World War I Phrases Still Used Today-- Part 4: Of Willies and Turtles

TRENCHCOAT--  A waterproof overcoat, belted and usually worn by officers.

U-BOAT--  German submarine.

WILLIE--  A container of corned beef.

CAMOUFLAGE--  To disguise.

TURTLE--  German hand grenade.

CUSHY WOUND--  Not very serious.  Would get the recipient away from the Front lines or even home.

--DaWillie

World War I Phrases Still Used Today-- Part 3: Of Rookies and Pill Boxes

ROOKIE--  From the word recruit.

BLIMP--  airship

DOGFIGHT--  air combat

NO MAN'S LAND--  Area between Allied and German trenches.

PILL BOX--  A low structure for a machine gun emplacement.

--CootBlimp

World War I Phrases Still Used Today-- Part 2: Of Civvies and Red Tape

CIVVIES--  Originally with the British, but adopted by the Americans.  Civilian clothes as opposed to military.

DOG TAG--  World War metal disc worn around the neck for identification.  Now you have to almost show your identification everywhere.  Drivers license, anyone?

DUD--  A shell or bomb that failed to explode.  Now a person who doesn't live up to expectations.

RED TAPE--  British practice of sealing documents with red tape or wax.  Today it means slowing down.

--DaDud

World War I Phrases Still Used Today-- Part 1: Big Bertha and Ace

May 5, 2015, Bulletin  "Historically Speaking:  World War I coined many phrases still in use today" by Richard Curland.

ACE--  pilot who has shot down 5 enemy planes.  Today, it also applies to an expert in any particular endeavor.  An example would be the ace of a pitching staff.

BIG BERTHA--  A German long range cannon.  Today it applies to any particularly large person or object.

CHIEF OF STAFF--  replaced the commanding general of an army.

CHOW--  Referring to food, it originally originated during the Civil War, but received much more common use during WW I.  Hungry soldiers were called chowhounds.

--CootChow

10 Fascinating Historical Origins of Everyday Idiom-- Part 2: "Bust One's Chops"

5.  BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE--  4th Century BC

4.  BUST ONE'S CHOPS--  facial hair

3.  GIVE THE COLD SHOULDER--  Writings of Walter Scott of Scotland

2.  BASKET CASE--  War

1.  IN STITCHES--  Shakespeare

Now Ye Know.  --DaCoot

10 Fascinating Historical Origins of Everyday Idiom-- Part 1: "Running Amok"

From the April 6, 2016, Listverse.

I again, am just listing the words and telling a little bit about their origins.  For the complete breakdown, go to the Listverse site.

10.  SCAPEGOAT--  Comes from Hebrew tradition.

9.  WHITE ELEPHANT--  From Siam (Thailand)

8.  RUNNING AMOK--  Malay people

7.  GADZOOKS--  Christians

6.  ADD INSULT TO INJURY--  Aesop's Fables

Gadzooks, I Thought I Saw a White Elephant.  --Cooter

10 Everyday Words With Unsuspected Origins-- Part 2: Quarrel

5.  VILLAIN (N)--  Person  guilty or capable of a crime. Origin:  farm workers

4.  POOP  (N)--  Well, you know.  Origin:  An abrupt sound from a wind instrument.

3.  QUARREL  (N)--  Angry argument or disagreement. Origin:  A square-headed crossbow bolt.

2.  SWASTIKA  (N)--  Symbol of the Nazi Party or Third Reich.  Origin:  Well-being and good luck.

1.  SABOTAGE  (N)--  Deliberately destroy, damage or obstruct.  Origin:  To walk noisily wearing wooden shoes.

Women in High Heels Sure Sabotage.  CootStompStomper

10 Everyday Words With Unsuspected Origins-- Part 1: Ostracize

From the June 10, 2013, Listverse by Andrew Handley.

10.  BLATANT (N) Completely lacking in subtlety, very obvious  Origin:  a thousand-tongued beast from hell.

9.  GEEK (N)  An unfashionable or socially inept person with an eccentric devotion to a particular interest (computer geek).  Origin:  AQ circus sideshow freak.

8.  HAZARD  (N)  Danger or risk  Origin:  Gambling game played with dice.

7.  OSTRACIZE  (N)   To exclude someone from a society or group.  Origin:  A government procedure to literally  ban a person from Athens B.C. for ten years.

6.  TOXIC  (N)  Poisonous  Origin:  Greek archery

--DaGeeker

10 Fascinating and Unexpected Origins of Words-- Part 2

As usual, go to the site for pictures and more information.

5.  BOYCOTT--  Named for Captain Charles Boycott, an English real estate agent in Ireland.  Means to voluntarily abstain.

4.  MESMERIZE--  Named for Franz Mesmer, German physician and astrologist who used hypnotism.

3.  HOOVER--  Named for William Henry Hoover of vacuum cleaner fame.

2.  SANDWICH--  John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich.  You know what he did.

1.  SADISM/MASOCHISM--    Named for The Marquis de Sade and Leopold von Sacker Masock.

--DaCoot

10 Fascinating and Unexpected Origins of Words-- Part 1

From the October 10, 2010, Listverse

10.  MICKEY--  Named after Mickey Fin, a criminal who operated saloons in Chicago around 1900.  .  Something added to a drink.

9.  SILHOUETTE--  Named after Etiene de Silhouette.    French finance minister who in 1759 instituted taxes on the rich.  Started using his name to show something empty inside.Number one song in Chicago 50 years ago in 1965.

8.  DRACONIAN--  Named after Draco, a Greek lawmaker famed for his unusually severe punishment.

7.  MENTOR--  Named after Mentor in Greek Mythology.  he was a teacher and a trusted counselor.

6.  DERRICK--  Named after Thomas Derrick who created a lifting device for hangmen in Elizabethan England.  he personally hanged 3,000 people.

Don't Mean to be So draconian.  --CooterMickey

The Latest Word on Words

From the Nov. 4, 2011, Chicago Tribune by Heidi Stevens.

The new American Heritage Dictionary is out and they have added 10,000 entries after eight full-time editors, several dozen expert consultants and 200 usage experts worked roughly eleven years.

One new word is uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (let's see spell check do that one). Another is cargo pants. Also, hoodie for you fashionistas.

Also, Sphagettification: the extreme elongation or stretching of an object by tidal forces as it falls toward an extremely massive and compact astronomical body, such as a black star or neutron star. OK.

Others?

babydaddy
manboob
tramp stamp

Flexitarian-- One who normally maintains a vegetarian diet but occasionally makes exceptions and eats meat or fish.

Some definitions have been altered, like marriage which now is the legal union of a man and a woman as husband and wife and in some jurisdictions, between two persons of the same sex, usually entailing legal obligations of each person to the other.

There will be a sixth edition, but in what form it is not yet known. The fifth is in a printed form.

By the way, that word earlier, Spellcheck has no suggestions. Cowards.

A Word Is a Word is a Word. --Cooter