• eestileib@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    “Alewife” was the term for a female brewer, a common enough term that there’s still a subway stop in metro Boston named Alewife.

    • SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social
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      1 year ago

      If I had to guess, I’d say that the name in Boston comes from the fish, given the area’s maritime heritage. But the name of the fish probably came from their resemblance to the brewing ale-wives.

        • SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social
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          1 year ago

          If only I knew! 😀 I’m from Wisconsin, and know about alewives (the fish) because they’re invasive in the Great Lakes, where they die off seasonally and wash ashore in large, stinky masses.