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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2000
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
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Interesting, Max! Did Anu list this one under the theme, words that are their own antonym? 
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Joined: Jul 2000
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2000
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I'd like to know what a hippopotamus has to do with long words.
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Joined: Apr 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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what does hippopotamus have to do with long words? why, nothing. the affix does conjure up the image of whopping big though, as does the other affix monstro-, when attached to a word that already refers to big words.
-ron obvious
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2000
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If "hippo" means big, and "pot", related to potable, means water, then that would make sense to me that hippopotamus, roughly translated, means "big water animal".
In German, though, hippopotamus is Nilpferd, which basically just means "horse of the Nile". . .
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Unfortunately for your theory, Jazzoctopus, hippopotamus comes from the Greek hippos = horse and potamos = river. Hippopotamus therefore equals river horse. Quite close to the German in fact.
Presumably the Ancient Egyptians knew about hippopotami before they knew about horses. Did they call horses land hippopotami?
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