BUZZER
The word 'buzz', the noise made by certain insects, especially while flying, was first known to be used in 1495. Shakespeare coined the word 'buzzer', meaning a tattle tale, whose prattle he compared to a buzzing insect, in Hamlet, C. 1600.
Word Origins
Siege
Meaning A prolonged battle or period of oppression
Origin Comes from the Latin sedere,to sit.It refers to a basic tactic of ancient warfare--that is,an army surrounds a fort or castle and remains there (sits) until enemy resistance breaks down because the defenders are cut off from aid and supplies.
Meaning A prolonged battle or period of oppression
Origin Comes from the Latin sedere,to sit.It refers to a basic tactic of ancient warfare--that is,an army surrounds a fort or castle and remains there (sits) until enemy resistance breaks down because the defenders are cut off from aid and supplies.
FRANKFURTER...a name for a hot dog
The original hot dogs were made in Germany, mainly in and near the city of Frankfurt. Both germans & foreigners began calling them frankfurters C. 1894; in the USA vendors began advertising them as 'franks' about 1936.
This begs the question; WHAT ABOUT 'HOT DOG'? OK, HERE WE GO...
The name was popularized by cartoonist T.A. Dorgan in 1890, who implied in a cartoon that cheap sausages contained dog meat. Soon, the name was applied to cheap wieners sold by vendors at race tracks and sports events.
The term 'frankfurter' was applied to such wieners of higher-quality meat.
The original hot dogs were made in Germany, mainly in and near the city of Frankfurt. Both germans & foreigners began calling them frankfurters C. 1894; in the USA vendors began advertising them as 'franks' about 1936.
This begs the question; WHAT ABOUT 'HOT DOG'? OK, HERE WE GO...
The name was popularized by cartoonist T.A. Dorgan in 1890, who implied in a cartoon that cheap sausages contained dog meat. Soon, the name was applied to cheap wieners sold by vendors at race tracks and sports events.
The term 'frankfurter' was applied to such wieners of higher-quality meat.
SIDEBURNS Originally consisted of side whiskers & a moustache, named after Union Civil War General Ambrose Burnside, who wore large, bushy whiskers on the sides of his face while keeping his neck & chin clean-shaven.(He wasn't much of a general, but the ladies loved his handsome face & facial hair. Such facial hair was called burnsides until around 1887, when people began calling them sideburns, after their location on the sides of the face. (Gen. Burnside had died in 1881.)
During the Civil War, one lady was quoted of saying about Burnside, "I know there is nothing weighty 'neath that handsome brow, but what a treasure he is, after all!" Thus, more than one man of the time emulated the general's facial hair.
During the Civil War, one lady was quoted of saying about Burnside, "I know there is nothing weighty 'neath that handsome brow, but what a treasure he is, after all!" Thus, more than one man of the time emulated the general's facial hair.
FAX....a copy of a document sent electronically from one location to another, first used in 1948. It comes from FACSIMILE, a replica, first used in English C. 1662, from Latin 'facere', to make and 'simile', like, similar. It was originally spelled 'fac simile'.
Fax came into use as a verb, 'to send a facsilile', around 1979.
Fax came into use as a verb, 'to send a facsilile', around 1979.
BEDLAM
Meaning----madness,uproar,or confusion
Origin------Bedlam is a Middle English form of Bethlehem (the city where Jesus is said to have been born). Its current meaning comes from the Hospital of Saint Mary of Bethleham in London,which was incorporated as a lunatic asylum in 1547,(From Wilton's Etymology,by Dave Wilson)
Meaning----madness,uproar,or confusion
Origin------Bedlam is a Middle English form of Bethlehem (the city where Jesus is said to have been born). Its current meaning comes from the Hospital of Saint Mary of Bethleham in London,which was incorporated as a lunatic asylum in 1547,(From Wilton's Etymology,by Dave Wilson)
-
BubbleGumTiger
- SEOPS Hippo
- Posts: 104408
- Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 6:47 am
Baker's Dozen
The popular tale behind this phrase's origin is that a medieval law specified the weight of loaves of bread and any baker who shorted a customer was in for dire punishment. So, baker's would include a thirteenth loaf with each dozen just to be safe. The story is partly true. There was such a law, but the practice of adding an extra loaf to the dozen had nothing to do with fear of punishment.
The law in question was the Assize of Bread and Ale, first promulgated in England in 1266. There are various versions of the law promulgated over the years, but they all regulated the size and price of loaves of bread that were sold on the market. During years of good harvests, bakers could make more bread than they could sell locally, so they would sell the excess loaves to hucksters, or middlemen. But since the size and price was strictly regulated, the only way for these distributors to make money would be for the baker to give them extra loaves. The baker would give the huckster a thirteenth, or vantage, loaf for each dozen. This extra loaf provided the profit for the middleman.
