palla perra

Galician

Etymology

Attested since 1807. From palla (“straw”) or pala (“cave”) and perra probably from petrea (“of stone”).

Noun

palla perra f (plural pallas perras)

1. drawing straws and other similar games
   • 1807, anonymous author, Segundo diálogo dos esterqueiros:

     botouvos a palla perra as freygesìas da fora, hastra sair vinte e catro, e de cada una delas trouxo unha Rapasa virxe pra darchele Suselénsia o dote pro casamento

     he drew straws for the outer parishes till there were twenty four, and out of each one he brought a virgin girl for His Excellency to give to her the dowry for her wedding

   • 2019, Xavier Castro, Servir era o pan do demo. Historia da vida cotiá en Galicia. (Séculos XIX e XX), Editorial Galaxia, →ISBN:

     Tamén empregábase o procedemento de “a palla perra”: íanse presentando aos integrantes das cuadrillas pallas de centeo de diferentes tamaños, disimulándoas coa man para que non se notase o tamaño. Describiremos sumariamente ...

     It was also used the procedure of drawing straws: rye straws of different sizes were offered to each component of the team, concealing them in the hand so that the size was not revealed.

References

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “palla perra”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega