Use this tag for questions about the history of a term or phrase.
17
votes
7answers
9k views
Why did English become a universal language and when?
As we all know, English is the universal communication medium. Now we know how powerful it is to convey our thoughts. When did it become a common language? Why did they opt for this language?
2
votes
1answer
39 views
“As if” & “As would be the case if”; Also, “As though”
On a Q&A site in Japan, I read an expression that as if comes from as (would be the case) if.
Are both about the same thing?
Is this claim historically true?
If so, what does "as though" come ...
20
votes
2answers
4k views
Use of “f ” instead of “s” in historic, printed English documents
I was at a museum in London yesterday, and one of the items on exhibit is a document from the eighteenth century. It uses the letter f a lot where s should be used—for example, in Majefty.
Did the ...
3
votes
0answers
46 views
Is “qo” a step in the evolution of the question mark?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Question_mark
According to the wikipedia article I've linked to above, "qo" was sometimes used in the middle ages to abbreviate the latin word "questio" in the way that we ...
4
votes
2answers
113 views
First known occurrence of the word “technique” in English
I’m trying to track down the first printed use of the word technique in English. Can anyone tell me the name, author, and date of the publication in question? It would be especially valuable, on top ...
2
votes
4answers
175 views
“Hot cakes” or “flapjacks” in 1890s American South?
Which term is more likely to have been used by my main character, a young man from a wealthy Macon, Georgia family, in 1893?
10
votes
3answers
458 views
What is the first recorded appearance of the mistranslation “Red Square”?
Does anybody know when the mistranslation "Red Square" made its first recorded appearance? Have there been any noteworthy attempts at establishing the correct translation "Beautiful Square" at some ...
0
votes
0answers
105 views
Reform of English writing?
As is commonly known, English is quite notorious for having a writing system that is far removed from the actual way it is most commonly pronounced. I understand that there are important historical ...
7
votes
2answers
367 views
Why do we say that someone “practices” law or medicine?
I’m wondering why we refer to providing legal or medical services as a practice of law or medicine, respectively. For example, we say that a lawyer practices law or a doctor practices medicine. This ...
5
votes
1answer
113 views
Pool or billiards in 1890s American South?
Which term is more likely to have been used in Georgia around 1893? I found a British website which explains the origin of the modern game known as American pool ...
-1
votes
0answers
25 views
When did James Baldwin make this quote [closed]
"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
2
votes
1answer
74 views
Any idea of the origin of using the term 'gucci' for parts?
A number of the guys who ride near me and have been riding bikes (mtb) since the 90s still refer to high spec parts as being 'gucci'. It's an effective term and easy to understand what they mean but ...
8
votes
3answers
823 views
Examples of Ancient Brythonic words in modern English?
So, from a cursory understanding of English history (and I am very happy to say that) I was able to, one might note that the cultural history of those who lived in England might proceed:
...
8
votes
4answers
778 views
What did 'make love' mean in the '60s?
Nowadays (in the States, anyway) to make love means only "to engage in sexual intercourse with both parties willing" (or perhaps also the similar "to engage in sexual fondling with both parties ...
1
vote
0answers
67 views
What were fedoras called in the 1890s? [closed]
I am aware that fedoras were just coming into fashion in the 1890s. Were they called "fedoras" or was there some other name for them used back then?
2
votes
2answers
144 views
What’s the word for the habit of writing “play’d” or “revolv’d”?
I’m working on an 18th-century manuscript, and I’m trying to explain to others the use of ’d in past tense verbs.
Is there a word that encompasses the usage of ’d in early 18th-century manuscripts? ...
11
votes
2answers
740 views
{wend, went, went} changed into {go, went, gone}
I have heard that the verb go used to be wend in olden days. I am curious if there is any historical or other explanation why the past form of wend, i.e. went, is still in use while the simple present ...
3
votes
3answers
96 views
What is the history of the word “lobby”?