The practice of adding the thirteenth loaf is older than the phrase. The phrase only dates to 1599
The popular tale behind this phrase's origin is that a medieval law specified the weight of loaves of bread and any baker who shorted a customer was in for dire punishment. So, baker's would include a thirteenth loaf with each dozen just to be safe. The story is partly true. There was such a law, but the practice of adding an extra loaf to the dozen had nothing to do with fear of punishment.
The law in question was the Assize of Bread and Ale, first promulgated in England in 1266. There are various versions of the law promulgated over the years, but they all regulated the size and price of loaves of bread that were sold on the market. During years of good harvests, bakers could make more bread than they could sell locally, so they would sell the excess loaves to hucksters, or middlemen. But since the size and price was strictly regulated, the only way for these distributors to make money would be for the baker to give them extra loaves. The baker would give the huckster a thirteenth, or vantage, loaf for each dozen. This extra loaf provided the profit for the middleman.
The practice of adding the thirteenth loaf is older than the phrase. The phrase only dates to 1599
FANNY...used in the USA since C. 1920 to mean the collective gluteus maximus area. The term was first used in England as a term for certain female anatomy below the waist, almost certainly derived from "Fanny Hill or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure" (1748) by John Cleland. the term still retains its original use in England & is considered a "cuss word" there, so that word is generally edited from US movies, music, and TV broadcast in England.
AMPERSAND...This name for the "&" symbol meaning "and" was first used in 1837 as a contraction of and per se. The symbol itself is from Roman shorthand for the Latin word et. It has been used since the beginnings of written English, although it useta look like a reversed "7". How ironic it's usually paired with "7" on most English keyboards.
-
BubbleGumTiger
- SEOPS Hippo
- Posts: 104408
- Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 6:47 am
Balling The Jack
No sooner were we out of town than Eddie started to ball that jack ninety miles an hour out of sheer exuberance.
--Jack Kerouac, On The Road, 1957
Balling the jack is a US slang term meaning to go fast or recklessly. The phrase comes from the name of a lively ragtime dance tune that appears in 1913. Figurative use of the phrase dates to the 1920s and likely stems from the fast pace of the song.
The phrase has been commonly used among railroadmen and it is often claimed to have its origins in railroad jargon. But there is no evidence to indicate that the origin is in railroading. Rather the dance inspired the phrase and railroadmen picked it up and made it their own.
No sooner were we out of town than Eddie started to ball that jack ninety miles an hour out of sheer exuberance.
--Jack Kerouac, On The Road, 1957
Balling the jack is a US slang term meaning to go fast or recklessly. The phrase comes from the name of a lively ragtime dance tune that appears in 1913. Figurative use of the phrase dates to the 1920s and likely stems from the fast pace of the song.
The phrase has been commonly used among railroadmen and it is often claimed to have its origins in railroad jargon. But there is no evidence to indicate that the origin is in railroading. Rather the dance inspired the phrase and railroadmen picked it up and made it their own.
ROBOT...This term for a "mechanical man" was first used in English in 1923, comes from a Czech word, robotnik, slave or unwilling servant, which was used in a play, Rossum's Universal Robots, by the Czech Capek Bros. When this play was translated into English, 'robots' was left untranslated.
In 1939, author Eando Binder wrote a short story he called I, Robot. but our current English definition of robot came from Isaac Asimov's 1950 collection of his short stories for which he borrowed the name, I, Robot. In these stories writes about certain mechanisms with artificial intelligence, whose bodies are built to resemble human forms somewhat. Since these machines were completely subservient to humans, he called them robots, after the Czech term.
Note: If ya like sci-fi & haven't read this book, I highly recommend it. It presents a very possible view of the future as we make evet-more-versatile robots & increase their "intelligence". So it was published in 1950 & Asimov is dead? No matter! This book is by no means dated!
In 1939, author Eando Binder wrote a short story he called I, Robot. but our current English definition of robot came from Isaac Asimov's 1950 collection of his short stories for which he borrowed the name, I, Robot. In these stories writes about certain mechanisms with artificial intelligence, whose bodies are built to resemble human forms somewhat. Since these machines were completely subservient to humans, he called them robots, after the Czech term.
Note: If ya like sci-fi & haven't read this book, I highly recommend it. It presents a very possible view of the future as we make evet-more-versatile robots & increase their "intelligence". So it was published in 1950 & Asimov is dead? No matter! This book is by no means dated!
JACKPOT...Speaking of changing definitions...WOW! In the 15th C, being "in jack" meant, in British criminal slang, to be in jail, and the jackpot was the container in which the inate's meals were served. Later, about 1881, it was used as a name for a poker "pot" in a game which a player had to have a pair of jacks or higher to open. By 1944, American soldiers had begun using the term for any big prize. That usage was spread among the British by the GIs.
COOL...Used since the beginning of English to denote absence of heat.
Meaning of "calmly audacious" was first used in England C. 1825, soon spread to most English-speaking nations.
