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The word phoney is a strange sounding kind of word isn’t it? As you know, phoney means something that is fake or imitation, something that is not genuine. Robbers and conmen in olden times in Britain used secret codewords within their ranks. One of the words that they used was the “fawney” which was originally a gilt ring, or a ring covered only in gold paper. It was not a real gold ring, but they would sell them, claiming they were made of real gold. So in time, the word fawney came to be called phoney and eventually the word phoney came to mean anything at all that was not real.
There have been many misquotes over the years and one of these came from apostle Paul. Many people misquote him by saying that "money is the root of all evil". What Paul actually said was "the love of money is the root of all evil". One of the world's best known misquotes is the phrase "elementary, my dear Watson" which is supposed to have been spoken by Sherlock Holmes. Nowhere in any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books on Sherlock Holmes did Sherlock ever quote that famous phrase.
Two of the world's most famous misquotes include the phrases "play it again, Sam" supposedly said by Humphrey Bogart's character in the film Casablanca and "you dirty rat" which was supposed to have been uttered by James Cagney in one of his gangster movies. These particular phrases were never actually spoken by either of these actors in these movies.
The English language has some strange origins. Take the word "blurb" which is the text inside the cover of books explaining the outline of the story. In 1906 the American comic author Gelett Burgess was asked to promote one of his books by creating a special cover. Under a picture of a beautiful model Burgess wrote some meaningless text and the cover was printed. The model's picture he nicknamed Miss Belinda Blurb and the word "blurb" remains to this day. The word eavesdrop had rather unusual beginnings.
In medieval England roof guttering had not been invented. Therefore houses had very wide eaves so that the rain would not soak into the foundations. When people lingered near windows and doors to overhear conversations, they had to stand in this space under the eavesdrop so that they could hear. These people became known as eavesdroppers.
Fiasco is a rather strange sounding word isn't it? During the 15th century Venetian glassmakers used only perfect materials for their prized articles. If any of the glass was faulty, it was used only for small flasks that were called fiasco. Because the definition of so many words have changed from their original meaning, it's interesting to see that the basic meaning that something is faulty is still relevant today in the word fiasco.
Where on the earth did the word "jargon" come from? We know it to means the language used specifically in a particular field, eg computer jargon. But interestingly the word originated from the old French word "gargon" which means the twittering noise that birds make. So anyone who smugly uses jargon about their special subject is actually only making bird sounds.
The word "hoodlum" had an interesting beginning. We know it today as the word for a criminal. A San Francisco newspaper reporter first used the word around 1870. When attempting to find a word to describe young ruffians, the reporter took the name of a local gang-leader's name and turned it around. The gang-leader's name was Muldoon, so the reporter wrote Noodlum. But when the typsetter at the newspaper read the reporter's writing he thought it said hoodlum. And the name stuck.
The word "perfume" was a name that was originally given to a disinfectant. That's why the word "perfume" sounds a little like "fumigate". The word originated from the Romans who combined the Latin word "per" which means through and the word "fumus" which means smoke. Therefore, perfume's original meaning was to describe a smell drifting through the air like smoke.
In 1780 it is claimed that a Dublin theatre manager called Daly, made a bet that within 24 hours he could introduce a new word into the English language. Mr Daly went throughout the town during the night and wrote the word "quiz" in chalk on walls throughout the city. Then of course the next day the whole city was talking about the strange word that no-one knew the meaning of. Soon the word "quiz" came to mean a funny puzzle. Then later it came to mean a set of puzzling questions or to interrogate somebody.
The word "school" is particularly interesting. For children or those of you studying, you may find its original meaning rather difficult to believe. Originally the word came from the Greek word "schole" which meant leisure. The Greeks you see believed that learning was only a leisure-time activity. So next time you want to complain about your schoolwork, remember you are actually referring to something that is supposed to be for relaxation.
Have you ever wondered where the word "trivial" came from? In Ancient Rome, gossipers gathered at a crossroads called "Tri-Via" which means three streets. Soon the word Tri-Via came to refer to the idle gossip that was swapped there. Eventually it became the word we know as trivial. And I hope that little bit of trivia makes your day complete.
Throughout history many nations have spoken discourteously about other nationalities. The phrase "double dutch" is a classic example. To us it means something that is unintelligible or gobbledegook. Other people may use the phrase "it's all Greek to me". Other countries use similar phrases, eg the Greeks and French say, "it's Chinese to me", while the Finnish speak of "pig German". Polish people say "I'm listening to a Turkish sermon" and the Germans say "These are Bohemian villages to me". Oh dear, perhaps the word gobbledegook is the best word to use.
The phrase "the cold shoulder" originated in medieval France and means a polite snub. If a visitor at that time was served a cold shoulder of beef or mutton instead of hot meat, this was a polite way of informing the guest that he had outstayed his welcome. Consequently came the phrase "to give the cold shoulder".
The symbol for the word "and" is known as ampersand and originated from one of the world's first shorthand systems in Rome in 63 BC. The symbol is now used in hundreds of languages in the world today to represent the word "and".
