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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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A word often encountered in literature: "hadji" honorific title of Moslem who has made pilgrimage to Mecca. Most meritous if performed three steps forward, one step back.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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...most meritous if performed three steps forward, one step bac
Did I miss something, Bill? What's being performed? Is this a dance about going to Mecca or something?
Head spinning,
Wordwhirled
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear WW: As incontestible proof of their piety, the most devout pilgrims would (I have read) take three steps forward, one step back, and repeat until they got to Mecca. Extra virgins in Heaven perhaps.
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Another one from tiscali: Hakeem, a Muslim physician.
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Joined: Sep 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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3 steps forward; 1 step backwards
Amazing, wwh! Another instance of the literal making the figurative ludicrous.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear WW: You mock Muslim piety at your peril. You might have a "fatwa" declared against you.
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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From tiscali again: Halvah. a delicious mid-Eastern confection.
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Same source. "Havildar" and Indian sergeant in British army in India. I had trouble getting confirmation that it is of Arabic origin. A source that appeared to confirm it gave 404.Ir remember seeing the word in one of Kiplings stories.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Or not.
The way I heard it the clear account of how it could have made its way into English was that English soldiers picked it up from Malaysian salang which was from Arabic salaam. My understanding of the use of salaam is that it is used both as a greeting and as a farewell. Any or all of the above could be wrong, but that's the way I heard it.
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