The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1952-12-05
Just Among Ourselves
psssins Comment Considered or ineonsiderste

The TV newsman full of "er's" and "ahs and
backtrackings and corrections told of something
that was to happen "at noon that is, at high noon"
Someone asked, How high can noon get?" An
other remarked, What would low noon be, won
der?" third person. interfering serious note, sent
us reluctantly to the dictionary
Now believe it or not, Websers Unabridged,
named POLITICALLY by Mr. Dooley as "Webster's
Ona-bridge dicton'ry" has not word to say about
the expression high noon" However, there is this
about trip to the dictionary it is always reward
ing If you can't find the thing you are after, or If
YOU lose the argument that sent you to heaving the
big book out of its place on the shelf you are sure
TO hit upon interesting and valuable matters TO
console and gladden. you
The dictionary is like good shop; If you do not
find what you want you may have a wide choice of
attractive substitutes You are not limited, as was
Mark Twains diner at the desert stagecoach station
in the old west This poor lad gwen his range
of selection in the following terms IF you don't
like mackere help yourself to the mustard"
But Webster led 1897 has no enlightenment
TO bestow on the origin and meaning Of the term,
high noon" Do need new book? Surely high
noon was good journaese before 1887 AT all
events we looked up high" and found many an IN:
interesting compound including High Mass"
mandng jttrtd Webster, incense music deacon and
subdeacon But did not find high noon"
Turning TO the word noon we found abund-
ance of information, but no reference at all 10
noon that was is or can be high We found Tor
instance that the word moon" comes to our Ian
quage from the Latin mona, meaning the ninth hour
Now the ninth hour is really p m Long ago, Ca
thoc monks-those quaint and curious creatures
OF whom modern pSeudo1educaiors ike TO speak
patronizngly,-calle the part of the DIVINE Office
chanted at 3 p m. by the name of the hour itself
that is none or unaccountably puralizing, nones.
Later none or RoneS was were chanted al midday,
and from this fact the word noon sweety soft cor
ruption of none) came TO have It's present meaning.
There's piece of information for you. Webster
never lets you down
But il was high noon" we were after and high
noon" we could not find Lots of highs" and loads
Of moons" but no enlightenment at ali upon The
precise point of our inquiry. 20 dark, dark, DARK
amid the blaze of noon. Darkness IS ntoleraDle,
and we turned to the light of coniecture,-a dim
and spluttering squb-to show us a possible way
No man who pretends to degree of education is
in these days long baffed by any problem OF logic
NJ language You always find enlightenment
IL you ask the right person-thai s the irst person
YOU see He will have solution for your problem
whether he has ever heard of it not So we asked
and so we we're informed.
sHieh noon" said our informant leaning back
and placing his fingertips carefully together, Is
"manifeSty ia great argument, that mdnueStfBi q
sure "clincher'9 an expression Tor eTnct noon u
fixes an event as happening precisely at midday.
Noon Is a rather loose or indefinite word il means
merely the time of dav when most people break oil
work and take lunch II covers period OF al least an
hour-rsay from II 80 to 1890, or from twelve TO
one o'clock But high noon fixes not only the hour
nfo ofNaEF
but the minute; II means exactly weNe O'CLOCK
Well likely our informant is right manifestly
so But why does Webster who leaves no stone un'
turned (asd you wouldn't believe how many words
ne has found under Stones) to make his tis's com
plete-why VIC repeat does webster seuuiously
avoid discussing high noon? lie certainly mas
avoided il and we cannot help feeling that ne dlo
il sedulousy And sedutoHstg torig. l.. Sedefe, to
sit~l means that he sat right down to It, determin.
edly like college man who squares his Jaw and SITS
down at his desk with sdamsntine resolution to
master the morrow's assignment-ss soon as nc
has finished his Pogo book
Manifestly then Webster sedulously avoided this
word Doubtless (another great argument
doubtlessl he had antipsthy for IT. We can un
derstand that Some words STIR us TO an IN
dipnation amounting to frenzy, such words a.
brunch for example or slogan or Snlog II eyef
we write a dictionary,-and who knows?-these
horrible words will not be in it. A dictionary should
Of course be complete. But, after all, even :
photographer has his principles
Let US in The manner of our finger tapping
friend explain the omission of high noon from the
otherwise complete word list of Webster. The editor
~ charge of ''hs" Tor would II be that m man.
rlan..z nj the clock. and finds confirmation fol
what an inner urge has suggested. namely that l
is time to eat "Its noon he remarks. But not hgl
noon" chrps precise lady with glasses and al
acidulous Phi D. expression. That does the trick NJ
high noon" will ever get into that mans lists. Th'
heck with it, High noon, indeed!
Manifestly, we have here The explanation oi tn
missing word We need not buy 4 new dictionary
And we think we shall have pop at the pulps wit
story called The Case of the Missing Altitudlr
Gus Midday"
sunorhodox derivation.