History of words...

[Justinian]

I like Num's word game. So what I'm proposing is something not so similar yet similar.

What's your favorite history of a word? And try to keep it brief...

I'll go first;
Assassin: Originally the word was Hashishan. Arabic word where they would basically find some poor sap, dope him up with enough opium for a small village and give him anything he wanted for one night. Then the next day he was told to go off some target. This then later through the lack of our western tongues to pronunciate.. became Assassin.

 

[Octavusprime]

How about a saying.

Mind your Ps and Qs. There is differing opinions about the origin. I like the following because I'm a huge beer drinker and brewer.

The origin comes from English pubs and taverns of the seventeenth century. Bartenders would keep a watch on the alcohol consumption of the patrons; keeping an eye on the pints and quarts that were consumed. As a reminder to the patrons, the bartender would recommend they "mind their Ps and Qs".[1] This may also have been a reminder to bartenders not to confuse the two units, written as "p" and "q" on the tally slate.[2]

 

[Justinian]

I like that one a lot Octavusprime..

Dreadnought;

A class of battleship that dominated the seas and were national symbols of naval power in the early 20th century. BUT, the actual name dreadnought is because the British navy commissioned a new battleship in 1906 and named it Dreadnought. This ship was so powerful and foreboding that every other battleship in the world built after her were named dreadnoughts. All battleships built before her were called pre-dreadnoughts.

 

[TnWatchdog]

Here is an interesting phrase used today.
Three Sheets To The Wind... A person who is intoxicated and out of control is often said to be three sheets to the wind. Aboard ships, sheets have attached lines of rope used to control the tension and position of the sails. On square-rigged ships, each sail has its own set of sheets so the sails can be controlled independent of each other. Sometimes the wind pulled the sheets out of a sailor's hands and the sails flapped. This was bad enough, but if three sets of sheets were loose, the situation was out of control.

 

[kcwildman]

here's one that everyone may or may not use, but has for sure heard S.H.I.T. it comes from the early days of the USA when the number of live stock was still few and the need for manure was greater than the supply. so it was shipped from europe but the wooden boats would gather water in the cargo holds floor. thus the manure would start to decay and release methane gas. so the pearson who went to get something would be carrying a lantern and yep kaboom
S= store
H=high
I=in
T=transport
shit

 

[TnWatchdog]

Armed to the Teeth comes from pirate times, when no one took the trouble to re-load guns, so pirates compensated by carrying as many weapons as they could handle—in their pockets, in their shoes, in their waistbands, and anywhere else they could fit one. To cap it off, many carried a knife or dagger in their teeth, since it was the only place left.

 

[TnWatchdog]

Loose cannon

Meaning
An unpredictable person or thing, liable to cause damage if not kept in check by others.

Origin
From the 17th century to the 19th century, wooden warships carried cannon as their primary offensive weapons. In order to avoid damage from their enormous recoil when fired they were mounted on rollers and secured with rope. A loose cannon was just what it sounds like, that is, a cannon that had become free of its restraints and was rolling dangerously about the deck.

 

[Jerit Adamson Fourman]

Love

I like etymology tons but best DEFINITION of love I ever found was in Webster's pocket dictionary--a 2"x3" black mini-dictionary:

"Love, Enabling choice."

Profound.

I heard that, late in life, Webster took walks and contemplated words' meanings. Bingo, say I!

 

[Jerit Adamson Fourman]

I like Num's word game. So what I'm proposing is something not so similar yet similar.

What's your favorite history of a word? And try to keep it brief...

I'll go first;
Assassin: Originally the word was Hashishan. Arabic word where they would basically find some poor sap, dope him up with enough opium for a small village and give him anything he wanted for one night. Then the next day he was told to go off some target. This then later through the lack of our western tongues to pronunciate.. became Assassin.

Is that why weed is illegal!? Bob Marley did shoot that sheriff after all...

 

[TnWatchdog]

Wine and Spirits
Driving down the road I pass by a business that has "Wine and Spirits" on their sign. I realize they sell wine and alchohol but how did the word "spirits" come to be?
-2,000 years ago before any kind of mainstream science everything was believed to be of magical origin, and alchohol was believed to be made of literal spirits. The very adept Greeks realized that alchohol evaporated rapidly and figured that it did so because it was getting up and going somewhere else.
This may have also been the origin of the concept of a genie, people realized that some spirits were more "potent" than others, and created myths that some were very powerful, but could be imprisoned in a bottle since they were made of air.