Robert Hare an American chemist found that a blowpipe flame used on a block of calcium oxide, otherwise know as lime, could produce a brilliant white light. This was used to illuminate theatre stages. And this is where the saying of being in the limelight, actually came from.
In some parts of Britain it is still traditional to take embers from the old fireplace and burn them in the new one when moving house. This is where the word and idea for "Housewarming" comes from.
The original meaning of the word "hospital" during the Middle Ages was a place of shelter and rest for travellers. After time passed, hospital eventually came to mean a charitable establishment that cared for orphans, the sick and senior citizens. In other words, these were hospitable places. So the original meaning of hospital as a place of shelter and rest now survives only in the words hostel and hotel.
The word "nice" originally meant foolish before the 15th century. After that it went through several changes in meaning until today when we know that "nice" means agreeable or good.
If you have ever struggled for a word or name to call someone that is an idiot, you can revert to the words alcatote, doddypoll or fopdoodle. Perhaps you would prefer the words grobian or mobard. If someone is a bit nasty, you could refer to them as a cockabaloo. Or for some general insults you could use slubberdegullion, tatterdemalion, humgruffin, besom, bronstrop, ronyon, blobtale, chattermucker, or dandiprat dogberries. Actually I prefer the simple word "twit".
Have you ever wondered why a butterfly is called that? Is it because it flutters by? One suggestion is that it comes from the ancient belief that butterflies stole butter and milk. In fact, some folktales, told of witches disguising themselves as butterflies.
Have you ever wondered where the old phrase "It's a doosey!" came from? It originated from a 1913 car called the Duesenberg that was a very expensive vehicle introduced in America. When the stock market crashed in 1929, this luxury vehicle, the Duesenberg faded into history, and all that is left is the phrase "It's a doosey!"
Why is shifting responsibility to someone else called "passing the buck"? It was once customary in card games to pass an item, called a buck, from player to player to specify whose turn it was to deal. But if a player did not wish to deal, he would "pass the buck" to the next player.
Why is someone who is feeling great "on cloud nine"? Certain types of clouds are numbered according to the heights they reach, with nine being the highest cloud. If someone is said to be on cloud nine, then it is said that person is floating high above worldly cares.
Why are zero scores in tennis called "love"? In France, where tennis first became popular, a large, round zero on the scoreboard looked like an egg and was called l'oeuf, which is French for "egg". When tennis was introduced in the US, Americans mistakenly pronounced it "love".
When we hear the phrase "the road to Hell is paved with good intentions", most people assume it comes from the Bible. In fact, that phrase comes from the book "Das Capital" by Karl Marx and not from the Bible at all.
Where does the phrase "to blaze a trail" come from? Actually it's got nothing to do with fire at all. The blaze mentioned here refers to a telltale mark cut into a tree to indicate a trail or a path. So to blaze a trail, means to mark a trail.
Have you ever heard the phrase "from a horse's mouth" and wondered where it came from? In olden times when buying and selling horses was much more common, it was important to determine the age of the horse to work out its worth. Looking into the horse's mouth was a good way to determine age, because the older a horse is, the more worn its teeth are. So to insist on determining the way things really are, is to work it out "from the horse's mouth." But if you were given a horse as a gift, it would be bad manners to check its teeth upon receiving the gift which is where we get the phrase "don't look a gift horse in the mouth".
You may be surprised by how many fishing phrases have made their way into our everyday language. "To get a rise out of someone" means to provoke or lure them into doing something silly or responding angrily, which probably came from fishing and luring the fish to the surface of the water, ie to get the fish to rise out to the surface. This can also refer to the phrase "to rise to the bait". A further fishing term is "to swallow the bait" or to fall for a trick, as fish fall for a bait. Then there's the line, "hook, line and sinker" which usually refers to someone who completely falls for some joke or trick as a stupid fish will sometimes swallow the bait, hook, line and sinker.
"Oh, oh! I let the cat out of the bag!" What an odd phrase that is. It began at county fairs and markets in olden days when customers had to be on guard against dishonest traders. A woman might go to the market to buy a piglet to cook for a meal. A dishonest trader might put a puppy or a kitten into a bag and pretend it was a piglet, and take the woman's money. People began to check their purchases before taking them home, and were surprised to "let the cat out of the bag" when they were expecting to have purchased something else.
Where does the phrase "A nine day wonder" come from do you think? The most likely explanation refers to medieval religious festivals which could last nine days. This could also include nine days of prayers or the "Novena" which comes from the Latin word "Novem" which means nine. After all of the pomp and ceremony was over, everything went back to normal, and the "nine day wonder" of the festival was over.
In Hebrew, the term "malakh" means messenger. In Persian, the word for courier is "angaros", and the word for messenger in Greek is "angelos". All of these were the basis for the word "angel" which refers to the Angel's main responsibility, ie to move back and forth between realms, taking human prayers to Heaven and returning with God's answers.