Hootenanny Review: The Word Meant a Thingamajig Before It Meant a Party
Hootenanny Review: The Word Meant a Thingamajig Before It Meant a Party | A placeholder word for something you cannot name, and then it meant a folk music session
Tag: etymology
Hawke Review: Every Mews in London Is Named After a Moulting Hawk
Hawke Review: Every Mews in London Is Named After a Moulting Hawk | The royal hawks were kept at the King’s Mews, then the horses moved in, and the word never left
Court Review: A Courtyard, a King’s Retinue, and a Tennis Court Are the Same Word
Court Review: A Courtyard, a King’s Retinue, and a Tennis Court Are the Same Word | It meant an enclosed yard, and then the people in it, and then the law that was done there
Freaks and Geeks Review: A Geek Was a Fairground Performer Who Bit Heads Off Chickens
Freaks and Geeks Review: A Geek Was a Fairground Performer Who Bit Heads Off Chickens | One of the most complete reversals in English, and the word used to be the lowest thing at the carnival
Pig and Whistle Review: Nobody Agrees What the Name Means
Pig and Whistle Review: Nobody Agrees What the Name Means | Four competing etymologies, all confidently asserted, none provable, which is the most English situation available
Gourmet Review: A Gourmet Was a Wine Servant, and a Gourmand Just Ate a Lot
Gourmet Review: A Gourmet Was a Wine Servant, and a Gourmand Just Ate a Lot | The two words are constantly confused, one means discernment and one means appetite, and they came from opposite places
Capeesh Review: The Word Is Italian and It Means Do You Understand
Capeesh Review: The Word Is Italian and It Means Do You Understand | Capisci, filtered through Italian-American, and it has become an English word for a threat
The Dock Review: A 4.9 From Twenty-Three, and a Dock Is Where the Accused Stands
The Dock Review: A 4.9 From Twenty-Three, and a Dock Is Where the Accused Stands | The same word for a harbour and for the enclosure in a courtroom, and nobody is quite sure why
Pub Names Reveal London’s Collective Inability to Name Things Coherently
Pub Names Reveal London’s Collective Inability to Name Things Coherently | Linguistic study confirms “The Case is Altered” named by committee who gave up trying
ZuZu Review: A Bistro Was Somewhere You Ate Because It Was Quick
ZuZu Review: A Bistro Was Somewhere You Ate Because It Was Quick | A small cheap neighbourhood restaurant, and the Russian etymology is almost certainly false
Cabana Review: A Cabana Is a Hut and the Word Went a Very Long Way
Cabana Review: A Cabana Is a Hut and the Word Went a Very Long Way | From a Latin cabin, through Spanish and Portuguese, to a beach shelter and a chain restaurant in Stratford
Traders Review: The Word Trade Meant a Track and Then It Meant a Living
Traders Review: The Word Trade Meant a Track and Then It Meant a Living | A path, a habit, a way of life, a job, and finally the buying and selling of things
Mezzanine Review: A Mezzanine Is a Middle Floor and the Word Means Middle
Mezzanine Review: A Mezzanine Is a Middle Floor and the Word Means Middle | From the Italian for half, it is the floor that is not a floor, and it exists because of a tax
Hangar Review: A 3.2 From Nine People, Which Is Not a Number
Hangar Review: A 3.2 From Nine People, Which Is Not a Number | Nine reviews cannot say anything about anything, and they are shown to you as though they can
Parlour Review: A Parlour Is the Room Where You Speak
Parlour Review: A Parlour Is the Room Where You Speak | From the French parler, it was the one room in a monastery where the silence was suspended