Questions tagged [history]
Questions about the history and trends of the English language.
962
questions
0
votes
4
answers
124
views
Is there a word for something that was formerly a social norm but is no longer acceptable?
I've been reading a lot of various classic literature, and at times there is the sort of casual misogyny or racism that was commonplace and (within certain cultures) the social norm at that time. Such ...
- 3,283
6
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Who coined the term “dummy it”?
As defined by Grammar About.com the “dummy it” is
The use of ‘it’ as a subject (or dummy subject) in sentences about times, dates, and the weather (such as, It's raining) and in certain idioms (It's ...
- 65.4k
20
votes
7
answers
2k
views
Why does left come before right?
For example in the idioms "left and right", "left, right and centre", and in many contexts where both left and right are mentioned, it seems that the left usually comes before the right. Why is this ...
- 11
7
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Use of degree symbol for Latinate ordinal number shorthand
I remember often having professors in college use degree symbols to write shorthand versions of Latinate ordinal numbers.
For example:
1° Primary
2° Secondary
3° Tertiary
4° Quaternary
...
- 99
16
votes
8
answers
16k
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, ...
3
votes
1
answer
174
views
'To lie' and 'to lay' / 'to rise' and 'to raise' / 'to fall' and 'to fell' <-- Did English used to have more pairs like this?
My understanding is that there aren't many pairs of intransitive and transitive verbs in modern English. Off-hand, I know of three (though I think there are more):
lie vs lay
rise vs raise
fall vs ...
6
votes
8
answers
36k
views
Origins of the phrase “You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows”?
You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.
This phrase is famously used in Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan. The metaphor itself is so simple and powerful I'm sure it would'...
15
votes
2
answers
18k
views
Is "Jack of all trades, master of none" really just a part of a longer proverb?
This post on 9GAG claims that the actual proverbs read:
Curiosity killed the cat. > Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. [FAKE, the second part was actually added later]
...
- 162k
10
votes
4
answers
5k
views
First use of the expression "Spandau Ballet"
Am wondering about the known history of this term. I assume that
Spandau refers to the German MG08.
The term as a whole refers to the behaviour of massed troops being hit by machine gun fire.
The ...
- 19
13
votes
5
answers
15k
views
What is the origin of the phrase "bullet points"?
In particular, was the expression coined by a single individual or is it attributed to a document?
The only thing I've been able to find was a non-cited reference to its origins in the 19th century ...
8
votes
3
answers
3k
views
When did “word” become a synonym of “promise” for the first time?
We know that the word word can sometimes be a synonym for promise, as in:
You have my word.
to mean:
You have my promise.
And I haven’t seen any other sentence structures that word is used to mean ...
- 105
3
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Is "steel breeze" an idiom?
I had only known of the phrase from the lyrics to the Pink Floyd song Shine on you crazy diamond and had always assumed that they had coined it. However, I stumbled upon a book by Alastair Reynolds ...
9
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How did the "double consonant to shorten vowel" thing come about? ("furry" vs. "fury")
In English, a doubled consonant most commonly means "shorten the previous vowel", where "shorten" means map phonemes like this:
[aɪ] -> [i]
[oʊ] -> [ɔ]
etc
For example, fury is pronounced [fjʊri] ...
- 922
4
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Why was "Spook" a slur used to refer to African Americans?
I understand that the word spook is a racial slur that rose in usage during WWII; I also know Germans called black gunners Spookwaffe. What I don't understand is why.
Spook seems to also mean 'ghost' ...
CommunityBot
- 1
3
votes
1
answer
361
views
Did "A F" exist as an intensifier prior to social media?
"A F" is short for "as fuck". It popped into my lexicon a few years ago, when I started hearing it in Youtube videos. (See this video as an example, although this wasn't where I ...
- 65.4k
7
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Is there any historical basis for pronouncing the “Ye Olde …“ with a /j/?
It is my understanding that the article ye as used in archaic spellings such as “Ye Olde Yereminne Shoppe” originates from spelling þe as ye with moveable type when the typeface did not feature the ...
- 4,376
14
votes
4
answers
6k
views
First usage of parentheses or brackets ( and )
I have found several sources (Wikipedia, Eats Shoots & Leaves) that claim Erasmus was the first person to use parentheses (also known as brackets). He supposedly called them lunulae (because they ...
