Tagged Questions
5
votes
1answer
42 views
Etymology of “typeface Weight”
My boss stated that he noticed the word "weight" is used to refer to the boldness of a character, and stated that he felt this was a new occurrence.
My gut feeling is that this is an old term, ...
4
votes
4answers
173 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 ...
7
votes
3answers
157 views
“He rolled his toilet things into his housewife”
From C.S. Forester's Hornblower and the Hotspur:
[The naval captain] rolled his toilet things into his housewife and tied the tapes.
ODO does provide a second definition for housewife which ...
3
votes
1answer
157 views
What do you call a past participle+noun construction clause such as “No offense meant” “Your point taken,” “With that said,” and “Given that”?
In reference to my question about the usage of “No offense meant/taken,” I noticed that there are a lot of shortened forms like “No offense meant/taken,” “Your point taken,” “That said,” and “Given ...
3
votes
5answers
521 views
Are camp followers prostitutes?
My own understanding of the term camp followers was that it was synonymous with prostitutes who followed armies around plying their trade. However, according to Wikipedia:
Camp-follower is a term ...
9
votes
2answers
272 views
When did British and American crochet terms diverge?
In crochet basic stitches are called different things. For example a single crochet in America is called a double crochet in the UK, a double crochet in America is called a treble crochet in the UK, ...
8
votes
1answer
98 views
Origin of word “pad” in the mixing/recording industry
I ask this assuming there are enough people with experience with electric instruments, mixers, and other recording equipment to make this relevant.
On any mixer, one of the first buttons that can be ...
9
votes
3answers
503 views
What are the components of a word called?
The etymology of the word parasol states that it arises "from para- (“to shield”) + sole (“sun”)". I would like to know what the two components, para and sole, are called in this example. ...
6
votes
1answer
268 views
What is an 'Iron Ring Event'
In a recent podcast of .Net rocks (at 45 minutes 29 seconds), regarding the future of software craftsmanship, it is postulated that there will be an 'Iron Ring Event' (if I heard it correctly). From ...
5
votes
1answer
140 views
Etymology of “settee”?
I was reading Cochrane's Memoirs of a Fighting Captain when I came across this:-
However, at 3.00pm, as a large settee was running into the mole of Ciotat, we discharged two shots at her, which ...
3
votes
2answers
157 views
Why doesn't “campaign” have the meaning of “countryside” in English?
The English word campaign comes from the French word campagne, which has two basic meanings:
battle,
countryside.
It seems that when this word came to English, only the "battle" meaning was kept ...
2
votes
1answer
1k views
When did “gay” become associated with homosexuality? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Gay (homosexual) and gay (happy)
I'm curious if there's a definitive moment where the word "gay" started being applied to homosexuals. Was it a specific coining, or just ...
5
votes
2answers
200 views
History of use of the term “organism”
I have found that the term "organism" does not originate from any writings of Aristotle or some other ancient Greek, though Aristotle freely uses the term "organon", spelled "organ" in English, to ...
4
votes
2answers
178 views
What is the name of combination, in error, of similar or related words? (E.g.: segueway)
Is there a technical term for combination, in error, of similar or related words? This question is prompted by the following malapropism or solecism, from an article by Elizabeth Montalbano in ...
8
votes
3answers
520 views
Why does “air conditioning” always mean “cooling” and never “heating”?
For that matter, air conditioning could include humidifying or dehumidifying, but it doesn't: only cooling. Why weren't air conditioners called air coolers?
5
votes
4answers
661 views
What's the origin of “beta” to describe a “user-testing” phase of computer development?
It occurred to me that I use the term "beta" to describe a "release candidate" of a computer product that has passed all expectations of the development team, and is now being given limited exposure ...
2
votes
2answers
216 views
Where does the term “make sure” come from?
I was reading the Mac OS X Lion upgrade page, and it said "make sure" all over the place. It struck me as odd. Where does the term "make sure" come from? What are you making to be sure? Yourself? ...
10
votes
6answers
653 views
Where does the term “Monad” come from?
I understand how monads work, and I use them on a routine basis.
However, I've been wondering where the term actually comes from and what does it mean?
Edit: To clarify, I'm specifically referring to ...
11
votes
3answers
2k views
Origins of the gaming term “cheese strategy”
In a gaming scene the word cheese is used to describe strategies or ways of playing that are really powerful and do not require much skill from the players side at the same time. The term is widely ...
0
votes
1answer
130 views
etymology of “positive economics”
Positive economics, that is, value-free theory, is contrasted with normative economics which is value-laden.
What is the etymology of positive economics?
13
votes
3answers
4k views
Why is the term “depressed” often used to describe a button which is pressed?
In several books that mention GUI, keyboard, or mouse buttons (e.g. the book Programming Windows by Charles Petzold), the authors refer to the state of a pressed button as depressed. Why is this term ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
Term for same root word but words with different meaning
Some words have the same etymology, root, but mean different things, such as mysterious and mystical. What are some other pairs (or more) that fall into this category, and what exactly is this ...
8
votes
7answers
1k views
What does “akin to” mean in etymologies in dictionary entries?
Many etymologies in dictionaries say that some word is “akin to” a word in some other language. For example, here is part of the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary entry for salt:
Main Entry: 1salt ...
