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Results tagged with etymology
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user 5737
Questions about tracing out and describing the elements of an individual word, as well as the historical changes in form and sense which that word has experienced over its history. Please use the 'phrase-origin' tag for phrase/expression origins.
1
vote
"Flowers" card suit?
It's called clubs in English. The others are hearts, diamonds and spades.
EDIT:
The OED reports:
II In cards.
8 pl. The cards forming one of the four suits, distinguished by the conventional represen …
- 5,216
9
votes
Accepted
What is the origin of "nonchalance?"
It comes from the French nonchalant, which means indifferent.
From etymonline.com:
1670s, from Fr. nonchalant, prp. of nonchaloir "be indifferent to, have no concern for" (13c.), from non- "not" + c …
- 5,216
7
votes
4
answers
12k
views
Etymology of "far out"
Where does the expression far out come from?
As in:
I had to phone someone so I picked on you /
Hey, that's far out so you heard him too! /
Switch on the TV we may pick him up on channel two …
- 5,216
7
votes
2
answers
2k
views
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
A recent question on Skeptics SE, brought up an interesting debate on the origin of this proverb.
Particularly, in the comments to this answer we were wondering whether apple really refers to the spe …
- 5,216
15
votes
Accepted
Was "terror" ever a positive thing?
The OED reports, as a first meaning for terrific
Causing terror, terrifying; fitted to terrify; dreadful, terrible, frightful.
1667 Milton P.L. vii. 497 The Serpent‥with brazen Eyes And …
- 5,216
7
votes
What is the etymology of "blackguard"? Does this British-sounding word have subtleties in it...
The OED says:
blackguard, n. and a.
[lit. Black Guard, concerning the original application of which there is some doubt. It is possible that senses 1 and 2 began independently of each other; or …
- 5,216
6
votes
A murder of crows?
Apparently the original source from which most of these names came is the Book of St. Albans, originally published around 1480.
Wikipedia states that:
A modern collection is James Lipton, An Exal …
- 5,216