Moonrakers

[brick2]

Why are Wiltshire folk called Moonrakers?

[brian j john]

here




http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getfaq.p hp?id=229

[MustafaTickl]

"Rake, Daddy, rake !!"

A couple of centuries ago, on a moonlit night, two men from the village of Bishops Canning in Wiltshire, were busy carrying home some smuggled brandy or moonshine, in the back of a hay cart. As they passed the village pond, they heard the sound of an approaching Excise man. Thinking quickly, they dumped the barrels into the pond, and began raking the surface of the water with their hay-rakes. "What in the world bist up to?" asked the Excise man "We be a-reaking var thik thar gurt cheese", replied one of the men "Cassen thee see un?" added the other, pointing to the reflection of the moon. The Excise man burst out laughing, and hurried off back to tell his colleagues that he had seen two drunken, country bumpkins who thought that the reflection of the moon was a cheese. In the words of an old ballad: "To zee thik dunder-haided **** / A-reakin atter the shadder of the moon". After he had gone, the two men used their rakes to retrieve the brandy and continued on their way. Since then, Wiltshire people (my mother is one) have been known as Moonrakers.

I too am Wiltshire, but a Swedebasher. Now there's another little puzzle for you!!

[MustafaTickl]

Dear me!! The four stars end in "oon" and the first letter is "c" !!!

[brick2]

Thanks for that guys. Any other contributions would be welcome.

[VS Prasad]

(UK) a smuggler from Wiltshire.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/moonraker

a simpleton.

http://www.infoplease.com/dictionary/moonraker

A name traditionally given to Wiltshire people, attested from 1787, is from the stock joke about fools who mistook the reflection of the moon in a pond for a cheese and tried to rake it out. But as told in Wiltshire, the men were surprised trying to rake up kegs of smuggled brandy, and put off the revenuers by acting foolish.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=moonr aker

refers to a Wiltshire folk story about smugglers hiding contraband goods from customs officers in a pond, but who when caught pretended simple-mindedness by raking the pond, claiming to catch the moon's reflection.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonraker

Noun. A person from the town of Middleton, Manchester. Occasionally derog.

http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/m.htm

A person with such low intelligence that they would try to rake the moon's reflection in a pond.

Otherwise referred to as window-licker or blue bus brigade.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term =Moonraker

[brick2]

Thanks for that.