"Cloister"

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I also posted this to Tumblr, but not everybody reads it. Today’s Word of the Day in my email was “cloister.” Now I know the meaning of it, but reading it made me realize something just now:

1. to confine in retirement; seclude.
2. to confine in a monastery or convent.

Not only is it a natural mispronunciation of Lister’s name, it’s an accurate description of the rest of his life, more or less, in just about every stage - confined, imprisoned, frozen, etc. How did I never notice this? Did anyone else and I'm just slow?

Besides the obvious hilarious meaning, I read somewhere some time ago that "rimmer" is a slightly different-spelled version of either Old or Middle English "rimer," which you can figure out somewhat by phonetics - "rhymer" or storyteller, for a broader definition. I guess if you want to be REALLY super meta you could say Rimmer goes through a lot of changes and "lives" a long time in different forms (human, hologram, space hero - which carries with it its own iterations of disguise/change of personality Ace needs to be best suited to the situation at hand) ... so he's constantly rewriting his own story and showing up in the stories of a LOT of other people.

Or, knowing Grant Naylor, they just meant it to be ass-licker.

Comments

[rosecathy1.livejournal.com]

There's a commentary or interview somewhere in which Grant Naylor say that they didn't know at first what rimming meant. Who knows, though. It could be like the Windass family on Corrie — "Windass" may seem like it was chosen for ridicule, but it (like Rimmer) is also a reasonably common name that the showrunners might have come across at school.

[janamelie.livejournal.com]

I actually can believe Rob and Doug when they say they didn't know - I certainly didn't when I first watched it and I can't remember anyone I knew remarking on it. I don't think the word's used in that sense in the UK or at least wasn't back in the 80s.

It is very appropriate for Rimmer though, both in the sense that he's a natural suck-up and the fact that many of us head canon him as gay or bi. (I say "many" because I'm sure there's someone here who considers him asexual or aromantic. Anything apart from straight.) ;)

[laurenthemself]

I'd really like to do a fic sometime where one of the Aces is asexual. Partly for the puns and partly because it would be interesting to see how well I can make that work out since Ace is traditionally such a lothario.

[cimorene (from livejournal.com)]

I just a few days ago read Kahvi's "Believing It's Not Butter" which is an ace Ace ficlet featuring Talkie Toaster - although she didn't exploit the pun-tential, really.

[janamelie.livejournal.com]

Yes, I like that fic. Always room for more though. :)

[cimorene (from livejournal.com)]

Definitely! The juxtaposition with the Casanova-ness of the Ace persona sounds particularly interesting...

[janamelie.livejournal.com]

I read that and had a vision of him telling men and women separately that his bread's not buttered on that side, then eventually they compare notes and that's the catalyst for either his self realisation or his public coming out as ace with a small "a". :)

People are welcome to use that if they like.

[cimorene (from livejournal.com)]

Maybe that's what the Ace in Kahvi's ficlet has been telling people as well XD. Would fit in nicely with his comment to the toaster about bread without any butter whatsoever.

[lordvalerymimes.livejournal.com]

Seconding this. Even though I was well-aware of the term when I watched the show, it never clicked with me until I was very far into the series. Plus you hear "rim-job", or "rimming" much more often then you hear of someone being referred to as a "rimmer".

I find it harder to believe they'd never heard the term "smegma" when they came up with "smeg" for their "generic future swear-word". :)

[janamelie.livejournal.com]

I looked up "Lister" and am amused that one meaning given is "textile dyer". He painted his Series X jacket and the art school background fits.

The other meaning makes less sense - "arrow maker's son" - but both meanings originate in the North of England or possibly Scotland so at least they're in the right geographical area. :)

[derien.livejournal.com]

I thought it meant someone who lists - IE, leaning as they walk, as because of being drunk.

[janamelie.livejournal.com]

I did think of that but it wasn't listed. It would fit our Dave though. :)

[lordvalerymimes.livejournal.com]

Oh this is funny, I'd never even thought of that.

[missflibble.livejournal.com]

I believe the names Lister and Rimmer were taken from their sixth form peers. Rimmer was a head boy who nobody liked. He used to pettily enforce rules with his power and often ended up getting beaten up as a result.

[janamelie.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, and Kochanski was the school bully! Hard to imagine given who I associate that name with... ;)

[fantasysci5.livejournal.com]

Nice catch on cloister. :)

[laurenthemself]

This is really interesting stuff, Ver -- I'm glad you shared it here, I keep missing stuff on Tumblr.

[janamelie.livejournal.com]

Generally if I post a topic I share it on Tumblr and vice versa. It's a good way to maximise the number of people discussing something. The more the merrier. :)

[lordvalerymimes.livejournal.com]

I cannot make any sense at all of Tumblr. I made an account, but every time I try to go on there, it breaks my brain. I can't seem to get any sense of how it actually works and what I'm supposed to do.

[janamelie.livejournal.com]

It is confusing. I read it for months before deciding to join. It'd be nice to see you there but it's not for everyone.

Tbh, I'm glad not everyone's on it as I like in depth discussions which are easier on LJ .:)