" IN PETTO."
[To THE EDITOR OP THE " SPEOTATOR...]
SIR,—The misuse of the phrase in petto referred to by Dr. J. P. Steele (Spectator April 27th, p. 677) appears to be such a. case of Italianized French as is described in Mr., Carmichael's book "In Tuscany," those who use "in petto" as equivalent to "in miniature" being apparently under the impression that the Itittirm 'Ina: the French • petit; 1-lettcr is derived.
.from the Latinepeoftee &c.
To quote' from,. Mre. Carmichael's book (publislieci by J. .4urrayi 1001)e.on p. 110 he writes • "'A great invedinuniti., to acquiring Tuscan, is the cleverness, ',land' especially the :courtesy; Of. the Tuscans, themselves. They "read your wants without any need of speech, and if you make a mistake are even, capable of .adopting. it for the sake of saving • i,your fhe4ingeei- Ith16 Of the first happy thouglite ofithe beginner is to Itrilianize Freuch words, It answers, so often. Ile knows, to begin, with; that ef lea ehangee the French -sau, into -slZo (e.g., agneau, agnate) or the French -cur into -ore (e.,g„ voyeur, vapo ro'.,) ho will probably be right. He is tempted to soar • beyond these ascertained rules; garcon-, gal:tens; jardin, ; hier, ieri ; jamais; eiamanai; how smoothly the system . Works ! lie goes into pitzicheria and asks the price of (earthen) giamboue, pointing to a small juicy ham of the basentino Quests etheinhene; says the courteous ehopman, 'costa novante centesimi la libbrei' Theeham is bought on the spot and sent home. The Cook. is asked what she thinks of the giamboae. `The whet?-' sheasks irehewilderf3d astonishment. 'The giambone which I myself sent, home from the pizzicheria." Ah!' she gasps 4016getiansi;•., it is excellent °Muttons ! Will the signore have some of it fried With: eggs, after the manner of the Americans ? ' And-so, thanks' to an •infamons. conspiracy of courtesy between a ellopmeae, a cook, parlourmaid, and a servingenan it was six months before I Found out that there was no such word in the Mower' tongue as UitInIVOILO, and that the Italian for ham was
TrOstiuttol . •
Anning'sti, writers Wh6 have used or misused in petto as id minintnre are Rudyard Kipling,(Hon. Litt.D.), who says
'Of one of his Characters in " Kim " (p. 311) that " he repre- ,
'tents in petto India in transition " ; and Mr. Stanley Lane- Poole (Litt.D.) in his book; " The Barbary Corsairs " (" Story dettlye " Series), writing (p. 309) of the occupation of `Ttinis 'by 'ale Preneh (1891) says, "It was the history of Algiers in,petto!' The 'Pintos described St. David's College, Lampeter, as a• " university in petto " on the occasion or the visit of Archbishop Temple-iii1202 Or ID03: ThereAreeitifeeeniteb to the subject in the ninth series of 4' Notes and Queries," vols. viii., ix., x., and xi., starting from a query of my own in the number for November 30th, 1901.—I Atit, Sir; 404 C. S. HAREM.
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