Flying Saucer
The modern phenomenon of UFO sightings dates to 1947. While occasional reportings of unusual objects in the sky date to the early 20th century, both the modern UFO craze and the term flying saucer date to this year.
On 24 June 1947, pilot Kenneth Arnold reported seeing several high-speed, unidentified flying objects near Mount Rainier in Washington state. This produced a spate of such "sightings" in the following days. Initial reports described these objects as "shaped like a pie plate" and within a few days this description morphed into flying saucer. From the Los Angeles Times, 28 June 1947:
The area over which the "flying saucers" were reported seen widened to Southwestern New Mexico today.
Interestingly, Arnold claimed that he was misquoted by Oregon journalist Bill Bequette and that the objects were not saucer-shaped. The Chicago Daily Tribune of 26 June 1947 carried Bequette's initial wire-service report that quotes Arnold as saying:
They were silvery and shiny and seemed to be shaped like a pie plate.
Arnold later disputed this description, stating that they were shaped like boomerangs or bat-wings. He claims to have said that the objects moved like a saucer skipping across water and that Bequette misinterpreted this. At the time of the sighting, Arnold made drawings of the objects he saw and these confirm that Bequette misquoted him. But this correction was too late. The idea of saucer-shaped alien craft had wormed its way into the public consciousness and subsequent "sightings" dutifully conformed to the saucer-shaped prototype of a proper alien craft.
This is the first example of a common phenomenom in UFOlogy, where descriptions of aliens or their craft tend to conform to the descriptions given in the most recent stories in the media. For example, after the movie E.T. debuted, many descriptions of allegedly real aliens looked remarkably like the protagonist of the Spielberg film.
Word Origins
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BubbleGumTiger
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Hunky-Dory
Hunky-dory means fine or splendid. It is an Americanism from the mid-19th century. It's origin, in particular the -dory part, is not known for certain, although it may have been influenced by the name of a street in Japan.
The hunky portion comes from the Dutch honk, meaning goal, objective of a game. It entered the language via Dutch settlers in New York and was preserved in the speech of New York children. By the 1840s, it had become a slang term meaning safe, secure, in a good position. From Joseph Field's Drama In Pokerville of 1843:
Well, I allow you're just hunk, this time, then . . . for we have got the sweetest roaster for dinner you ever did see.
The addition of a y, as in hunky, dates to 1861, and means good or splendid. From Vanity Fair of 15 June of that year:
He (Moses) folded her to his hart, with the remark that he was "a hunkey boy."
The -dory appears in 1866. From the Galaxy of 1 October:
I cannot conceive on any theory of etymology..why anything that is "hunkee doree" . . . should be so admirable.
It has been conjectured that hunky-dory is of Japanese influence. In 1877, John Russell Bartlett, in his 4th edition of his Dictionary of Americanisms, wrote:
Hunkidori. Superlatively good. Said to be a word introduced by Japanese Tommy [a popular variety performer c.1865], and to be (or to be derived from) the name of a street, or bazaar, in Yeddo.
There is no direct evidence to support this, but the circumstantial evidence is rather strong. The addition of -dory to hunky happens shortly after Commodore Perry opened up trade with Japan, and there is a major thoroughfare in Yokohama named Honcho-dori. So it seems likely that hunky-dory comes from a base Dutch root, with a Japanese ending tacked on by American sailors fresh from the Far East, although we can't say this with any certainty.
Hunky-dory means fine or splendid. It is an Americanism from the mid-19th century. It's origin, in particular the -dory part, is not known for certain, although it may have been influenced by the name of a street in Japan.
The hunky portion comes from the Dutch honk, meaning goal, objective of a game. It entered the language via Dutch settlers in New York and was preserved in the speech of New York children. By the 1840s, it had become a slang term meaning safe, secure, in a good position. From Joseph Field's Drama In Pokerville of 1843:
Well, I allow you're just hunk, this time, then . . . for we have got the sweetest roaster for dinner you ever did see.
The addition of a y, as in hunky, dates to 1861, and means good or splendid. From Vanity Fair of 15 June of that year:
He (Moses) folded her to his hart, with the remark that he was "a hunkey boy."
The -dory appears in 1866. From the Galaxy of 1 October:
I cannot conceive on any theory of etymology..why anything that is "hunkee doree" . . . should be so admirable.
It has been conjectured that hunky-dory is of Japanese influence. In 1877, John Russell Bartlett, in his 4th edition of his Dictionary of Americanisms, wrote:
Hunkidori. Superlatively good. Said to be a word introduced by Japanese Tommy [a popular variety performer c.1865], and to be (or to be derived from) the name of a street, or bazaar, in Yeddo.
