The Term “pitino d(ij)ete” from the Terminological Phrase to “Skillfully Formulated Trope” in Serbian Poetic Tradition

Abstract

The paper deals with the term “pitino dijete” as (1) a terminological phrase denoting a specific national dish and (2) as a poetic focus which famous Serbian authors use in (a) the cumulative inventory of a type of dish and as (b) a “skillful trope” – a synecdoche – when a fragmented part becomes an entity with specific purpose and, thus named, symbolises a new notion (pars pro toto). The primary meaning of the term “pitino dijete” was defined by Vuk Stefanović Karadžić in the Serbian Language Dictionary as “a small cookie made out of the leftover dough for a pie”. The term “pitino dijete” appears in the inventory of the types of pies, i.e. in an accumulation as a stylistic procedure in the poems “Pite” (“Pies”) by Branko Ćopić, “Vetrenjača” (eng. “The Windmills”) by Stevan Raičković, and in the story “Borba petlova” (“The Rooster Fight”) by Milorad Pavić. In the poetic expression of Ivo Andrić, the term “pitino dijete” is a “skillful trope” – a synecdoche – in the sense that from the parts (leftovers) a literary work from the early lyrical prose (“Ex Ponto”), the author created another work (“Nemiri”).