RSSBrontophobia
Mar 24
Definition:
an abnormal fear of thunder
Description:
Bronto = Greek word for ‘thunder’
+ phobia = fear
Does the word ‘Bronto’ ring a bell? Well, ‘brontosaurus’ means ‘thunder lizard’…
Feature Word: Barking up the Wrong Tree
Definition:
A misdirected effort.
Description:
Originally referred to hunting raccoons. The raccoon would usually take to a tree, the dogs used to hunt them would on occasion be barking up the wrong tree and the hunter would lose his prey.
Davy Crockett (1833). Sketches and Eccentricities. ‘I told him…..that he reminded me of the meanest thing on God’s earth, and old coon dog barking up the wrong tree.”‘
Source:
Davy Crockett (1833) - Sketches and Eccentricities.Blowing smoke up your ass
Mar 20
Everyday, Leisure, Life, Maritime, Oddities english 8 Comments
Definition:
to flatter, embellish, lie
Description:
The Smoke Enema:
was used to push smoke into a drowning victim in order to warm the victim from the inside-out.
“…A rectal tube inserted into the anus was connected to a fumigator and bellows that forced the smoke into the rectum. The warmth of the smoke was thought to promote respiration, but doubts about the credibility of tobacco enemas led to the popular phrase “blow smoke up one’s ass.” Search on “tobacco smoke enema” for illustrations of the apparatus.”
Gussied Up
Mar 17
Clothing, Everyday, Life american, australian, british, english, obscure No Comments
Definition:
or ‘gussy up’: to dress up or get decked out in a showy or gimmicky manner; or, to get dressed in one’s best clothes
Description:
This term is of an obscure / unknown origin, but is usually considered an American expression. However, the first recorded use of the word ‘gussy‘ in the Oxford English Dictionary comes from a British source, Morris Marple’s Public School Slang of 1940.
At the end of the 19th Century, both in Australia and in America, the term was used to denote a weak or effeminate person.
Or, the term could be associated with American tennis player “Gorgeous Gussie” Moran who is best remembered for appearing at Wimbledon in 1949 wearing frilly panties — which caused considerable interest and controversy.
Renegade
Mar 17
Christianity, Everyday, military, Religion english, latin, spanish No Comments
Definition:
a deserter of any type, (historically, in terms of religion)
Description:
The English borrowed and modified this word from the Spanish ‘renegado,‘ who formed it from a Latin term meaning “to deny.”
When a Christian deserted and joined the Muslim army, Spanish churchmen labeled a man who denounced his faith a “renegado.” English took this and modified it to ‘renegade’ and was used to designate “the occasional turncoat who denied his religion for profit.”
Balbriggan
Mar 17
Definition:
a knitted, unbleached cotton fabric used for underwear and hosiery.
Description:
Named after the Irish seaport town where this fabric material of the same name is made, Balbriggan arose in the 18th Century from a small fishing village to a place of commercial and manufacturing importance, thanks to Baron Hamilton, who introduced cotton manufacture in 1780.