#80547
09/13/2002 4:18 PM
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This is a repeat, but may interest newcomers:
Pen and Feather are varieties of the same word, the root being the Sanskrit pat, to fly. (We have the
Sanskrit pattra, a wing or instrument for flying; Latin, petna or, penna, pen; Greek, pteron; Teutonic,
phathra; Anglo-Saxon, fether; our “feather.”)
Analogous examples are TEAR and LARME, NAG and EQUUS, WIG and PERUKE, HEART and COEUR,
etc.
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#80548
09/13/2002 8:25 PM
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From Brewer:
Prevarication The Latin word varico is to straddle, and prævanicor to go zigzag or crooked. The verb,
says Pliny, was first applied to men who ploughed crooked ridges, and afterwards to men who gave
crooked answers in the law courts, or deviated from the straight line of truth.
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#80549
09/13/2002 9:20 PM
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Not the way I learned it. From Brewer:
Prodigal Festus says the Romans called victims wholly consumed by fire prodigæ hostiæ (victims
prodigalised), and adds that those who waste their substance are therefore called prodigals. This derivation
can hardly be considered correct. Prodigal is pro-ago or prod-igo (to drive forth), and persons who had
spent all their patrimony were “driven forth” to be sold as slaves to their creditors.
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#80550
09/13/2002 9:22 PM
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Profane means literally before the temple (Latin, pro fanum). Those persons who came to the temple and
were not initiated were called profane by the Romans.
Profile (2 syl.) means shown by a thread. (Italian, profilo; Latin, filum, a thread.) A profile is an outline.
In sculpture or painting it means to give the contour or side-face.
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#80551
09/13/2002 10:27 PM
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From Brewer:
Prussia means near Russia, the country bordering on Russia. In Neo-Latin, Borussia; in Slavonic,
Porussia; po in Slavonic signifying “near.”
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#80552
09/14/2002 2:01 PM
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I never thought about derivation of word "quaint"
quaint
adj.
5ME cointe < OFr < L cognitus, known: see COGNITION6
1 orig., clever or skilled
2 [Now Rare] wrought with skill; ingenious
3 unusual or old-fashioned in a pleasing way
4 singular; unusual; curious
5 fanciful; whimsical
quaint$ly
adv.
quaint4ness
n.
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#80553
09/14/2002 2:26 PM
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Another surprise:
qualm
n.
5ME qualme < OE cwealm, death, disaster (akin to Ger qual, pain, Swed kvalm, nausea) < base of cwellan, to kill (see QUELL): all extant senses show melioration of the orig. meaning6
1 a sudden, brief feeling of sickness, faintness, or nausea
2 a sudden feeling of uneasiness or doubt; misgiving
3 a twinge of conscience; scruple
SYN.—qualm implies a painful feeling of uneasiness arising from a consciousness that one is or may be acting wrongly [he had qualms about having cheated on the test]; scruple implies doubt or hesitation arising from difficulty in deciding what is right, proper, just, etc. [to break a promise without scruple]; compunction implies a twinge of conscience for wrongdoing, now often for a slight offense [to have no compunctions about telling a white lie]; misgiving implies a disturbed state of mind resulting from a loss of confidence as to whether one is doing what is right [misgivings of conscience]
Now I shall have qualms about using the word.
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#80554
09/14/2002 6:56 PM
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Quarry Prey. This is a term in falconry. When a hawk struck the object of pursuit and clung to it, she was said to “bind;” but
when she flew off with it, she was said to “carry.” The “carry” or “quarry,” therefore, means the prey carried off by the hawk.
It is an error to derive this word from the Latin quaero (to seek).
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#80555
09/15/2002 12:08 AM
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From Brewer:
Rama-Yana The history of Rama, the best great epic poem of ancient India, and worthy to be
ranked with the Iliad of Homer.
I wonder if "Yama" is the source of suffix of so many modern coinages ending in "iana".
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#80556
09/15/2002 1:58 PM
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Regale (2 syl.). To entertain like a king. (Latin, regalis, like a king, kingly.)
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#80557
09/15/2002 2:04 PM
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From Brewer: Let the jocks keep their 'rimshot", be a little Latin learned:
Rem Acu You have hit the mark; you have hit the nail on the head. Rem acu tetigisti (Plautus). A phrase
in archery, meaning, You have hit the white, or the bull's-eye.
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#80558
09/15/2002 3:57 PM
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Dr Bill, interesting transference of meaning from the bull's-eye to the rim of a drum. Good research!
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#80559
09/15/2002 7:48 PM
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From Brewer:
Ricochet [rikko-shay]. Anything repeated over and over again. The fabulous bird that had only one note
was called the ricochet; and the rebound on water termed ducks and drakes has the same name. Marshal
Vauban (1633-1707) invented a battery of rebound called the ricochet battery, the application of which
was ricochet firing.
ricochet
n.
Fr; used first in fable du ricochet (story in which the narrator constantly evades the hearers‘ questions) < ?6
1 the oblique rebound or skipping of a bullet, stone, etc. after striking a surface at an angle
2 a bullet, etc. that ricochets
vi.
