A cock’s knowledge

There’s this curious Polish word “galimatias” (perfect visualization here). It has no Polish Wikipedia article, but maybe the “other languages” will help me learn something about its etymology:

  1. Gobbledygook
  2. Galimatías
  3. Kapulakieli
  4. Supercazzola
  5. Gallimathias
  6. Gallimatias

The english entry (1) is obviously of no help. The Spanish article is – via Google Translate – a nice example of “almost meaningless, muddled, obscure language” itself. For some reason it prominently features Proper names derived from Matthew, probably because it cites Matthew (Matias) as one possible origin. The other is the (corrupted) word Barimathea.

The other theory recounts the story of “Matthias, who fought for ownership of his cock” (again, translated by Big G) and his lawyer who “repeatedly shouted cock Matthias (Mathias gallus)” in a “speech very tangled and unclear” which helped transform Matthias into matheia, knowledge.

The Norwegian (5) article shares this theory. So does the Swedish (6), but places the story in “ancient Rome” and adds an awesome alternative theory: “disputations at the medieval University of Paris was so awesome that participants likened cocks”, a cockfight of knowledge, so to speak.

Finnish and Italian (3 and 4) offer more fun than insight. Sadly, there’s no etymology of “Kapulakieli”, and G Trans has more trouble with Finnish. I’m pretty sure their version of galimatias is an umbrella term for legalese, tech jargon, and “Swedishisms”. Again, Google transforms the “Example The phrases” into gibberish poetical examples:

“Take place on a large scale”
something happens to someone, “by”
one’s “own” something
words in consequence of the effect of the problem and the contract.

and, drum roll:

words due to the holistic, in respect of center of gravity of the input, bet, in the long run, the framework, aim for the sector, including, with respect, to carry, size, resources, depending quarters and by.

The Italians have developed a linguistic strategy “to make fun of established power, represented by police, soldiers or police, being able to hold a conversation without sense for several minutes" "seasoned with profanity in disguise”, to fuck with the Man, so to speak. A movie coined the term Supercazzola, “which is the prefix super- and the noun cock”. (This being Wikipedia obviously described as a portmanteau.)

Now, instead of a literal translation of Supercazzola, I’ll offer this