There is no direct evidence to support this, but the circumstantial evidence is rather strong. The addition of -dory to hunky happens shortly after Commodore Perry opened up trade with Japan, and there is a major thoroughfare in Yokohama named Honcho-dori. So it seems likely that hunky-dory comes from a base Dutch root, with a Japanese ending tacked on by American sailors fresh from the Far East, although we can't say this with any certainty.
section 8...This slang for a mentally-disabled or weird-acting person comes from the USA military code. It's the 8th section of the causes for discharge within that code. It covers anyone found to be mentally unfit to serve in the armed forces. It is a MEDICAL DC, not a dishonorable DC & does not cover gays or chemical abusers. Many a GI, hearing that term, carried it over into civilian life, & it became general usage during WW2.
GUNG HO...Slang meaning very enthusiastic, was a modification of the Chinese 'kung ho', meaning 'to work together'. It was most likely coined in the 1920s by a New Zealander named Rewi Alley who spent much time in China in the 1920s. He was instrumental in leading many Chinese construction projects, using 'kung ho' as his catchphrase. The Chinese made him an honorary citizen in the late '20s.
Famous USMC Lt. Col. Evans Carlson traveled with Alley not long before WW@ broke out & acquired the phrase from him. When Carlson became famous for both leading raids against Japanese island garrisons and having "gung ho" meetings with his men to iron out probs & plan their raids, his term soon spread throughout all the USMC, hence, to the resta the nation.
From Carlson, it became the battle cry of the Second Marine Raider Battalion.
Famous USMC Lt. Col. Evans Carlson traveled with Alley not long before WW@ broke out & acquired the phrase from him. When Carlson became famous for both leading raids against Japanese island garrisons and having "gung ho" meetings with his men to iron out probs & plan their raids, his term soon spread throughout all the USMC, hence, to the resta the nation.
From Carlson, it became the battle cry of the Second Marine Raider Battalion.
NITTY-GRITTY...This term meaning "the basic facts"came originally from black jazz musicians who traveled a lot & often ate quickly-prepared meals made from nit and grits, finely-ground corn. The date of origin for nit & grits is unknown, but "knitty-gritty" was first written in 1961 with its current meaning. The term was popularized by singer Shirley Ellis in her 1963 hit "Nitty-Gritty". (You may remember her for her giant hit "The Name Game".) Then, in 1970 the Nitty-Gritty Dirt band shook the charts with "Mr. Bojangles" & the term has been before us ever since.
PRAM...We all know this is a British term for what we call a baby carriage, but where and when did it start? Well, first of all, it is a shortened form of PERAMBULATOR, meaning 'one who walks', first written in 1611 by King James. The verb 'perambulate', "to walk", was first written in 1568, taken from the Latin infinitive perambulare, with the same exact meaning. The term 'perambulator' was first used for a baby carriage in 1856, was first written as 'pram' in 1884.
TRUCK...This term first came to English from Greek 'trokhos', "wheel", & its first English use was by King James in a letter to one of his sons, 1611. It was first applied to the gun carriages on ships, & it was 1774 before it was applied to "a cart used to carry heavy loads". In 1784, it was applied to 'veggies grown for market" which were carried from farm to mkt. on a truck. The verb 'truck', meaning move fast or in a cool way, I.E. "Keep on truckin" is from 1935, from a dance popular at the Cotton Club. "Truck Stop" is from Slidell, LA, a popular truck stop, 1961. "Motor truck", later shortened to just 'truck' for pickups, 18-wheelers, & all other motor trucks now in use is from 1906.
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BubbleGumTiger
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Rabbit Test
The term rabbit test dates to 1949 and is a reference to an early form or pregnancy test. In the 1920s, researchers discovered a hormone dubbed human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) that could be found in the urine of pregnant women. Unable to test for this hormone directly, they discovered in 1927 that if a female rabbit was injected with urine containing hCG (don't ask me who first thought of doing this, I don't think I want to know), the rabbit's ovaries would display distinct changes after a few days. Hence, the rabbit test was born, the term following a couple of decades later.
A common misconception is that that the rabbit died if the woman was pregnant. Actually, the rabbit always died as the laboratory had to kill the animal to examine the ovaries (later on techniques were developed to spare the life of the rabbit--after which the rabbit never died). But because of this misconception the phrase the rabbit died entered the vocabulary as a euphemism for a positive pregnancy test.
Modern pregnancy tests still operate on the same principle, testing for hCG. But the use of a rabbit is no longer required.
The term rabbit test dates to 1949 and is a reference to an early form or pregnancy test. In the 1920s, researchers discovered a hormone dubbed human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) that could be found in the urine of pregnant women. Unable to test for this hormone directly, they discovered in 1927 that if a female rabbit was injected with urine containing hCG (don't ask me who first thought of doing this, I don't think I want to know), the rabbit's ovaries would display distinct changes after a few days. Hence, the rabbit test was born, the term following a couple of decades later.
