Hurly-burly

hurly-burly, n., Tumult, commotion, strife, uproar, turmoil, confusion (formerly a more dignified word than now). Hurly-burly first appears in the English language by the mid-sixteenth century. While most often found as a noun, it has an adjectival and adverbial form, and, for a brief time in the 17th century, was used as a verb. Its etymological origins uncertain, the word may be a form of the now obsolete phrase hurling & burling, signifying “whirling disturbance and strife.”

 

 

 

 

Certainly this was the effect of Samuel Cheesebrough’s actions at the Narragansett community, as his subsequent testimony reveals

     thre or foure blooes with A small Rideing Rod i had in my hand: wheareupon
     theare was a greeate hurle Burle Amonghtes the Indeans: And one spoke in the
     wiggwam wich i supposeid two be neaneacrat: then i Askid the indeans hooe

For access to full digital image, transcription and additional content, click here.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *