Etymology is the history of the origin of words and phrases.
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Make/take a photograph?
In English we say "take a photograph" whereas in some other languages one would say "make a photograph".
The French say "take" even though they "make" far more often than we do in English, and ...
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2answers
107 views
Etymology of “blackguard rating”- context- British Army during the Crimean War
From Wikipedia:
I never had such a blackguard rating in all my life – I who have had more than any woman – than from this Barry sitting on his horse, while I was crossing the Hospital Square with ...
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1answer
34 views
Where did the phrase “chock-full” come from?
I hear this phase spoken and rarely written, but Merriam-Webster has a definition their website. The origin states "Middle English chokkefull, probably from choken to choke + full."
Does anyone have ...
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Chuffed - happy or unhappy?
I was looking into the word chuffed this morning, and came across this:-
chuffed 1 /tʃʌft/
adjective British Informal.
delighted; pleased; satisfied.
Origin: 1855–60; see chuff2 , ...
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origin of new meaning of whitewash
I recently came across "whitewash" used to refer to a (racist) practice of erasing visible minorities in film and advertising by making them appear more white (or even replacing them with white ...
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3answers
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Where does the phrase “fair do's/dues/doos/does” come from?
I was researching the phrase fair do's, attempting to determine which spelling was most appropriate, and where it had come from. Unfortunately most of the information I could find was very ...
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2answers
126 views
Eleusian vs. Eleusinian (and, to a lesser extent, Elysian)
Both Eleusian and Eleusinian are used in relation to mysteries. I've only seen Elysian used in relation to Elysian Fields.
Given that the suffix -ian denotes "of or belonging to," I'm wondering if ...
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45 views
Origin of “Homeward ho!”
In the English translation of an essay by Leon Trotsky that came out in Foreign Affairs, I read [emphasis added]:
Now it turns out that the world exchange is the source of all
misfortunes and ...
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78 views
What's the origin of the figure of speech “call the shots”?
I'm well aware that when someone says "he's the one who calls the shots" it means that that person is the one in charge, the one who takes all the relevant decisions.
But what's the origin of this ...
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70 views
First printed use of the word “diagram” in English
I’m trying to track down the first printed use of the word diagram in English. Can anyone tell me the name, author, and date of the publication in question? It would be especially valuable, on top of ...
4
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1answer
59 views
Provenance of 'deprecated' (in the programming sense)
What are some early uses of "deprecation" in computer science? When did the word enter common usage in the field of programming? Are there any particularly well-known examples of early deprecations ...
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2answers
47 views
Is “re-rendezvous” repetitive?
I recently used the word re-rendezvous in conversation with several people, meaning for two entities to come together again after having initially met and gone their separate ways. (This was a ...
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32 views
Etymology of "rhyme'' [closed]
Rhyme probably comes from Greek arithmos ("mumber"). But how is it connected with today's meaning?
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67 views
Etymology of “x” in “pixel”? [closed]
Does anyone know how the word "pixel" (..a minute area of illumination on a display screen, one of many from which an image is composed) came about?
I've once heard it's the abbreviation of "picture ...
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1answer
83 views
Why is the noun form of “permit” “permission”?
The noun form of permit is permission instead of permition. Why isn't it permition?
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1answer
94 views
Why is one “sent to Coventry”?
I was reading in the paper today of some hapless wight who had been sent to Coventry (meaning ostracised and given the silent treatment) by his colleages. It then occurred to me to wonder why Coventry ...
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55 views
Why is imperialism not spelled empirialism?
If the goal of imperialism is to create an empire, why is the word not spelled "empirialism"?
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4answers
130 views
Origin and correctness of “ain’t no”?
In contemporary American English usage, I come across sentences like:
I ain’t got no money.
Ain’t no man like him.
Saying ain’t no sounds incorrect to me because it is a double ...
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Is “vindicate” a form of “indicate”
The online dictionary has the following to say:
Indicate >> to point out, show...
Vindicate >> to clear from censure or doubt by means of demonstration...
"Showing" is a means of ...
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1answer
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Are “wonder” and “wander” etymologically related?
Especially in lyric-writing, where used more figuratively than literally, e.g. (mental) wandering and wondering, the two seem often interchangeable. And I can see wondering being conceived as an ...
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1answer
56 views
How did “replace” come to mean “put something in the place of”?
Replace has several meanings, but a common one is "to put something in the place of," as in, "After drinking your cola, I replaced it with a beer."
The way in which replace, which seems to most ...
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2answers
100 views
Why are prepositions out of place with many phrasal verbs?
Please, restrict your answers to etymological info. I browsed some other questions and found some good info here: Is it correct to change the common structure in these phrasal verbs?, which is more ...
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1answer
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What is the origin of the idiom “like pulling teeth”?
I would like to know more about the idiom "like pulling teeth". For example, does anyone know its origin and first usage?
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4answers
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Why is poker a “sport” and not just a “game?” [closed]
So, first off, as tempting as it might be to do so, this is not an invitation to wax poetic on poker. I actually don't play it, but I know how it works.
The question really is one of etymology. ...
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2answers
156 views
Could the term “elephant” have derived from “olfactory?”
The online etymology dictionary gives "Oliphant" as the predecessor of "elephant."
Dictionary.com defines "olfactory" as "pertaining to the sense of smell."
Given the similarity of "oliphant" and ...
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234 views
When did “Easter egg” begin to mean “hidden feature”?
