Karen Hill

We think our American male ancestors of a hundred-odd years ago took keen delight in playing with the word devil. It sounded just short of a swear word, and probably annoyed their wives. At least it is certain that farmers especially took to calling various mechanical implements which, in early stages of development, acted erratically … Read more

Belial is the Anglicized form of the Hebrew b’li-ya’al, from b’li, “not,” and ya’al, “worth, profit.” Thus the original sense of belial was merely “unprofitable.” From this sense, though, the term Belial came to have the meaning of “wickedness,” and the many references in the Old Testament to a “son of Belial,” “daughter of Belial,” … Read more

Touch-, in each of the words touchhole, touch-powder, touchwood, has the special sense of “to set fire to” or “readily ignited”, a sense not found in other uses of “touch” either alone or in combination except those derived from the above. There are two distinct theories to explain the origin of this special meaning, but … Read more

Hunters, almost since time immemorial, have made use of a variety of tricks and ruses devised to enable them to approach their quarry (or vice-versa) without being noticed. One of the oldest of these is the stalking-horse. At first, as the name indicates, it was an actual horse, behind or alongside of which the hunter … Read more

The brothers Bowie, John J., Rezin P., and James, enjoyed better reputations after death than in life. The three, that is, were in the slave trade in Louisiana in the 1820’s, smuggling Negroes into the country from Jean Lafitte’s stronghold on Galveston Island. But James was among the defenders of the Alamo, butchered on his … Read more

The Sphinx name comes to us from the fabled monster of Thebes, which had a woman’s head on the winged body of a lioness. This creature would stop passers-by and propound to them the riddle, “What is it that in the morning travels on four feet, during the day on two feet, and in the … Read more

In the slang of the submarine arm of the navy, a torpedo is called a “fish,” and in applying this nickname our sailors are more nearly correct than they are probably aware with respect to the origin of the name. For the object which was the first torpedo was indeed a fish, in particular, that … Read more

The verb to tread is one of the oldest words known in the English language and its forebears, being found in that most ancient of Anglo-Saxon writings, Beowulf, which dates to the seventh century A.D. It, or rather, its close relatives, are also known in all the languages of the Teutonic group, with the general … Read more

A Corn Dodger is made of corn meal, all right, plus a little salt and water or milk, and then fried in a hot skillet, three or four at a time, and it’s perfectly delicious, especially served hot at breakfast. Why it is virtually unknown north of the Mason-and-Dixon line is a mystery, as it … Read more

Here again, as in hobbyhorse, we find hob as a nickname, this time as a variant form of Rob, the diminutive of Robin. And the allusion was to the tricksy sprite of ancient superstitious belief, Robin Goodfellow. But whereas hob, among our remote ancestors, was rarely more than mischievous, when they united his name with … Read more

In 1889 the Federal Government decided to throw open the Territory of Oklahoma for settlement, and those in charge took great pains to try to see that no potential settler received any unfair advantage over another with respect to the more choice land. The borders were closed, and policed to keep them closed until the … Read more

If those who seek to entice us into a movie theater with repetitions of the word glamour knew its source, perhaps they would use it less freely. Or more freely. Who knows? But originally it was just a Scottish mispronunciation of grammar. The reference was then to Latin grammar, the only grammar that anyone knew … Read more

Along about 1830 a lively dance originated in Bohemia which speedily took all of Europe and America by storm. It was named Polka, meaning a Polish woman, just as Polak means a Polish man. So popular did the dance become that tradesmen vied with one another to attach the name to jackets, hats, gauze, and … Read more

Because brimstone was formerly the common name for sulfur, one would suppose that it was so called because it could be stone taken from the brim, say, of a volcano. But, no; brim is just the surviving form, in this word, of a dozen ways in which burn was spelled four and five centuries ago. … Read more