I would like to know if the word "lobby" would have been used in 1890s Georgia (United States) and to what exactly this word would have referred in that time.
1
vote
1answer
130 views
How to guess the pronunciation of some inconsistencies in English?
I’m not a native English speaker, and I have a lot of problems when is comes to pronouncing words like archive, archon, zealot, heal, health.
Why is the ch sometime pronounced like a k?
Why is the ...
-2
votes
1answer
70 views
What is another word for “tuxedo” that was used in the 1890s American South? [closed]
A young man from a wealthy Macon, Georgia family attends a formal dinner at his college in 1893. What was his formal suit called back then? I'm thinking he probably wore a tailcoat, but I want to know ...
1
vote
1answer
749 views
What is “Oki-doki” or “Oki-dokie” or “Okay-dokay”
Okay, since now we know what is the origin of OK (I like the Oll Korrect version), I have another question about it's relative:
What is an "Oki-doki" or "Oki-dokie" or "Okay-dokay"?
What is the ...
10
votes
5answers
3k views
Etymology of “Easter”
I’ve heard claims that the word Easter has the same Bronze Age root as east, Ishtar, Astarte, and ultimately star.
Is this the correct etymology of the word Easter?
1
vote
0answers
69 views
Origin of actual order pattern in English [closed]
It is well-known, or better said, well-accepted, that the ancestral language Proto-Indo-European (PIE) was a OV language with a very limited (or nonexistent) use of subordinate clauses. In ...
1
vote
0answers
663 views
What is the oldest still-in-use English word? [closed]
I recently looked up the origin of "mooch", and the root of the word is apparently very, very old:
Whatever the distant origin of mooch, the verb *mycan and its cognates have been part of European ...
2
votes
1answer
66 views
Cologne or toilet water?
I am writing a novel set in 1890s Georgia (United States), and I am wondering whether the main character, a young man of eighteen, would refer to eau de toilette as cologne, toilet water, or something ...
5
votes
6answers
8k views
What is the origin of the saying, “faint heart never won fair lady”?
Having heard the phrase, "faint heart never won fair lady" for the third time in very short span, I'm determined to find out its origin. Unfortunately, when I Google, I'm getting a bunch of ...
4
votes
4answers
170 views
What is the origin of the word “whitewash” in the context of sports?
The term whitewash is used in sports to describe a situation where the opponents are beaten in a series of matches failing to register a single win.
Merriam-Webster defines it as :-
to hold (an ...
42
votes
5answers
3k views
What we've gelost — why doesn't English use the prefix “ge-”?
The Germanic languages that I'm familiar with all use a prefix similar to ge- on past participles:
German: Ich habe mir den Fuß gebrochen.
Dutch: Ik heb mijn voet gebroken.
But English ...
9
votes
6answers
2k views
Where did the idiom “giving a heads up” come from?
I know giving heads up means to inform someone, but how does that relate to the literal meaning i.e. giving heads up? What's the background? Where did it come from?
3
votes
2answers
351 views
Origins of English Double-C Pronunciations
Looking into Pronunciation of double consonants, turned up an apparent rule for pronouncing a double-C in English that seems to parallel the Italian rule for pronouncing a single C. If the "cc" is ...
4
votes
3answers
469 views
Which flavor of English (British vs. American) first had standard modern spellings?
Which flavor, British English or American English, first standardised its modern spellings?
I'm mostly interested in the direction of alteration; for example, was the u dropped from colour or was the ...
3
votes
3answers
110 views
Is “great” used by native speakers to describe calamities any more?
I know that "great" used to be used to indicate "very large" for disasters and other calamities, such as the Great Fire of London, the Great Chicago Fire and the Great War. Is it common for native ...
5
votes
5answers
3k views
Can one say “I should like” rather than “I would like”? Is the former grammatical?
My focus here is on the should in the sentence fragment "I should very much like...". Why is it there in place of would? It seems strange that should is used in the subjunctive mood there -- is it ...
