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Interesting Facts Fun: Interesting Word # 92 - Finders Keepers

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:13:17 -0400

According to the Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, the saying "Finders keepers (losers weepers)" dates as far back as the early 19th century, recorded as "No halfers-findee keepee, lossee seekee".

(It's something that you might say when you find something that belongs to someone else and decide you are going to keep it, but by law, you don't have any right to keep something you 'find'.)

Interesting Facts Fun: Interesting Word # 91 - Butterfly

Sat, 23 May 2009 18:01:00 -0400

According to the Oxford English Dictionary and Webster's International Dictionary, the word butterfly came about either because the instect was supposed to like butter or because its excrement resembles butter.

( The link with dairy products is not only evident in English: the German name "Schmetterling" is derived from "Schmetten", the word for "cream" in some German dialects. Still, many websites claim that butterflies were originally called flutterbies, which is much cuter. Some even claim that Shakespeare was responsible for changing the name from flutterby to butterfly. The truth, as ever, is a bit less interesting and this case a bit disgusting.)

Interesting Facts Fun: Interesting Word # 90 - Influenza

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 05:53:30 -0400

The name influenza comes from the Italian word, influenza, meaning "influence" (Latin: influentia).

(It refers to the cause of the disease; which ascribed illness to unfavorable astrological influences. Changes in medical thought led to its modification to influenza del freddo, meaning "influence of the cold". The word was first used in English in 1743 when it was adopted, with an anglicized pronunciation, during an outbreak of the disease in Europe. Archaic terms for influenza include epidemic catarrh, grippe (from the French), sweating sickness, and Spanish fever (particularly for the 1918 pandemic strain). No matter what you call it it's horrible.)

Interesting Facts Fun: Interesting Words # 86 - Polydactyl

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:33:01 -0400

Being a "polydactyl" means you were born with additional digits (toes or fingers).

(Famous polydactyls include Anne Boleyn and cricketer Sir Garfield Sobers. I'd love to have 12 fingers, I'd be able to type that much faster.)

Interesting Facts Fun: Interesting Word # 82 - Euthanasia

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 18:01:00 -0500

The word 'euthanasia' means good death.

(It comes from Ancient Greek eu- "good" + thanatos "death." Now it refers to the practice of killing anyone who is suffering from an incurable illness or condition.)

Interesting Facts Fun: Interesting Word # 81 - Charlie's Dead

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:01:00 -0500

"Charlie's dead" means that someone's slip is showing.

(Slip means petticoat and of course this is from a time gone by, when ladies wore petticoats. "Charlie's dead" was said when a ladies' petticoat was showing below her dress or skirt, along with the equally bizarre "It's snowing down south", which probably started because ladies' petticoats were usually white. There are a couple of different explanations for Charlie's dead though.

The first explanation is that the Jacobites wore white ribbons to identify themselves to each other as supporters of "Bonnie Prince Charlie. And after he died you could point to someone who had a piece of white in their clothing and say "Charlie's dead".

The other explanation that I found is that it may stem from Charles I, where apparently at his execution the women in the front row dipped their petticoats in his blood.

Of course, like most idioms, nobody really knows for sure.)

Interesting Facts Fun: Interesting Word # 79 - British

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:01:00 -0500

Why one earth would this word be interesting? Well independent Councilor Ron Davies has told on his staff at Caerphilly council to stop using it, because it upsets people from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Asia and China.

(Quote: “the idea of British implies a false sense of unity”. I wonder what he thinks of being called a stupid prat.)

Interesting Facts Fun: Interesting Word # 79 - Hacktivist

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:01:00 -0500

Hacktivist refers to politically motivated computer hackers.

(It's a play on words, mixing activist and hacker. I'm not sure if it's in the dictionaries yet, but I'm sure it will be soon.)

Interesting Facts Fun: Interesting Word # 77 - Oenology

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:01:00 -0400

Oenology (BrE) or enology (AmE) is the science and study of all aspects of wine and winemaking from the grape harvest to bottle. An expert in the field of oenology is known as an oenologist.

(I knew I'd chosen the wrong course at Uni!)

Interesting Facts Fun: Interesting Word # 65 - Pseudocide

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:16:00 -0400

Pseudocide is the act of faking your own death.

(Believe it or not there are lots of websites that offer tips and hints on how best to vanish successfully - providing advice on how to cut family ties, sell possessions and start up a new business under a new identity. My own recommendation is to hang around and face the music.)

Interesting Facts Fun: Interesting Word # 64 - Monsoon

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:03:00 -0400

The word monsoon is often used to describe heavy rain, but it actually refers to the wind, specifically the seasonal reversal of wind direction.

(In fact, according to Jim Dale, senior meteorologist at British Weather Services, monsoons only affect one part of the world and that is the Indian subcontinent. So, us Brits will have to restrict ourselves to the "It's raining cats and dogs" idiom.)

Interesting Facts Fun: Interesting Word # 63 - Mysophobia

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:02:00 -0400

Mysophobia is a fear of dirt.

(It is sometimes referred to as germophobia (or germaphobia), a combination of germ and phobia to mean fear of germs, as well as bacillophobia and bacteriophobia. Several famous people have suffered from this phobia, including: Cameron Diaz, Howard Hughes, and Joan Crawford.)

Interesting Facts Fun: Interesting Word # 61 - Potato

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:16:00 -0400

In the UK there are loads of words derived from the word potato. They include Scots: pitatie, pirtie, pirta, purta, purty, pitter, porie, tattie, tottie | Hiberno-English pratie, praitie, prae, prata, prater, pritta, pritty, pruta, poota, tater, tattie, totie | Irish: spud | Norfolk: tater.

Interesting Facts Fun: Interesting Word # 59 - Genuvarum

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:40:00 -0400

Genuvarum describes the condition of bow-leggedness.

(If you are bowlegged it means your legs bow outward at, or below the knee. The chief cause of this deformity is rickets, which is caused by a deficiency of vitamin D, due to a lack of sunlight or a poor diet. Researchers believe that the increased use of sunblocks and increasing levels of atmospheric pollution are responsible for a world-wide increase in cases of rickets.)