Spindle
Spindle
In Brief
When Deasy says in Nestor that he has rebel blood "On
the spindle side," he means his mother's side of the family.
The expression probably derives from the fact that hand
spinning was traditionally
women's work, though it has been suggested that the
shape of a spindle is responsible. When the word is used again
in Aeolus, that shape does seem to be implied.
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The OED defines the spindle of a spinning wheel as "a
slender rounded rod (usually of wood), tapering towards each
end, which is made to resolve and twist into threads the
fibres drawn out from a bunch of wool, flax, or other
material." This shape, according to one Joyce annotator, is
"similar to the form of a woman." I cannot imagine how a
cylinder tapering off at the ends resembles the shape of a
woman. If one is looking for curves, it would make more sense
to focus on the whorls placed partway along the spindle's
length to keep the thread in place, but not even they evoke
breasts or hips very strongly. By contrast, when Aeolus
pictures the "spindle legs" of William Brayden, the
shape works quite well to evoke the appearance of an
overweight middle-aged male, tapering down from his hips to
his feet.
Deasy's "the spindle side" may derive simply from women's
association with spinning, as in the similar expressions
"spinster" and "distaff side."