3cheted# 73*ad#8 or 3chet#ted 73*et#id8, 3chet#ing 73*a#i%8 or 3chet#ting 73*et#i%8 5Fr ricocher < the n.6 to make a ricochet motion
—SYN SKIP1
I never heard of origin before. I knew it only as describing a bullet hitting a horizontal flat stone
and rebounding.
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#80560
09/15/2002 10:48 PM
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From Brewer:
Runcible Spoon (A). A horn spoon with a bowl at each end, one the size of a table-spoon and the other
the size of a tea-spoon. There is a joint midway between the two bowls by which the bowls can be folded
over.
I thought this was a coinage of Edward Lear, in poem Owl and Pussycat. But if this were so, I would
think Brewer would have known it.
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#80561
09/16/2002 4:10 PM
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More Brewer.
Sagan of Jerusalem in Dryden's Absalom and Achitophel, is designed for Dr. Compton, Bishop of
London; he was son of the Earl of Northampton, who fell in the royal cause at the battle of Hopton
Heath. The Jewish sagan was the vicar of the sovereign pontiff. According to tradition, Moses was
Aaron's sagan.
So, whose vicar was Carl Sagan?
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#80562
09/16/2002 4:22 PM
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Brewer:
St. Elmo called by the French St. Elme. The electric light seen playing about the masts of ships in stormy
weather.
An electric current passing through air of sufficient voltage can ionize air molecules
and cause emission of light. Lightning is the extreme manifestation of this.
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#80563
09/16/2002 4:28 PM
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Brewer:
Salic Law The law so called is one chapter of the Salian code regarding succession to salic lands, which
was limited to heirs male to the exclusion of females, chiefly because certain military duties were
connected with the holding of those lands. In the fourteenth century females were excluded from the
throne of France by the application of the Salic law to the succession of the crown.
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#80564
09/16/2002 4:32 PM
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Brewer:
Salmon (Latin, salmo, to leap). The leaping fish.
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#80565
09/16/2002 4:51 PM
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Brewer:
Sandwich A piece of meat between two slices of bread; so called from the Earl of Sandwich (the noted
“Jemmy Twitcher”), who passed whole days in gambling, bidding the waiter bring him for refreshment a
piece of meat between two pieces of bread, which he ate without stopping from play. This contrivance
was not first hit upon by the earl in the reign of George III., as the Romans were very fond of
“sandwiches,” called by them offula
Any one care for an offula Sounds awful to me.. Not clear if singular or plural.Faldage?
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#80566
09/16/2002 5:19 PM
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Brewer:
Sandwichman (A). A perambulating advertisement displayer, with an advertisement board before and
behind.
I can remember seeing them in Boston many years ago.
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#80567
09/16/2002 6:11 PM
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In the long history of conflict between English and French, possibly no Frenchman was more
admired by the British than: Bayard, Chevalier Sans Peur et Sans Reproche
Without Fear and Without Reproach
A French knight, Chevalier Bayard, was born in the latter half of the 15th century during the rise of the
powerful French nation state. By the age of 20, he became one of the youngest marshals of France and
would volunteer to fight for other affiliates during the brief times that France was not at war. Bayard
was admired by such diverse figures as Henry VIII of England, Gaston De Fiox (probably the finest
general of the day) and Leonardo Da Vinci, because he personified many of the knightly virtues, such as:
-Prowess - Bayard was always the first man in an attack. In a single combat he had no equal and most
enemy knights would simply ride around him in hope of fighting someone else.
-Courage - At the “Battle of the Spears” (30 June 1513), Bayard and approximately 15 men attempted to
fight the entire force of English and German knights (over 1000 men). While this may seem to have been
“bad headwork,” his courageous action enabled the main body of French troops to escape.
-Honor, Bearing - Aside from his habit of fighting duels with everyone who irritated him, Bayard was
renowned for his quiet, rather genteel attitude towards his people, his generosity to the poor, and his
mercy to beaten foes. His king, Frances I, referred to him as “My favorite DOG...he never barks, but
bites hard.”
-Loyalty - Bayard never deviated from his loyalties to king, church, friends, and country.
The shield and banner which make up part of the World Famous Pukin” Dogs’ crest were taken from the
shield that Bayard carried into battle so many years ago. It is only fitting that the officers and men of
the World Famous Pukin’ Dogs of Fighter Squadron 143, who emulate the qualities of the famous knight,
continue to carry his shield into battle.
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#80568
09/16/2002 6:21 PM
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Brewer:
Sash Window is a window that moves up and down in a groove. (French, chassis, a sash or groove.)
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#80569
09/16/2002 6:23 PM
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Brewer:
Satan in Hebrew, means enemy.
“To whom the Arch-enemy
(And hence in heaven called Satan).”
Milton: Paradise Lost, bk. i. 81, 82.
