Crotchet
CROTCHET (from the Fr. croche, a hook; whence also the Anglicized " crochet," pronounced as in French, for the knittingwork done with a hook instead of on pins), properly a small hook, and so used of the hook-like setae or bristles found in certain worms which burrow in sand. In music, a " crotchet " is a note of half the value of a minim and double that of a quaver; it is marked by a round black head and a line without a tail or hook; the French croche is used of a " quaver " which has a tail, but in ancient music the semiminima, the modern crotchet, is marked by an open note with a hook. Derived either from an old French proverbial phrase, il a des crochues en teste, or from a meaning of twist or turn, as in the similar expression " crank," comes the sense of a whim, fancy or perverse idea, seen also in the adjective " crotchety " of a fussy unreasonable person.
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
