Posted by Mike Asher on October 21, 1998 at 22:40:34:
In Reply to: GRUE - What does it mean? posted by Mike Berro on October 21, 1998 at 16:32:19:
Grue is, of course, French for "crane". However, the etymology I've seen most often is a shortening of "gruesome". I recently posted "Uncoining Jack"- an etymological listing of several Vance words- to JackVance.com. In it, Grue is given also as the name of a 19th Century artist and a term used in Goodman's famous logical conundrum "The Grue Paradox", where it refers to an item simultaneously green and blue.
: I've always loved the GRUE, one of Vance's dire inhabitants of the Dying Earth. I happen to be working on the French translation of Hasbro's "The Game of Life", and they have translated "CRANE DUMP" (the name of one of the little games) to "GRUE". Anyone care to comment?