Re: Origin of "Soppu"

[Shoujirou Mizutori <MIZUTORI@shogun.matfys.lth.se>]

In the message on 
Date: Fri, 07 Oct 1994 18:35:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: abe@kaleida.com (Masumi Abe)
Abe-san explained the origin of the word "soppu"

>You've heard the origin of the word "anko" to describe a fat or
>particularly round rikishi. (It is from "anko" fish.)
>
>This time, I will inform you with the origin of "soppu", the word to
>describe a rather skinny rikishi.
>
>In sumo community, the word "soppu" is believed to be a chiken bone. No
>Japanese could find a similar word for chiken bone in Japanese
>dictionaries.
>
>This word is actually from English word "soup" for chicken soup or chiken
>soup stock. Chiken soup stock are made with cooking chiken bones and
>boiling water. 
>

Just curious. Might it be not directry from English, but from other
language? 

>Skinny rikishi does not look like any soup, but if they eat only chiken
>soup, "anko" rikishi may be transformed into "soppu" rikishi, I guess.
>

But skinny rikishi looks like torigara (= chiken bone).
Won't we (I mean in Japanese) describe skinny peaple, with visible
ribs or with thinner arms or legss than joints, that he 
looks like torigara?

>-Masumi
>sxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxsxs
>Masumi Abe                               
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