Tagged Questions
13
votes
3answers
192 views
History and usage of “dooryard”
I have been interested in the expression "dooryard stop" recently. This is an expression that is used to describe a short visit in someone's dooryard (driveway) that often means not staying long ...
5
votes
2answers
122 views
Dialectal and historical usage of “not care” in the meaning of “not mind”
In standard Present-day English, "I don't care to be there" means the same as "I don't wish to be there." Apparently, this is not the case in some present and historical dialects. Wylene P. Dial ...
16
votes
7answers
10k views
Why is a woman's purse called a “pocketbook”?
It's not a book, and it doesn't fit in anyone's pocket. Why does my brother-in-law insist on calling his wife's purse a pocketbook?
I'm interested in the etymology, and in the chronological and ...
114
votes
8answers
4k views
What is the factual basis for “pirate speech”? (Did pirates really say things like “shiver me timbers”?)
The "pirate speech" we hear/see/read at, for example, the website Talk Like A Pirate Day consists of a rhotic dialect characterized by phrases like "shiver me timbers," "ooh arh me hearties," and so ...
