Ref yr message of 28/10 re Cymru. I have long had an interest in the fact that dominant cultures living in proximity to smaller, linguistically different, groups will often use words from, or associated with the less dominant language group to form pejorative words or expressions. I have come across this phonomenon in such widely separated countries as France, Zambia, Papua New Guinea and Mongolia.The French, for example use the Breton words for white bread/bread & wine? to describe bad French e.g. vous parlez Francaise 'bara gouinez'. My mother tongue being Welsh, I first noticed this in a Welsh/English context. Words such as 'Welshing'and 'Taffy' are widely known, but consider the word 'gull' which probably derives from Welsh 'gwylan'. It has a pejorative sense as does the term 'skippering' to describe sleeping rough. This probably derives from Cornish/Welsh 'ysgubor' meaning outhouse. Similarly, perhaps, the word 'flannel' which may derive from the Welsh 'gwlanen'. Do you think that the word 'cumbersome' may have a 'Cumbrian' connection? (cf. lit. 'cumber woman')