The Draper’s Dictionary (1882) blandly says, “The name corduroy is of French origin, where it was originally corde du roi, the king’s cord.” But, alas, no such name has ever been used in France. The French name for the material is velours a cotes, “ribbed velvet.” First mention of the fabric was in the 1790’s, … Read more

Ever since mankind began to practice chicanery upon his fellows, it has been found necessary to develop techniques for ascertaining the true value of those materials that are to be found in the marketplace, particularly gold and silver. Long ago it was discovered that if suspected gold were rubbed on the mineral known as basanite, … Read more

The dictionaries try to satisfy consultants by saying, “Origin unknown,” or something of similar import. It might be more honest to confess, “I don’t know.” A lot of speculation by brainy men has been given, but no one knows yet whether the term hobbledehoy came into England from some other language, or whether it was … Read more

Today most of us think of the term four-in-hand only as a necktie, to be tied in its own special loop. But the horsemen among us may have another notion. To them it means four horses harnessed to a single vehicle and driven by one person. And it is to these sportsmen of the nineteenth … Read more

St. Augustine, one of the most renowned fathers of the Christian Church, was, in his youth, rather a dissolute profligate. After embracing Christianity in his early thirties, though, he became a most devout member of the faith, eventually being awarded a bishopric. He was always a prolific writer, and many of the books of his … Read more

A dogwatch is a two-hour vigil on shipboard, so arranged as to alternate from day to day the regular four-hour watches of the divisions of a crew. That is, instead of dividing the twenty-four hours of the day into six periods of four hours each, they are divided into five such periods and two of … Read more

The “curtal friar,” Friar Tuck, of the Robin Hood ballads, was merely so called because the frock worn by the friar was short, curtal being derived from the Latin curtus, “short.” Other things were also “curtal” four hundred years ago, especially a horse whose tail had been bobbed, a “bobtailed horse,” we would say now. … Read more

We don’t use the word hobnob as Shakespeare did. With us it is a verb, to hold intimate conversation with (another); to be convivial with. But Shakespeare used it (Twelfth Night, III, iv) as an adverb: “He is (a) knight . . . ; but he is a diuell in a private brall; . . … Read more

A slipshoe was, at one time, the name used for a shoe or slipper that fitted loosely and was worn for comfort, within the home, rather than for street wear. However, it happened that even back in the sixteenth century, when the term was in vogue, there were certain of the citizenry who valued comfort … Read more

Attempts have been made to give the term country-dance a French background, insisting that it was first the contre-danse of French, Italian, or Spanish origin. Such is not so. It was the other way round. Those dances were eighteenth-century adaptations from the English country-dances. It is not known when nor in what part of England … Read more

This concept of absolute, perfect newness is very old in itself, dating back past medieval English to the Old Norse, in which its form was span-nyr, from spann, “a chip,” plus nyr, “new.” The allusion is to the newness of a chip freshly cut by the woodsman’s ax. Variants such as spang-new, spanking new, etc., … Read more

The verb sojourn comes to us from the French sojorner, which, with the related Italian soggiornare, has been traced to the Popular Latin subdiurnare, compounded from sub, “under,” and diurnus, “day-long” (from dies, “day”). Thus the original sense was applied to some event lasting for less than a day, especially a short visit. The sense … Read more

The term hockshop is included here simply because someone may look for it, but we can’t retail much information. Hock, in the sense of “pawn,” has been in American usage at least seventy-five years; hence, a hockshop is a pawnshop, but no one knows why. It is our supposition that our hock is related to … Read more

Despite the appearance of a compound word, the word buckram is wholly unrelated to either buck or ram. In fact, though it has counterparts in other European languages, its ultimate source is unknown. The fabric itself was originally of fine linen or cotton, costly and delicate. Such was its nature through the Middle Ages. But … Read more

We take our food fads very seriously in this country, and some continue for many years. Along about 1830, a young Presbyterian minister, Sylvester Graham (1794-1851), an ardent temperance advocate, got the notion that if one lived wholly on a vegetable diet he would have no interest in any alcoholic beverage. Graham boardinghouses sprang up … Read more

