Re: to busk or not to busk

[Steve Burnett <sburnett@webslingerz.com>]

On Thu, 11 Jan 2001 Nemoguitt@aol.com wrote:

> perhaps im gettin too old...........this is the first time i have heard 
>the
> word "busk"........would it be appropriate to wear a "will loop for food 
>"
> tea-shirt whilst busking?........seriously, what is the origin of
> "busking"?.........also, the ken burns "JAZZ" series is playing on my 
>public
> tele station, ten nites, close to 17-18 hours of very interesting well
> presented information, check it out, its nice...........michael

You're not too old, you're too young.

>From http://www.m-w.com/  :

"Main Entry: busker
Pronunciation: 'b&s-k&r
Function: noun
Etymology: busk, probably from Italian buscare to procure, gain, from
Spanish buscar to look for
Date: 1857
chiefly British : a person who entertains especially by playing music on
the street
- busk /'b&sk/ intransitive verb    "

I want to say the word is even older, but not having the OED lying around,
this'll do for a start.

best,
Steve Burnett
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