Messages

1

English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day

« on: September 09, 2025, 10:30:25 AM »

Sacrum, meaning butt, is from the same root word as Sacred.  It's not the first part that I think of when I think of what parts of the body might be the holiest, but I guess tastes vary.

2

English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...

« on: September 09, 2025, 07:08:23 AM »

Smithereens.   Now I want to keep a single smithereen as a memento.

3

English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day

« on: June 16, 2025, 02:03:49 AM »

Ovation has nothing to do with laying eggs, standing or otherwise.

4

English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day

« on: June 05, 2025, 09:45:38 AM »

In law, a tort is a lawsuit where you sue someone for money.  It's the same derivation as torture, which makes sense if you've ever had to partake in a lawsuit.  But it's also the same derivation as tortoise (and turtle), which hardly seems fair to the critters.

Porpoise, however, means "pig fish".

5

English & Linguistics / Re: Strange Proununciations

« on: May 27, 2025, 01:02:36 AM »

Sure!  Axe anyone.

6

English & Linguistics / Re: Interesting language stuff

« on: May 19, 2025, 10:56:03 AM »

Here's an article about Atomic Theory written in Anglish, which is English purged of all words of non-Germanic origin.  It reads like a fantasy novel.

7

English & Linguistics / Re: You keep on using that word

« on: January 30, 2025, 03:12:37 AM »

 

8

English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...

« on: October 10, 2024, 11:19:46 AM »

🟥🟨🟩

🟥🟨🟩

9

English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...

« on: October 10, 2024, 11:19:16 AM »

U ➡️⬅️

10

English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...

« on: October 10, 2024, 11:17:23 AM »

, , , , , 🦎

11

English & Linguistics / Re: English-to-English translation

« on: October 05, 2024, 11:44:02 PM »

For Eskimo, I guess.

12

English & Linguistics / Re: New column-type thingy

« on: September 23, 2024, 01:02:50 PM »

Jeepers.  But I really like semicolons.

13

English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...

« on: September 19, 2024, 05:11:39 PM »

Walkie-talkie is a ridiculous name for a hand-held two-way radio.  Did they give the job of naming it to toddlers?

14

English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day

« on: September 10, 2024, 09:02:01 PM »

The super part is high or raised and the cilious is hair like cilia. Supercilious is a raised eyebrow.

15

English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day

« on: September 05, 2024, 08:22:30 PM »

The "sub" in substance is the base that supports stuff so that it is sturdy.  Something that is substantial is firm and well-supported.  Now that I realize this, I want flimsy things to be superstantial.

16

English & Linguistics / Re: Funny English and Linguistics stuff...

« on: July 16, 2024, 10:55:31 PM »

It is.

17

English & Linguistics / Re: Strange Proununciations

« on: June 04, 2024, 11:56:41 AM »

Lately it's been bothering me that slaughter and laughter are not anywhere close in pronunciation.

18

English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day

« on: June 04, 2024, 11:52:57 AM »

As a GenX person, I understand "narc" to mean "snitch".

19

English & Linguistics / Re: "Endorse" in medicine

« on: June 04, 2024, 11:51:15 AM »

As a nurse, when I say "endorse" it means taking something that is my responsibility and making it someone else's  problem. 

20

English & Linguistics / Re: I hate journalistic writing

« on: March 28, 2024, 04:54:52 PM »

Oh dear.

21

English & Linguistics / Re: Strange Proununciations

« on: February 26, 2024, 10:39:33 AM »

There's the Papper and the Capper.

22

English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day

« on: January 15, 2024, 04:56:06 AM »

Not only do "shampoo" and "shamrock" lack a common etymology,  they also have nothing to do with "sham".

Nevertheless, I still prefer real rocks to shamrocks, but prefer shampoo to real poo.

23

English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day

« on: December 18, 2023, 07:04:43 AM »

I was thinking about the phagos in sarcophagus. And wondering what those sarcophagi were eating, and it turns out that they made them out of limestone so that the stone would digest the body.

If that was the point, though, why even bother with a sarcophagus at all.  If you want the body to be decomposed and digested, just leave it out and forget about the stone box.

24

English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day

« on: December 01, 2023, 12:23:43 PM »

What is the opposite of contraband?  Proband?

25

English & Linguistics / Re: The random etymology of the day

« on: November 28, 2023, 04:58:49 PM »

I was thinking about pedigree, and whether the "ped" part was like the food "ped" or the child "pedo", and figuring that it was probably the latter, because of genealogy, but it turns out it as actually the former and pedigree comes from the French "pied de gru" (crane's foot).