2
votes
2
answers
99
views
Pronunciation of "Ine", as the name of the Saxon king in modern English
Ine, also rendered Ini or Ina, (Latin: Inus; c. AD 670 – after 726) was King of Wessex from 689 to 726 (Wikipedia). This is a name still used today, apparently, but I do not find it in the Longman ...
- 40.5k
14
votes
3
answers
22k
views
Normans vs. Saxons: cow = beef, sheep = mutton, chicken =?
The story goes that after the Norman invasion of England, the words in English for prepared foods took on their French equivalents. The Saxon serfs bred the cows, sheep, and swine, which when served ...
- 18.5k
5
votes
4
answers
676
views
How did grammarians determine that the Present Continuous is an aspect?
The three variants of the present tense are:
[X] sits (Simple)
[X] does sit (Emphatic)
[X] is sitting (Continuous [also called Progressive])
This is something that I was taught in school at such an ...
- 45.1k
-1
votes
1
answer
246
views
Are the origins of ¡ay, güey! and 'oy vey' related at all? [closed]
Though both of these terms come from other languages, they are both said in English, depending on where one is. One (ay wey as a more English form) can mean holy crap!, and the other can mean ...
- 151k
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
etymology of the phrase "at all"
I couldn't get much on this phrase. It is a weird one I know but I just can't stand not knowing it. How did the current use of "at all" come into being?
Take a look at this:
"in any way," mid-14c....
7
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Why are certain competitions called a "Classic?"
In the town I live in, there have been a number of competitive events called "classics" (e.g. "Bicycle Classic," "Golf Classic").
I assume this term is used because the event is a long-standing, ...
- 65.4k
2
votes
1
answer
121
views
How did the verb "take" come to mean "to undertake and make, do, or perform"?
One of the senses of the verb take is:
to undertake and make, do, or perform.
take a walk
take aim
take legal action
take a test
take a look
[sense 17a, Merriam-Webster]
It is an idiomatic usage. ...
- 65.4k
5
votes
4
answers
21k
views
"Hitch in my get along", or "Hitch in my gitty up"
What is the origin of the phrase, "Hitch in my get along, or gitty up"? I understand the meaning, but would like to find out the origin.
It is easy to find the etymology of "gitty-up/...
- 3,231
3
votes
1
answer
169
views
Why did English take the "mix pronunciations and spellings" route instead of one rule route like French, or separate languages/dialects like Spanish? [closed]
Like the multiple pronunciations of "ough" or different spellings for the same sounds in English I've read come from mixing different dialects into one language. Whereas with French, they ...
CommunityBot
- 1
3
votes
3
answers
10k
views
What is the origin of “Psych!”?
What is the origin of the phrase “Psych!!!” like when someone is saying something jokingly and they’re taking it back?
Often believed, by those who don't understand the term's origin, to be spelt (or ...
- 3,231
0
votes
3
answers
89
views
Name from history meaning charismatic?
Much like McGyver meaning "resourceful," Einstein meaning "intelligent," Savant meaning "gifted..." I remember hearing and using a name to refer to someone as a ...
- 80.6k
11
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What's it called when a word that starts with a vowel takes the 'n' from 'an' (the indefinite article) and puts it on the word?
I don't exactly know how to describe it, but I've heard of this happening in English before. I'm pretty sure the word 'newt' is an example of this. From what I've heard, the word used to be 'ewt', ...
- 32.7k
3
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Why did some stigmatized theophoric names survive in English?
The synopsis is: we have the long-standing popularity of the name "Isabelle" and context that much of the English speaking world has been influenced by Christianity for centuries. It appears ...
- 1,763
6
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Origin of the suffix in hippocampus
Hippocampus, a tiny organ in the brain - named after its resemblance to a tiny sea creature, the sea-horse (the genus of which is led to the original coinage of 'hippocampus') - has been some source ...
18
votes
2
answers
4k
views
“mark” in generational naming of products
What is the story behind the word mark as a synonym for version in products, such as Canon 5D Mark III or Aston Martin DB Mark III?
- 1
21
votes
3
answers
43k
views
What is the name of this castle part?
What do you call these?
Please provide a reliable source with your answer.
- 1
7
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Why names such as Hastings-on-Hudson?
