cuco/cuca – shrewd - sagaz

[is]

cuco/cuca: pronounced COO-koh/COO-kah, sustantivu (noun), alverbiu (adverb). A cuckoo bird (Cuculus canorus) also known in Asturias as cuquiello or cuquiel.lu (pronounced koo-kiey-TSOO).

Cutey-pie or darling, but also wary and cunning as in a mischievous child. A clever person or animal with foxy behavior or someone shrewd enough to get what it wants. Synonyms at observant, watchful, smart, astute, perspicacious, savvy, adroit, quick, nimble-witted and cagey.

Diminutive forms are cuquín, cuquina and cuquino, also used as terms of endearment with loved ones.

Could be related to the ‘brood parasite’ tactic of the common European cuckoo. The cuckoo gets its name from its call (‘goo-KOO’), usually given on open perches. A grayish bird with a slender body and long tail, it is known for being a clever opportunist. Females observe warblers in their nests and when the mother is away will push out an egg and lay one of their own. The warbler then feeds the cuckoo hatchling as its own. Thus, the meaning of ‘cucu’ or ‘cuca’ in Asturian may be a reference to the bird’s shrewd behavior.

Usage examples:
“Escuita, el cucu ta cantando” (Listen, the cuckoo is singing)
“Ya mui cucu.” (He’s very clever)
“Vaya cuca ye la to prima, nun se-y escapa na!” (Your cousin sure is quick-witted, she gets them all on the fly!)
“Que pasou, cuquín, mancástete la pierna?” (What happened, honey, did you hurt your leg?)
"Echanos otru culín de sidra, cuco." (Pour us another glass of cider, son)
“Ven, cuquina, ven!” (Come hither, cuteypie! [as told to a wary child or animal])

Derived usage:
“La vuelta’l cucu” (a somersault)
“El páxaru cuquel.lou pa mi” (The bird sang to me [from the verb ‘cuquel.lar’, pronounced koo-kay-TSAR], referring to birdsong).)

[Carlos]

Los pueblos que Paul Sebillot, etnógrafo francés, llamaba "celto-latinos" (entre los que incluía a Asturies) tienen una abundante tradición de presagios obtenidos de las aves.

Mi madre explicaba que era costumbre entre las mozas hacer una especie de juego-adivinación basado en el canto del cuco.

Las rapazas recitaban esta copla:

"Cuquillín del rei,
rabiquín d'escoba,
dime cuántos años faltan
pa d'aquí a la mia boda"

A continuación se guardaba silencio y se esperaba hasta que el cuco cantaba. Se iban contando las veces que el pájaro decía "cúcu" y ésos eran los años.

Saludos

[Bob]

I'm curious about the relationship of cuco and cucu to cocu (bogeyman). A bird that lays eggs in the nests of other species and whose offspring grow faster than and kick out the offspring of the host species may well have inspired the idea of bogeyman, someone who carries away children.

My father used to sing a bedtime song about el cocu (all I remember is que vien el cocu, que vien el cocu). Does anyone remember the words?

[is]

Interesting about the 'mozas' and the 'cucu', Carlos. What meaning does the call of the 'curuxa' (owl) have in Asturias? Off the top of my head, I think some American Indian cultures in the Pacific Northwest refer to it as an omen of death.

As for 'cocu' and 'cucu', Bob, I don't think they have the cuckoo in common, although I could be wrong. Still, the association is interesting and someone might be able to fill in the rest of your song.

Having just re-read Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte), it reminded me of the cuckoo hatchling (Heathcliff) who is raised an orphan at Wuthering Heights and ends up edging out the legitimate heirs, both at the Heights and at the Grange. Bogeyman or monster, Heathcliff is indeed a shrewd.

By the way, Wuthering Heights reminds me of County Allande, many stories like that up there...Anybody ever heard of the 'envelenadora del Valledor' (the poisoner of Valledor)?

[Eli]

As I remember it the lullaby went something like "Duermete mi niño duermete ya, que viene el cuco y te llevara". Apparently it has many variants depending on what nation you are in Wikipedia has a pretty good article on it but they call it 'coco' to me it's always been 'cuco'.... then again they say that's how it's known in some Latin American nations. I'm a tad surprised to find out that in Anglo America it is known as 'coco'. Coco as we understand the word is bald in Castillian.

[Carlos]

No conozco ningún dato acerca de creencias relativas al sonido que producen la lechuza o el buho. Me refiero a creencias de tipo sobrenatural, anuncios de muerte o cosas así. Quiero decir que nunca oí algo parecido, lo que no quiere decir que no existan. Lo que sí tengo escuchado son previsones acerca del tiempo que va a hacer:

"Cuando la curuxa canta en regueiru, sube la vaca al outeiru;
cuando canta n'outeiru, baxa la vaca al regueiru"

Esto se lo tengo oído a mi tío, vaqueiru como mi madre, de las brañas de Cuideiru. Lo que ya no recuerdo muy bien era el significado, algo de la lluvia o así.

Para premoniciones acerca de muertes lo que siempre oí hablar fue del "cavar", misteriosa ave que nunca conseguí que nadie me mostrase o me describiese. La única información que te da la gente es que produce un canto que suena parecido a esa palabra, lo que se interpreta como si el pájaro diera instrucciones de que la gente cave (una fosa, se entiende). Sin embargo no consigo asociar el sonido de ningún pájaro nocturno que emita un canto que más o menos suene similar a esa onomatopeya, como no sean los córvidos (cuervo, corneja, etc), que no son aves nocturnas precisamente.

Respecto al parecido entre cuco y coco, es meramente fonético, pero no guarda ninguna relación etimológica.

El nombre del cuco o cuquiellu es claramente onomatopeico, derivado del sonido que emite, sin más. Todos los demás sentidos aplicados a las personas derivan de las costumbres del pájaro: "tal persona es muy cuca".

Tocante al personaje de los cuentos, El Coco, su etimología es también clara. En latín existía el verbo coquo = cocinar. En relación con este verbo había un sustantivo coquus o cocus = cocinero. Es seguramente de este sustantivo de donde deriva nuestro Coco = un siniestro personaje que nos llevará para ser guisados y comidos si nos portamos mal. Se trata por lo tanto del mismo tipo de personaje que los ogros, sólo que con otro nombre.

Saludos

[is]

Nun tenia idega de que l'ingles 'cook' tuviera'l sou raigon en 'coquus'! Ya seique d'ehi vien la pal.labra 'cocu' n'asturianu ya 'coco' en castel.lan. Interesante. La etimoloxia d'embaxu atoupeila eiqui: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=cook

cook (n.)
O.E. coc, from V.L. cocus "cook," from L. coquus, from coquere "to cook, prepare food, ripen, digest, turn over in the mind" from PIE base *pekw- "to cook" (cf. Oscan popina "kitchen," Skt. pakvah "cooked," Gk. peptein, Lith. kepti "to bake, roast," O.C.S. pecenu "roasted"). The noun was first; Gmc. languages had no one native term for all types of cooking. The verb is first attested c.1380; the figurative sense of "to manipulate, falsify, doctor" is from 1636. Cookout is from 1947; to cook with gas is 1930s jive talk.