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#80570
09/16/2002 6:36 PM
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Brewer:
Scamp [qui exit ex campo ]. A deserter from the field; one who decamps without paying his debts. S
privative and camp
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#80571
09/16/2002 7:18 PM
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Brewer:
Score A reckoning; to make a reckoning; so called from the custom of marking off “runs” or “lengths,” in
games by the score feet.
Hard to see how this became the numbers that determine winner.
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#80572
09/16/2002 8:16 PM
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Brewer:
Shanty A log-hut. (Irish, sean, old: tig, house.)
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#80573
09/17/2002 12:49 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 771
old hand
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old hand
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#80574
09/17/2002 1:10 PM
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Dear Fiberbabe: my compliments to Cecil. I am surprised that Brewer didn't mention Lear's
poem, since dates of the two seem to overlap. But Brewer seems to me to have higher
standing as scholar than Cecil.
From AHD"
runcible spoon
SYLLABICATION:
run·ci·ble spoon
PRONUNCIATION:
rns-bl
NOUN:
A three-pronged fork, such as a pickle fork, curved like a spoon and having a
cutting edge.
ETYMOLOGY:
Coined by Edward Lear, perhaps alteration of rounceval, big woman, large pea,
wart, monster, huge, from Roncevaux (Roncesvalles), site where giant bones
were found.
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#80575
09/17/2002 1:14 PM
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Brewer seems to me to have higher standing as scholar than Cecil.
Ain't everbody's opinion. Dave Wilton seems to hold Brewer in perty low regard. Claims it's full of misinformation.
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#80576
09/17/2002 1:38 PM
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My estimation of Dave Wilton is not very high.
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#80577
09/17/2002 1:45 PM
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estimation of Dave Wilton is not very high.
How does he compare with Cecil?
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#80578
09/17/2002 7:33 PM
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Dear Faldage: It is true that Brewer has a lot of garbage along with the good stuff.
He spent so many pages on ancient romances nobody reads any more, I can't see
how he managed to miss commenting on Edward Lear.
Dave Wilton just disappointed me but not having enough good stuff. I love the Bayeux
tapestry, but that's about all. Cecil Adams like Word-Detective is more smart-aleck
than informative. I do like www.takeourword.com - that's where I'm going now.
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#80579
09/18/2002 1:05 PM
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Just out of curiosity, Brewer does not seem to make any connection between rem acu tetigisti and rimshot. Did I just not look far enough or is this your assumption, Dr. Bill?
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#80580
09/18/2002 2:50 PM
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If I remember correctly Brewer said "acu rem" meant you had hit the bullseye. I'll
go look again.
It took me a while, but here it is, from Brewer:
Rem Acu You have hit the mark; you have hit the nail on the head. Rem acu tetigisti (Plautus). A phrase in archery, meaning,
You have hit the white, or the bull's-eye.
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#80581
09/18/2002 5:17 PM
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Posts: 13,803
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No connection with rimshot, then.
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#80582
09/18/2002 5:31 PM
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Dear Faldage: I never listen to games, doubled in spades to basketball games, but had
assumed "Rimshot" was manic-mouthed sportcaster word for a basket with ball never
even touching the rim. "Rem acu" seems quite similar to me, in my benghted cultural isolation.
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#80583
09/18/2002 5:34 PM
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Dear Faldage: I never listen to games, doubled in spades to basketball games, but had
assumed "Rimshot" was manic-mouthed sportcaster word for a basket with ball never
even touching the rim. "Rem acu" seems quite similar to me, in my benghted cultural isolation.
Edit: I searched, and can't believe what I got:
Rimshot [Pasties And A G-string ] When the drummer strikes the rim of a drum with a
drumstick, producing a loud, abrupt sound. It's often used to accentuate the weak beats offbeat
(The Folk File, Bill Markwick )
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#80584
09/18/2002 5:43 PM
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Shoddy properly means the flue and fluff thrown off from cloth in the process of weaving. This flue, being mixed with new wool,
is woven into a cloth called shoddy- i.e. cloth made of the flue “shod” or thrown off. Shoddy is also made of old garments torn
up and re-spun. The term is used for any loose, sleazy cloth, and metaphorically for literature of an inferior character compiled
from other works. (Shed, provincial pret. “shod;” shoot, obsolete pret. shotten.)
Shoddy characters. Persons of tarnished reputation, like cloth made of shoddy or refuse wool.
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#80585
09/18/2002 6:09 PM
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Mentioned three times, but never defined. From Brewer:
Silhouette (3 syl.). A black profile, so called from Etienne de Silhouette, Contrôleur des Finances, 1757,
who made great savings in the public expenditure of France. Some say the black portraits were called
Silhouettes in ridicule; others assert that Silhouette devised this way of taking likenesses to save expense.
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#80586
09/18/2002 6:14 PM
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Often used in AWADtalk, but I don't remember seeing its etymology. From Brewer:
Silly is the German selig (blessed), whence the infant Jesus is termed “the harmless silly babe,” and
sheep are called “silly,” meaning harmless or innocent. As the “holy” are easily taken in by wordly
ounning, the word came to signify “gullible,” “foolish,” (See Simplicity .)
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