This question is either about etymology or language generally, as names have this feature in other languages too, but I'm just curious how the practice of naming towns in proximity to bodies of water ...
- 153
6
votes
4
answers
9k
views
What are the indigenous English words for a prostitute?
Prostitution is referred to as the oldest profession, but the English word "prostitute" is a borrowing that started being used in the English language around 1600. I would like to know what the ...
- 6,166
243
votes
11
answers
19k
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, for example, on 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 ...
- 8,452
3
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What is the name of the grammatical device where 18th and 19th Century sentences started with 'which'?
In the movie Master and Commander - we see the following two dialogues between Jack Aubrey and his servant Killick:
Dialogue 1:
JACK: Killick? Killick there.
< KILLICK appears. >
JACK (CONT'D): ...
- 80.6k
4
votes
2
answers
245
views
Was the silent 'e' in "nine" ever pronounced? In Old English, the word for "nine" was "nigon", with no 'e' at the end
Was the silent 'e' in "nine" ever pronounced? In Old English, the word for "nine" was "nigon", with no 'e' at the end. But, in Middle English, the word for "nine&...
- 80.4k
6
votes
2
answers
6k
views
Have grammar rules changed through the history of the English language? [closed]
When I want to know what form a word has say in 12th century (end Old English, begin Middle English), 14th century (end Middle English), or any other time in England history, I only need to track the ...
- 121
8
votes
2
answers
819
views
When did split infinitives become poor grammar?
I recall reading an article a few years ago that discussed a period in English when intellectuals began forcing Latin grammar onto the English language, and split infinitives (among other grammatical ...
- 6,166
2
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Orwell: "A glimmer [is] one who watches vacant motor-cars." What does this mean?
Title is a quote from Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London. In this section he goes through a bunch of London slang terms and what they mean, but I don't understand his definition. What does it ...
0
votes
1
answer
213
views
What is the history of the word 'wherry,' and why is it virtually unknown today?
The boats crossing the Thames before all the bridges were built in the late 1700s were called wherries.
Wiktionary; however, says the term wherry is much older:
From Middle English whery (“small boat”...
- 40.5k
2
votes
2
answers
243
views
Do demonyms largely depend upon the historical period in which they originate?
A friend of mine told me English demonyms, words that identify people from a particular place (Roman, Japanese, Dutch etc.), largely depend upon the historical period in which the term originates. ...
- 40.5k
1
vote
2
answers
3k
views
Origins of the phrase “the best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago, the second best time is now”?
Does anyone have good information on the first known usage or attribution of the phrase “the best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago, the second best time is now”, or similar concepts?
According to ...
- 162k
16
votes
3
answers
8k
views
What is the meaning of "hypos" here in this passage from Moby Dick?
Yesterday, I asked a question over at the Gaming StackExchange, and eventually received an answer whose primary thrust was this wonderfully written passage from Moby Dick:
My questions are: What ...
- 162k
3
votes
3
answers
605
views
History of "via"
I was wondering about different ways of writing "via" when a graph of this word's usage showed up.
There is a peak in the years 1529-32 and then a sudden decline then again a peak at 1632 ...
- 32.2k
7
votes
2
answers
310
views
Why do some irregular verbs, such as swing/swung and sting/stung, only have two forms instead of three?
Folks, my question has to do with really difficult things to understand, so I've chosen this forum and think only truly wise owls are able to help me.
As you, I hope, know, lots of English irregular ...
- 80.4k
3
votes
1
answer
573
views
At what point did most English speakers know the joke, "What time is it? Time for you to get a watch!"? [closed]
When is the first documented usage of the joke, "What time is it? Time for you to get a watch!"? At what point in history would most English-speakers know this joke, meaning, if you stopped ...
- 162k
17
votes
2
answers
10k
views
Why do we say "honeymoon" instead of "honeymonth"?
I was curious about the etymology of the word honeymoon and found out that its sense was partially literal (serving honey for the couple), and partially metaphorical (sweet and happy times).
But I ...
10
votes
5
answers
5k
views
What are the origins of and is this use of the term "baby" sexist?
I heard this expression twice now this week on current TV. That 90's Show on Netflix (a preview) and NCIS: Hawaii. I don't remember the exact wording but they went something like this:
From That 90'...
- 4,300