goat's tongue

English translation: see comment

13:18 Apr 5, 2004

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / title in mosque

English term or phrase: goat's tongue

She dug her fingernail into the overhang of his belly. "Some hokery-pokery. I can smell it-like goat's tongue gone off."

This is from Chapter 6 of White Teeth by Smith Zadie. I do not quite catch the meaning of this passage, particularly that of hokery-pokery and goat's tongue . Thank you in advance.

Zhoudan KudoZ activity Questions: 337 (none open) (1 without valid answers) (2 closed without grading) Answers: 299
Local time: 13:46

Selected answer:see comment

Explanation:
goat's tongue is a culinary speciality of the islamic world. The goat's head is cook, (with the tongue), it is in these hot countries one way to preserve meat. Sometimes, it goes off very quickly and there is a strong heavy and pungent characteristic smell. Hence the reference in your text

Selected response from:

Hacene
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:46

Grading comment

Thank you for your good explanation.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

4 +3

it's obvious that there's something fishy about it...

Lisa Frideborg Eddy (X)

5 +2

see comment

Hacene

2 +1

hokery-pokery=magic

Jonathan MacKerron

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

2 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

hokery-pokery=magic

Explanation:
the smell reminds the speaker of tongue of goat

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Note added at 3 mins (2004-04-05 13:22:25 GMT)
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\"seems like magic to me. I can smell it (magic) like the odor of a rotting goat\'s tongue\", i.e. the speaker doesn\'t like anything that smacks of magic

Jonathan MacKerron
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 80

5 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

it's obvious that there's something fishy about it...

Explanation:
...coz' she can smell it from a mile away

would be another way of saying it

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Note added at 8 mins (2004-04-05 13:26:58 GMT)
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I agree with Jonathan about the witchcraft/magic (hokery-pokery), but I think the goat\'s tounge bit is to emphasise that it is obvious as well as foul

Lisa Frideborg Eddy (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:46
Native speaker of: Swedish

39 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

see comment

Hacene
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:46
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 12

Grading comment

Thank you for your good explanation.

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