Meaning of "fashionable" first used in USA C. 1933 by black musicians; thought to have been begun by sax player Lester Young. These last two meanings were combined into the current usage by the first "beatniks" in the early 1950s. These same beatniks coined "uncool" C. 1953.
Meaning of "calmly audacious" was first used in England C. 1825, soon spread to most English-speaking nations.
Meaning of "fashionable" first used in USA C. 1933 by black musicians; thought to have been begun by sax player Lester Young. These last two meanings were combined into the current usage by the first "beatniks" in the early 1950s. These same beatniks coined "uncool" C. 1953.
BEATNIK...The launching of Sputnik in 1957 touched off a whole wave of American words with the Russian/Slavic suffix "-nik" attached. This suffix means "person or thing associated with or involved in". "Beatnik' was coined in 1958by San Francisco newspaper columnist Herb Caen in reference to members of the "Beat Generation", a group of post-WW2 'drop outs', characterized by anti-materialistic authors such as Jack Kerouac, who wrote The Beat Generation .
Not too many beatniks left nowadays!
Not too many beatniks left nowadays!
-
BubbleGumTiger
- SEOPS Hippo
- Posts: 104408
- Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 6:47 am
Bandwagon, Jump on the
One of the more frequent questions to this site's discussion forum has been where the phrase jump on the bandwagon comes from. The confusion stems from the fact that the phrase survives into the 21st century while bandwagons are long gone.
In 19th and early 20th century America, a bandwagon was exactly what it sounds like, a wagon, usually horse-drawn, which carried a musical band. Bandwagons were used in circuses, to lead parades, and at political rallies. Hence to join or jump on the bandwagon was to follow the crowd, and in a political context with the connotation that one was there for the entertainment and excitement of the event, rather than from deep or firm conviction.
The first known use of the term bandwagon is from 1855 in P.T. Barnum's Life:
At Vicksburg we sold all our land conveyances excepting four horses and the "band wagon."
Use of a bandwagon as a metaphor for a political campaign dates to at least 1884, when the magazine Puck published a cartoon depicting Chester A. Arthur driving a bandwagon full of presidential hopefuls.
The familiar phrase first appears in an 1899 letter by Theodore Roosevelt:
When I once became sure of one majority they rumbled over each other to get aboard the band wagon.
One of the more frequent questions to this site's discussion forum has been where the phrase jump on the bandwagon comes from. The confusion stems from the fact that the phrase survives into the 21st century while bandwagons are long gone.
In 19th and early 20th century America, a bandwagon was exactly what it sounds like, a wagon, usually horse-drawn, which carried a musical band. Bandwagons were used in circuses, to lead parades, and at political rallies. Hence to join or jump on the bandwagon was to follow the crowd, and in a political context with the connotation that one was there for the entertainment and excitement of the event, rather than from deep or firm conviction.
The first known use of the term bandwagon is from 1855 in P.T. Barnum's Life:
At Vicksburg we sold all our land conveyances excepting four horses and the "band wagon."
Use of a bandwagon as a metaphor for a political campaign dates to at least 1884, when the magazine Puck published a cartoon depicting Chester A. Arthur driving a bandwagon full of presidential hopefuls.
The familiar phrase first appears in an 1899 letter by Theodore Roosevelt:
When I once became sure of one majority they rumbled over each other to get aboard the band wagon.
BUMMER...We've all heard this word used as '60s hippie slang for 'bad experience'. But was this word coined then ? Not hardly. During the Civil war, it was estimated there were some 216 K Germans in the Union Army, many of whom spoke only broken English, or a mixture of German & English. The German word 'bummler' means a tramp or loafer & was often pronounced 'bummer' by those German-American soldiers. By 1864, this pronunciation prevailed throughout the land, & was shortened to 'bum' before the war ended.
It is unknown what space cadets first called a bad experience or bad LSD trip a bummer, but inknowingly they were reviving an old word with a new meaning.
It is unknown what space cadets first called a bad experience or bad LSD trip a bummer, but inknowingly they were reviving an old word with a new meaning.
"space"words
SPACED OUT..."To be in a state of dope-induced euphoria", first used by hippies in 1968
SPACY..."large, roomy, spacious", first known use, 1885. "seeming to be always under the influence of chemicals", first used 1965
SPACE CADET...habitual drug user, first used 1962...This came from a TV show I watched as a boy in the mid-50s...TOM CORBETT, SPACE CADET. Its introduction left no mistake in the next room about what show was coming on!(IMO, only the Lone Ranger & Cisco Kid had better intros!)
SPACY..."large, roomy, spacious", first known use, 1885. "seeming to be always under the influence of chemicals", first used 1965
SPACE CADET...habitual drug user, first used 1962...This came from a TV show I watched as a boy in the mid-50s...TOM CORBETT, SPACE CADET. Its introduction left no mistake in the next room about what show was coming on!(IMO, only the Lone Ranger & Cisco Kid had better intros!)