Origin of laughable?
Laughable Adjective : to inspire laughter: comically ridiculous. A variation based on laugh which evolved from the Middle English laughen, laghen
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How many new words in Shakespeare?
Estimates of the number of new words and phrases used in the complete work of William Shakespeare vary considerably. In 1942, leading Shakespeare scholar Alfred Hart, wrote that the Stratford playwright is "credited by the compilers of the Oxford English Dictionary with being the first user of about 3,200 words." That number is now considered an overestimate. But by how much? A British Council website from 2016 suggests 'more than two thousand' while the invaluable Online Shakespeare Biography goes with around 1200.
Origin of word blackmail?
The original meaning of blackmail was not directly connected to the concept of extortion
What does 'performative' mean?
The word performative has become ubiquitous but is often misused . Parliamentary kabuki The always informative Dot Wordsworth points out in her Spectator column that the correct usage of performative is 'as a label useful in identifying a sort of utterance that is different from a statement of fact.' She cites as examples, 'I do (in the marriage ceremony), I bet, I name this ship the Queen Elizabeth, I promise, Let there be light (if you are God) and I apologise.' Performative does not mean to play to the gallery (or TV cameras!) or act insincerely for public consumption. Kabuki is the word that better describes theatrical behaviour that attempts to attract maximum media attention. What is kabuki?
Why do we say 'flea market'?
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
