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Showing posts with the label Where does this word come from?

What is Lent?

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Lent is the word Christians use to describe the forty days leading up to  Easter .

What is Globish?

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Globish  in British ( Ɡləʊbɪʃ     ) noun a  simplified   version  of English used by  non-native   speakers , consisting of the most  common  words and phrases only Collins English Dictionary Globish is a term invented by a French business man, Jean-Paul Nerriere. It describes the an adapted form of English used in communication between non-native speakers.

Where does the word tycoon come from?

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The word tycoon is derived from the Japanese word taikun (大君?).

What does Kabuki mean? How is this term used in politics?

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Kabuki  theatre is a stylised Japanese dance-drama tradition. Its origins date back to the early 17th century, when it rapidly grew in popularity Initially it was performed by both sexes, causing unease about public morals in official circles. The association between female actors and prostitution lead to a shogunate ruling in 1625. Since then the female parts are all played by males.  Key characteristics of  Kabuki  include  operatic plot lines, masks and heavy make-up. Shouting at other actors is encouraged, but though are common elements pantomime the tone is more delicate. As Louis Levene puts it: a great onnagata (a male actor playing a female role) will transcend the conventions and carry you away to the floating world. Modern versions Kotohira kabuki theatre The kabuki Bayreuth is the town of Kotohira, in Shikoku province. Local geisha funded the building of a kabuki theatre there in 1835 and fans pay £100 for tickets to the annual festival every spring.  Leading actors are

Five ways Dickens expanded the English language

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A mong the 9,218 quotations from {Dickens’} works in the OED, 265 words and compounds are cited as having been first used by him in print and another 1,586 as having been used in a new sense. Source

Origin of word blackmail?

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The original meaning of blackmail was not directly connected to the concept of extortion

Why do we say 'flea market'?

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March aux puces - original flea market still popular in Paris A mysterious term given that the market for fleas is limited. There are two (vaguely) plausible theories: 1. March aux puces? A translation of march aux puces. This was the popular name for a large outdoor market in Paris that became popular in the 1920s.  The name  march aux puces was "because there are so many second hand articles sold of all kinds that they are believed to gather fleas." [E.S. Dougherty, "In Europe," 1922]   2. Dutch Swamp? From the Dutch word for swamp is given as “vlie”, which sounds like flea when spoken in English. The Dutch settlers held markets in the then swampland that was Manhattan Island.  The OED goes with the French market explanation as the more probable. French words in English

What is the Rorschach test?

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Hermann Rorschach (1884–1922) invented the 'ink blot' personality test. It uses 10 standard black or coloured inkblot designs to assess personality traits and emotional tendencies. This diagnostic tool was initially intended to  provide insight into the mental processes involved with what was broadly termed schizophrenia. Rorschach, who died soon after completing his research paper Psychodiagnostik (1921) had cautioned that ‘that the test is primarily an aid to clinical diagnosis’. From the 1940s, the Rorschach was adapted for use in occupational assessment and other areas of social science.  In contemporary English, the term  Rorschach Test is often used metaphorically to describe what psychologists call projective assessment. Put simply, how you see something depends on your 'priors' or pre-existing assumptions. Who was  Hermann Rorschach?

Why do we say 'Good' Friday?

It may seem odd that Christians call their day  of greatest sorrow   Good Friday .  The confusion arises from how we perceive the word 'Good'. Here it is used in the archaic sense of 'holy' or momentous. Good Friday, called  Feria VI in  Parasceve  in the  Roman Missal ,  he hagia kai megale paraskeue  (the  Holy  and Great Friday) in the  Greek Liturgy ,  Holy Friday  in Romance Languages,  Charfreitag  (Sorrowful Friday) in  German , is the  English  designation of Friday in  Holy Week     source In other words,  Good marks the uniqueness of the Passion . It affirms the centrality of the crucifixion and resurrection to the Christian faith. Short essay :  Where does the word Easter come from? Passover? Good Friday?

Where does the word Easter come from?

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The word Easter is not in the New Testament. Nor does it feature in most translations of the Bible into vernacular languages.  Isn't Easter  linked to Passover? There is no direct linguistic link in English  between the  words  Easter  and   Passover .  This contrasts with the convention in Romance languages. Pâques, in French, covers both  Easter  and Passover . In Spanish,  Semana Santa (Holy Week) is the most common phrase used to describe the festival. So where does the word  Easter come from?      Scholars agree that Easter  has pre-Christian roots. Beyond that there is little consensus. According to the great Anglo-Saxon scholar the  Venerable Bede , the Old English word eastre came from Eostre, "a goddess associated with spring."   April was called Eosturmonath  ("Easter-month") because in pagan times the month was dedicated to Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring.   The Canadian Oxford Dictionary suggests a link to the Germanic goddess

Why 'Maundy' Thursday?

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The first citation of maunde  to describe the Thursday before Easter in middle English comes in the mid-15C. It described not only The Last Supper in general but also the ceremony of the washing of the feet of the poor or downtrodden. The immediate origin was Old French mandé. This in turn derived from the Latin mandatum  or "commandment" (see mandate (n.)). For Christians the crucial reference is to the opening words of the Latin church service for this day, Mandatum novum do vobis "A new commandment I give unto you" (John xiii:34). This new commandment is to love one another.  The supreme test of this commandment will, of course, be the events of the following day: Good Friday . Short essay : Where does the word Easter come from? Passover? Good Friday?

Where does the word Oz come from?

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"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." According to legend, the writer L Frank Baum was stuck for a name for his magical land. Looking up from his desk for inspiration, he saw a filing cabinet with two drawers.  One was labelled A-L and the other O-Z.  Baum wrote down OZ, meaning to replace this later. Christmas-related posts

What is the origin of the word alphabet?

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Where does the word baseball come from?

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The earliest reference to baseball comes in a diary entry of a Surrey solicitor, William Bray.

What does inside baseball mean?

Inside baseball  is a term popular with political and media analysts.

What is schmutter?

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schmutter [ˈʃmʌtə]  noun

Where does the word OK come from?

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The word OK entered American English in the 19th century and is now one of the most popular in the language. But there is little agreement as to its origins.

What is an octothorpe?

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In the 1960s engineers at Bell Labs were designing the first touch keyboard telephones.

What is a rookie? Where does the word come from?

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A rookie is someone new to a particular situation or recently promoted to a higher level of competition or responsibility.

Where does the word pundit come from?

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From the Hindi/Sanskrit word 'pandit'.