Kris .... to follow up on my earlier comments to you.
there is some Franklin County blood.... Leach blood .... in my ancestry.  One
can be careful to whom one speaks in that County (either nonsensical or
sensical), so I am now inquiring as to the identity of  the woman to whom he
sent the letter.
Jim
At 02:36 PM 6/4/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>Kris:
>
>I guess that it is a combination of flummery, a vain extravagance, and
>diddle, a nonsense expression (OED).  I have never heard the expression
>used in Franklin County, but that doesn't mean it isn't said behind my back.
>
>Jeff
>
>
>
>At 01:46 PM 6/4/02 -0400, you wrote:
> > Hi--
> >
> > The Center is publishing the Civil War letters of Chester K. Leach, a
> >soldier from Fletcher, Vermont, and I am currently readying the manuscript
> >for publication.
> >
> > I have a query about a word that Leach uses to describe shirts his wife
> >had made for him. He writes:
> >
> > &&&& thereby suffer with the cold. Perhaps you think I dont like them, but
> >I do and they are much better than I expected.
> >
> > My question is: What is a flummy-diddle? Does anyone know what it means?
> >Is it still in use in Franklin County or elsewhere in Vermont?
> >
> > Any help will be much appreciated!
> >
> > Best,
> > Kris
> >  ***********************************************************
> > Kristin Peterson-Ishaq
> > Coordinator, Center for Research on Vermont
> >     and Vermont Studies Program
> > University of Vermont
> > 589 Main Street, Nolin House
> >  05401-3439
> ><>; Telephone: 802-656-8363
> ><www.uvm.edu/~crvt>