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Joined: Sep 2006
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stranger
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stranger
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1 |
While watching the Inspector Lindley series on PBS two sundays ago, the word 'mokita' was spray painted on a wall. It was the clue that broke the mystery.
I found the meaning for "mokita": something, especially a secret, that everyone knows but nobody talks about. But I have not been able to find where the word comes from.
In Spanish we have a term, 'mosquita muerta', which means, literally, a dead fly; one that gets swatted, is stunned and lays dormant, but then flies off. It describes a person that is seen but not heard and is always listening to what is being said; then goes off and gossips about what has been heard. I suppose the English translation would be a "fly on the wall." I thought the difference in spelling mokita/mosquita was not that important.
Can you tell me where this very interesting word comes from?
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055 |
Any specifics forthcoming re. its origins? 'Papuan' is pretty broad.
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
well, if you insist-joe kilivili
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
From the article:
In every instance I've found, mokita is still glossed
Is this usage of glossed related to the word glossary? Er--reading that, I now realize that that's a pretty stupid question. I guess what I'm really asking is how did the word glossed, in this sense, come into use?
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
interesting question..
in this sense, gloss is actually a variant of the noun gloze, from L. glossa, a word needing explanation, hence later the explanation itself; and so a glossary is a collection of such glosses.
the other gloss is related to Dutch gloos, a gleaming, and Swiss glossa, to gleam; ultimately from MHG.
all credit to OED2.
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290 |
From the Greek glo:ssa 'tongue, language'.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11 |
Have you ever heard the expression "the secret of Punch"? In italian (il segreto di Pulcinella) and, I guess, in french (le secret di Polichinelle), it has a very similar meaning of mokita (viz. the secret that everyone knows but no one talks about)
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154 |
Hi Rodolfo, welcome.
In English, or at least in Canada the secret of punch is vodka.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Man, y'all're makin' me laugh this morning, between Branshea's senectitutde, Anna's "dirty little secret" and now Zed's too! Thanks!
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