A crotchet is the name of a musical note, often worth one beat or pulse.
What I didn’t know until I read “The Way of All Flesh” was that it also meant a whimsical fancy, a peculiar notion held by an individual in opposition to popular opinion.
...he inflicted them on his old friends, week by week becoming more entête with himself and his own crotchets. - Samuel Butler
Another definition for a crotchet is a hook: a sharp curve or crook; a shape resembling a hook or a small tool or hooklike implement.
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2 years ago
Hence, presumably, crotchety. As in 'he is a bit crotchety today'.
ReplyDeleteYes, further investigation shows that crotchets were not just whimsical fancies but often pet grouches and complaints!
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