"sended" & "immaculate purity"

[szaroczek]

Hello everyone in New Year! Just an easy one at the beginning.

When the floor in an inn (tavern) is "thickly sanded, but of no immaculate purity" would that mean it is covered with a lot of send (not just polished or clean with it) and NOT very clean...? If this is the case, why is there "but" between both statements (which seems to suggest that thickly sanded floor SHOULD in fact be of "immaculate purity")?

Thanks.

[emsr2d2]

Hello everyone in New Year! Just an easy one at the beginning.

When the floor in an inn (tavern) is "thickly sanded, but of no immaculate purity" would that mean it is covered with a lot of send (not just polished or clean with it) and NOT very clean...? If this is the case, why is there "but" between both statements (which seems to suggest that thickly sanded floor SHOULD in fact be of "immaculate purity")?

Thanks.

I thought you said it was an easy one!

I, for one, have no idea why the writer seems to think that a thickly sanded floor should, by definition, also be of immaculate purity. In fact "a floor of immaculate purity" sounds very odd to me.

I can't see any reason why he used "but" not "and".

[konungursvia]

It's a hard one. But let's remember that the big cities of Europe were once very unhygienic; floors, in simple dwellings or public houses were often just beaten dirt covered with threshes of dried grass (up to the threshold, which kept this material in)...

So I think this place, as there was lots of beer and vomit being spilt, must have used sand to cover the surface of the floor, perhaps of unfinished wood, to hide the "accidents."

In Canadian schools, custodians clean the tiled floors with sawdust and a dry mop, some of the time; at a bar here, where pistachios were served (or some similar nut) the policy was to pour all of the shells onto the floor, so we all tread on them and created a crunchy but dry surface underfoot.

Just a guess.

[emsr2d2]

I must admit that I was stupidly thinking of "sanded" as meaning "flattened by use of a sanding implement" (like when you sand floorboards), as opposed to meaning actually covered in sand. That's why I thought "thickly sanded" was a strange phrase anyway. I'll go away and get some sleep I think!

[szaroczek]

It's a hard one. But let's remember that the big cities of Europe were once very unhygienic; floors, in simple dwellings or public houses were often just beaten dirt covered with threshes of dried grass (up to the threshold, which kept this material in)...

So I think this place, as there was lots of beer and vomit being spilt, must have used sand to cover the surface of the floor, perhaps of unfinished wood, to hide the "accidents."

In Canadian schools, custodians clean the tiled floors with sawdust and a dry mop, some of the time; at a bar here, where pistachios were served (or some similar nut) the policy was to pour all of the shells onto the floor, so we all tread on them and created a crunchy but dry surface underfoot.

Just a guess.

Are you kidding me, man! Did people once really do such things??? That was disgusting!!! (And I thought I had a mess in my room... ) It, however took place in America (not in Europe), which I believe didn't change a lot, since Europe (British) customs and culture (? ) were probably transmitted there directly with Europe colonists...

[bhaisahab]

Are you kidding me, man! Did people once really do such things??? That was disgusting!!! (And I thought I had a mess in my room... ) It, however took place in America (not in Europe), which I believe didn't change a lot, since Europe (British) customs and culture (? ) were probably transmitted there directly with Europe colonists...

The plants, not just grasses, that were used for the purpose mentioned by konungursvia, were called "strewing herbs" because they were "strewn" on the floor. Have a look at this link: Strewing herb - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[szaroczek]

Thanks God I live "today"!

But anyway, we shifted this subject to "hygienic" plants, which of course are closely related and definitely great to know about, but that "sand" issue and its influence to purity of the floor still remains an unsolved mystery...

So, in the context of the above discussion here is my proposal of interpretation: Send in this case acted in a similar way as "strewing herbs" (except emitting ' fragrant or astringent smells' and serving 'as insecticides or disinfectants'), but the place was such a mess, that even great amount of it couldn't have made the job done... How about it. Sounds reasonably?

[konungursvia]

History of housekeeping, household antiques, domestic objects

[bhaisahab]

It's "sand" not "send".

[bhaisahab]

I've never heard of sand being used in this way. At one time it was common for pubs (taverns) to have sawdust on the floor.