As part of his stand up routine, an Australian comedian called Vince Sorenti offers a suggestion about the origin of the word shark....

He says it stems from the panic swirling through a swimmer's head when they see a triangular fin near them in the surf.....their shout to the beach is a muddle of, "SH@#!" and "F&~#!". It comes out as, "SSHHAARRKK!!"

BTW(1) Vince is very proud of the fact that he comes from the Sydney suburb of Punchbowl. Now how's that for a suburb name!

BTW(2) There's an old shark saying that's worth sharing with you all. It refers to a person who is reluctant to pay for a round of drinks when it's their turn (ie to have their "shout" in Ozspeak). "He wouldn't shout if a shark bit him."

stales