A common misconception is that that the rabbit died if the woman was pregnant. Actually, the rabbit always died as the laboratory had to kill the animal to examine the ovaries (later on techniques were developed to spare the life of the rabbit--after which the rabbit never died). But because of this misconception the phrase the rabbit died entered the vocabulary as a euphemism for a positive pregnancy test.
Modern pregnancy tests still operate on the same principle, testing for hCG. But the use of a rabbit is no longer required.
PISTOL..."small hand-held firearm", is from Middle French 'pistole', "short firearm". First recorded in French, 1566, English in 1570. (Hey Jesco, ya might wanna tell Mike & Carl Pistole where their surname comes from!)
Today, 'pistol' is generally applied to semi-autos or non-revolver handguns, while 'revolver' a term coined in 1835 by Sam Colt for that type of handgun is, of course, in common use today.
Today, 'pistol' is generally applied to semi-autos or non-revolver handguns, while 'revolver' a term coined in 1835 by Sam Colt for that type of handgun is, of course, in common use today.
DERRINGER..."A small pistol with a very short large-bore barrel, effective at short range" is the definition its inventor, Henry Deringer, gave it in 1850. The misspelling of of his name as "Derringer" came about when makers of imitations were trying to hawk their wares. Unlike many of the imitators, real Deringers were quality products.
The term is today applied to any very small one-shot handgun which is somewhat less than the size of an adult's hand.
The rocker Rick Derringer's( The Mc Coys, the Royal Guardsmen, Rock-N-Roll Hootchie-Koo) real last name is spelled "Dehringer".
The term is today applied to any very small one-shot handgun which is somewhat less than the size of an adult's hand.
The rocker Rick Derringer's( The Mc Coys, the Royal Guardsmen, Rock-N-Roll Hootchie-Koo) real last name is spelled "Dehringer".
RIFLE...This term originally meant to cut the spiral grooves in a gun's barrel, from Old French 'rifler', which meant "to scratch or groove", first used as an adjective in English C. 1635, for rifled gun barrels.
It was first used as a noun by the British in 1775 when their soldiers first faced the Colonials' deadly Pennsylvania Rifle, which was far more accurate, with a much-greater range than their smoothbore muskets.
It was first used as a noun by the British in 1775 when their soldiers first faced the Colonials' deadly Pennsylvania Rifle, which was far more accurate, with a much-greater range than their smoothbore muskets.
MUSKET...Originally meant "a firearm for infantry", from Middle French 'mousquette', "a sparrow hawk". Early firearms were often named after beasts, real or imaginary. The British first called it a musket in writing in 1587. My 1590, the term "musketeer" was given to soldiers armed with a musket. ("Dragoons" came from dragons, as their weapons, shorter than a regular musket, often belched fire when DC'd.)
With the use of rifles becoming commonplace in the military, the term 'musket' was relegated mostly to smoothbore hand weapons.
Another term along this line...
FUSILIER...First, was same as 'musketeer', as 'fusil' was another French word for 'musket'. Foon, it became a term for a soldier whose function was to participate in a mass-discharging of firearms, known then and now as a 'fusillade'.
With the use of rifles becoming commonplace in the military, the term 'musket' was relegated mostly to smoothbore hand weapons.
Another term along this line...
FUSILIER...First, was same as 'musketeer', as 'fusil' was another French word for 'musket'. Foon, it became a term for a soldier whose function was to participate in a mass-discharging of firearms, known then and now as a 'fusillade'.
BAYONET...a knife or other pointed weapon attached near, and extending past the muzzle of a rifle or musket, enabling the carrier to use it as a spear or sword, comes from the French baionnette, from Bayonne, the city where the first bayonets were made. It was first written in English by King James in 1611, in the French spelling above. There's no certain record for when the current spelling was adopted.
Last edited by robycop3 on Fri Nov 24, 2006 3:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
CATAPULT...As a noun for a war machine that throws objects, it was taken directly from the Latin catapulta, which has the same meaning. It was first written as a verb, 'to hurl' in 1848.
Last edited by robycop3 on Fri Nov 24, 2006 3:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
BALLISTIC...From the noun 'ballista', which was originally a catapult, from the Greek 'ballistes' a machine for hurling rocks or burning pitch, known as "Greek Fire". The ballista was refined into a giant bow, which could launch huge arrows over 600 yds. with fair accuracy. This term was first written in English in 1598, and retro-applied to the earlier machines in subsequent writings. Soon, the term 'ballistic' was used as an adjective for a missile which was launched in an arc & had no further propulsion after its launch, as does a rocket. The modern term 'ballistic missile' was first applied to ICBMs in 1954.