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Carpal Tunnel
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Re: And, since nobody answered my question on the trifle thread about the charger--the plate that goes under the plate you actually take your food from---why are chargers called chargers? What's being charged?
well, the M-W10th, says charger a large plate or platter, from the 14c. chargen..(to charge)
going back to charge, there are 2 listing, one for the 13c., one for the 14c.
and first defination, letter e, to fill or furnish fully.. or maybe fifth, letter c, to record an item as an expence, dept or obligation
Chargers "hold" a place.. the table is set for 12, but only 11 show up? the charger sits there, "recording an obligation"-- and for the 11 who do show up, the charger sits there waiting to be filled with food... i don't know which is the "correct" answer.
Long ago, in thread, Jo (jmh) gave us a thousand details on court etiquette for the table.. i suspect the charger, is there to create an "obligation" but its just a guess. we would need a historian, with a subspecialty of 14th century table manners and since my family is the kind that was always seated below the salt -- i don't know!
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Carpal Tunnel
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We are overpowered by the axis of evol - societal expectations and pheromones - and fall in love. When the reality of the person zeroed in on smashes up against the built up expectations of the imagined object of lust/love we are hurt.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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The only basis I can find for the use of "crush" to mean an infatuation is from an etymological dictionary which defines crush as to break in pieces, overwhelm. I'm guessing that the use is an application of the term in the sense of overwhelm.
The source for charger is in the thread in which you first asked the question.
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Carpal Tunnel
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"You always hurt the one you love..."
--The Inkspots
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Re: "You always hurt the one you love..."
Gee, i always thought that was from Oscar Wilde.. The Ballad of Redding Gaol
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old hand
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old hand
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e, i always thought that was from Oscar Wilde.. The Ballad of Redding Gaol
And I thunk it was READING GAOL, but I can't reed. Damn! English really is nutty! (Oops, cross-thread alert!)
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Carpal Tunnel
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It took me half an hour to find the text, but here it is:
Yet each man kills the thing he loves,
By each let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!
Oscar Wilde, Ballad of Reading Gaol
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Carpal Tunnel
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Could you find the complete ballad? I didn't have much success, (even after i started spelling it right!) it is rather long.. but wonderful! In Reading gaol,in Reading town (i think that is the opening line...) EDIT--belowi tried again.. success http://www.bibliomania.com/0/2/57/104/16463/1/frameset.htmlall 7 pages, and my line is from the last part.. (page 7)
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Carpal Tunnel
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NicholasW NearsWeltanschauung Fall here means simply pass into a state. This sense might have been a gradual change from a different sense (I can't get to the OED to check), which is why I doubt whether it's a metaphor.the OED has XI (11) general senses for to fall, of which I refer you to number VII. to pass suddenly, accidentally, or in the course of events, into a certain condition. 38. a. Of persons: To pass (usually, with suddenness) in, into, to some specified condition, bodily or mental, or some external condition or relation. e.g., fall into unhope, fall to sleep, "He was fallyn in prosperite" (Chaucer), fall to pieces, fell out of favor, fell into a rage b. to fall in love: to become enamoured. Const. with. Also transf. to become very fond of, or devoted to. "Would'st thou then counsaile me to fall in loue?" (WS) but I digress. returning to the evolution of senses, we traverse from I. to descend freely (opposed to rise) II. to sink to a lower level (ditto) III. to lose (suddenly) the erect position (opposed to stand) IV. to move precipitately or with violence; to rush V. to be determined to a specified position; to have a certain incidence VI. to come casually, or without design or effort, into a certain position VII. to pass suddenly, accidentally, or in the course of events, into a certain condition so for VI we find senses such as: 35. Of persons. a. To come by chance into a certain position. Now chiefly in phrase (of biblical origin), to fall among (thieves, etc.). OED:QED - no metaphor http://home.mn.rr.com/wwftd/
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