5
votes
1answer
2k views
What is the history and geographic area of the word “finna?”
In St. Louis, I learned of the word, "finna." I know it is slang/contraction for "fixing to." By asking dozens of people, I've learned that it is used by people of many different races and cultural ...
0
votes
3answers
166 views
When we will use soft and hard sound in 'c'? [closed]
Sometimes we use the soft sound, and sometimes the hard – but why? Is there any rule?
6
votes
1answer
625 views
Variations in the pronunciation of “ea”
Perhaps this is more of a Linguistics question, so I apologize if this is not posted in the right place.
Why is it that these words in English sound so different?
earth = /ɜrθ/ “urth”
hearth ...
13
votes
5answers
1k views
Origin of “Put up your dukes”
This link claims that one cannot be sure of origin of this phrase. Three explanations are given here, but they are not very convincing (I am not a native speaker).
In one of our newspapers, ...
4
votes
4answers
141 views
Decadence of the word decadence
Everyone who is not from the US that I know gives the same quizzical look when some food commercial claims that a TV dinner is decadent.
When did it start being used to mean luxurious? And why? (Our ...
3
votes
2answers
3k views
What is the origin of the phrase “two nations divided by a common language”?
What is the origin of the phrase "two nations divided by a common language"?
I have seen it attributed to Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw and even Winston Churchill.
The most likely looking source ...
10
votes
1answer
227 views
Etymology of “crush”?
How did crush come to be used to mean "an intense but usually short-lived infatuation"?
0
votes
2answers
131 views
Was “their being followed” replaced by “they're being followed” over the years?
I was reading A Study in Scarlet yesterday and noticed the following sentence:
They must have thought that there was some chance of their being followed, for they would never go out alone, and ...
7
votes
4answers
713 views
Origin & history of name “she oak” or “sheoak” (a Casuarina tree)
In wikipedia's Casuarinaceae article (and somewhat similarly in its Casuarina article), one finds:
The most widely used common name for Casuarinaceae species is sheoak or she-oak (a comparison of ...
35
votes
6answers
2k views
When did it become correct to add an “s” to a singular possessive already ending in “‑s”?
According to my grammar book, but at variance to the answer to this question, the correct singular possessive if a word ends in ‑s is:
James’s car
The grammar book allows exceptions for ...
23
votes
5answers
3k views
How and in what way did the Danes come to influence English?
I was looking for some insight into the farewell greeting ta on The Urban Dictionary just now, and came across this mostly excellent top-ranked answer (adapted slightly, emphasis mine):
A slang ...
0
votes
1answer
97 views
In the phrase “common sense”, in what sense of the word is “common” used?
As I understand it, there are several definitions of common, but I can't find any source that can highlight the etymology of the phrase.
The linked definitions are pretty rigorous, but a less strict, ...
6
votes
2answers
2k views
What is the origin of the phrase, “Put two and two together?”
I used the phrase, "She put two and two together..." the other day and, shortly after saying, wondered about its origin. My understanding is that it means to "connect the dots" or to figure the answer ...
23
votes
5answers
2k views
Why have the subjunctive and indicative converged in Modern English?
It is to me a curious fact that the subjunctive mood of verbs in English has so nearly disappeared in modern times. In fact, even the correct form and usage of the subjunctive in Modern English barely ...
2
votes
1answer
91 views
Where do we get “queen” from? [closed]
King comes from Old Norse konungr, and prince is from French principle, but I have found no definite etymology for queen as we know it. I have found assumptive connections such as to keenan and gna, ...
14
votes
4answers
347 views
Name of the trade(s) that are involved in making animal-drawn carriages
What are the terms for tradesmen involved in making carriages? One specific vocation comes to mind: wheelwright or, simply, wheeler. But, obviously, that name implies narrow focus of the profession. ...
3
votes
2answers
10k views
Can someone explain the phrase “All is fair in love and war”?
What are its origins and what does it really mean?
