totorum

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jaap_toorenaar
AsterIX Druid
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Registriert: 1. April 2006 11:09
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totorum

Beitrag: #Beitrag jaap_toorenaar »

hello,
as a non-english person I wonder why the Roman castra Babaorum is called Totorum in English. Rum will be the alcoholic liquor, but toto?
Jaap
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Jochgem
AsterIX Elder Council Member
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Registriert: 13. November 2001 11:58
Wohnort: Leiden, The Netherlands

Re: totorum

Beitrag: #Beitrag Jochgem »

As a non-english person I had to look on the internet for suggestions:

Asterix Annotations ( http://asterix.openscroll.org/roman-camps.html )
Totorum: Torturous or "Tot o' rum". Later references to "Delerium" in "Asterix in Spain" suggest the first interpretation. In the original French the camp is called 'Babaorum' (baba au rhum = rum cake). This points to the latter interpretation.

Torturous means "causing torture" or "painful in a cruel way."
( http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000264.htm )
The Royal Navy continued to give its sailors a daily rum ration, known as a "tot," until the practice was abolished after July 31, 1970 ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum )

My votes are for the second option.

Jochem
Hendrik Jan

Asterix in 100+ translations at: http://www.asterix-obelix.nl/manylanguages
jaap_toorenaar
AsterIX Druid
Beiträge: 851
Registriert: 1. April 2006 11:09
Wohnort: Leiden Niederlande

Re: totorum

Beitrag: #Beitrag jaap_toorenaar »

interesting - thank you!
Jaap