelby.

There is the following passage in The Big Six:

‘The fields were below the level of the river and the Death and Glories, marching along the rond that kept the river from overflowing, looked down on feeding cattle and horses…’ (Jonathan Cape, 2005, p98).

‘Rond’ is an odd word here. The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘rond’ as a ‘stick, or piece of firewood’. The OED omits mention of the rond anchor, which is commonly used on the Norfolk Broads. Ransome obviously means ‘dyke’ or ‘sea wall’. It may be a piece of Norfolk dialect, but it is difficult to imagine that Ransome used a word that would be meaningless to his readers, when it was far easier to say ‘dyke’. If it is a typographical error, it is equally difficult to imagine what word Ransome intended to use. ‘Road’ is the nearest word, but that is plain wrong. I have asked OED what they think, but this is evidently not one of their highest priorities.

Any views?

While I have pen in hand, so to speak, I thought I would list a few typos and oddities:

‘…a rope Captain Flint had borrowed from the porter’. (Peter Duck, p20, Jonathan Cape, 2004). Why did Captain Flint need to borrow a rope from the porter, when the Wild Cat had plenty of rope?

‘There was an old inn at the bend the Swan.’ (Coot Club, p27, Jonathan Cape, 2005).

‘leant Roger her torch.’ (Pigeon Post, p248, Jonathan Cape, 2004).

‘there was cheerful moment.’ (Great Northern?, p48, Jonathan Cape, 2005)




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