Can anybody trace the origins of 'Easter egg' for this meaning?
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272 views
Why are animal names used as vulgar slang for body parts?
Asking this question in strict propriety out of genuine curiosity, why is that in (American) English animal-related names are used for vulgar names for the private body parts? In fact, all of the ...
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2answers
567 views
Why are the “donkey” and the “butt” both named “ass” the same? [closed]
Is there any similarity between them that they have the same name, or is the reason something different of having a physical similarity?
I found different meanings for both, but none of them ...
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1answer
123 views
How did the word “humor”, which originally represented bodily fluids, end up representing funny things?
The etymology of humor shows it represented bodily fluids. It is understood that there was a belief in the ancient time, when each type of bodily fluids were attributed to particular state of mind. ...
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3answers
167 views
Where does the term “Scandihoovian” come from?
I hear this phrase used to describe people who are sort of nordic, but where does it come from?
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1answer
147 views
What does “Nine Below Zero” mean?
There is a Blues Standard "Nine Below Zero" and I wonder what the phrase means. The chorus is
Nine Below Zero, she put me down for another
And it would also be super interesting where this ...
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5answers
682 views
Why do we “chalk it up” to something (or someone)?
What is the etymology and meaning of the phrase "chalk it up"? For instance:
"I will chalk it up to a colloquialism" (source).
"Just chalk it up as an odd case and move on" (source).
"I would chalk ...
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2answers
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Evolution of “push somebody's buttons” and “know what buttons to push”
Colloquially speaking, "to push somebody's buttons" means to irritate or annoy the person. And, "know what buttons to push" means to know what to do to get people to act the way you want.
I can't ...
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111 views
Why is a mule driver called a “skinner”?
An AmE synonym for muleteer is "mule skinner". Where does "skinner" come from in this term, and why does it only apply to mule drivers and not cattle or oxen drivers?
The closest I can come is some ...
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Does the use of “port” for one side of ship relate to the word “port” meaning harbour?
In this travel.se question, the words port and starboard are mentioned, and one answer says:
I would say it is convention that ships dock such that the Port is on the left, from which the term for ...
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1answer
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“Make it so!” - where does it come from, how does it “feel” for native speakers?
The catchphrase from Star Trek captain Jean-Luc Picard "Make it so!" was first used in "Encounter At Farpoint" (28 September 1987) and thereafter in many episodes and films, instructing a crew ...
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1answer
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Etymology of “Utopia”; counterintuitive
How did the word "Utopia" (coined by Sir Thomas More) come to mean an ideal place when the Greek etymology specifically means "Not a place."
Relatedly, while this might be the prime use of the word ...
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2answers
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“Disappear” as a transitive verb
I hear it more on more frequently on the news, as in:
The North Korean regime has disappeared scores of dissidents over the past twenty years.
Has disappear always been used in such a way, as a ...
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1answer
209 views
Are “Czech Republic” and “Chechnya” cognates?
Let me preface this question by saying that the Czech Republic and Chechnya are two different countries.
Are the two countries' names etymologically related, like Austria and Australia are?
...
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2answers
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Where did the term “at-large” originate from?
I was listening to the radio and something caught my attention. The news jounalist made the comment, "The suspect is still at-large." It got me thinking...
First, I can only assume that the ...
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1answer
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Why ; is called semicolon and what is its history? [closed]
Semi- is a Latin prefix meaning "half" and colon is another punctuation.
Should I therefore say that semicolon is a halved colon?
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2answers
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If the plural of ‘man’ is ‘men,’ shouldn’t the plural of ‘German’ be ‘Germen’?
What makes these two words so different that 'man' is changed to 'men', but 'German' is changed to 'Germans'?
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1answer
80 views
Any connection between akimbo, askance and atremble?
I came across akimbo and askance today and wondered if they were related, with the opening 'a' signifying something. Apparently not:
Akimbo — to stand "with hands on hips and elbows projecting ...
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81 views
How widely used is the word “tush”
In my dialect of American English, the word "tush" or "tushy" is a dimminuitive of "rear end" (e.g., something you'd say about a baby, not as harsh as "butt" and a word you aren't ashamed to say to ...
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1answer
130 views
What is the origin of the phrase “in your backpocket”?
What is the origin of the phrase "in your backpocket"?
As in "What song have you got in your back pocket?" for "what song have you got ready to perform comfortably now, without preparation".
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1answer
88 views
Usage of “she herself” or “he himself” [closed]
As I understand it, he and him are etymologically, and for purposes of grammar, different cases of the same word. If it's the same word, wouldn't it be sufficient to use himself alone—with maybe the ...
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Meaning of “candle” in “I now call to mind that there was a letter in the candle three days ago”
In the book The Trumpet Major, by Thomas Hardy, there is the following paragraph:
That was Budmouth postmaster, and he says there's a letter for me. Ah, I now call to mind that there was a letter ...
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1answer
149 views
Why is there a difference in the adoption of “Kindergarten” in American and British English?
As someone living in the US, I've heard the term "Kindergarten" used quite frequently. However someone from the UK was mentioning to me that the term is really not used that much in British English. ...
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Why do people say “that-a-way” instead of “that way”?
I've often the following:
Bob: Have you seen Ian ?
Geoff: Yes, he went that-a-way.
What is the reason people sometimes jokily add the extra "-a-" into the phrase? Where did this come from? ...