Had anyone, in my youth, told us that a dornick was a kind of fabric, we would certainly have thought either that he was trying to spoof us or he was an ignoramus. In Ohio, and later in Brooklyn, it was a brickbat or cobblestone that could be, and was, hurled by hoodlums through store … Read more

A quick review of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow reveals that Irving seems not to have used the term Spindleshanks, but it would most certainly have well described Ichabod Crane. “He was tall, but exceedingly lank, . . . long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, . . . … Read more

Here, quick has its original sense of living, and the popular term quicklime for this substance is a direct translation of the Latin calx viva, “living lime,” as taken through the French chaux vive. To the chemist, quicklime is calcium oxide, and it was called “living” by virtue of its intensely vigorous reaction when brought … Read more

Sorry, but nothing has ever been found which would indicate that anyone anywhere ever thought geese were at all eager for these berries, or were even averse to them. They’re just not interested in the gooseberry. In fact, no reason for associating the bird with the plant or berry has been discovered.

The doodlebug is the larva of the ant lion. But why this immature insect is held to ridicule by the contemptuous name doodle, “simpleton,” is not easy to understand, for he’s a wise little gazebo, well versed himself in the follies of ants, as you will see under the item ant lion. Because of the … Read more

If we called the polliwog (immature amphibian) a polwygle as our English forebears did five centuries ago, the source of the name might be more easily identified. That is, poll, “head,” and wygle, which we now spell wiggle, a “wigglehead.” Tadpole (which see) is the usual name in England; in America we use one or … Read more

In today’s underworld slang, an assassin would be a gangster, a gunman, a gorilla, a trigger boy, or, from the murderous qualities ascribed to the tribe, an Apache. But the old term, dating to a band of Saracens in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, came from the practice by the members to dope themselves heavily … Read more

Like the other head coverings parasol and umbrella, sombrero is named to describe its benefit when worn. Thus this wide-brimmed hat from sunny Spain is so-called from the shade it affords its wearer, the Spanish for “shade” being sombra. Umbrella is similarly named, from the Latin umbra, “shade,” with a diminutive ending, hence, “a little … Read more

The name funny bone for that portion of the elbow over which the ulnar nerve is drawn has never seemed appropriate to us. To strike or be struck on that edge of bone distinctly gives rise to a tingling pain rather than to anything remotely amusing. The American synonym, crazy bone, is more fitting. But … Read more

Oddly enough, the word counterpane started life as counterpoint. This was not the musical term of the same spelling derived from Latin contra punctus relating to combined harmonies, but a corruption of an Old French term which was itself corrupted from Latin culcita puncta, meaning “a quilt.” As the early heavy quilt began to give … Read more

One could make a poor pun by asking, “Was it fur below?” But the source of the stylish flounce, furbelowof, of bygone years did not derive from a mispronounced “far below” nor from the pelt of an animal. The flounce was much more likely to have been made of silk than of fur. No, we … Read more

Coming to us directly from the French, in which it has the same meaning, “a trifle,” the word soupcon has gone through several spellings as the French language itself was evolved. It stems from the Late Latin suspectio, which comes, in turn, from the Latin suspicio, “a suspicion.” A soupcon, therefore, is a quantity so … Read more

As used today, a soothsayer is a person who can, or at least is alleged to be able to, forecast the future accurately. This is not a new meaning, it has been in use for about three hundred years, but it is not in agreement with the original sense. Sooth was, to start with, an … Read more

This reminds one of the noted comment on oats in Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language (1755): “A grain which in England is commonly fed to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.” Buckwheat in Europe has been grown for many centuries as a grain for cattle, horses, and poultry, but in the United States … Read more

The term sitz bath, describing both the process of taking a bath while in the sitting position, with the legs and feet outside, as well as the tub in which this uncomfortable process may be accomplished, is taken directly from the German word for the same. The curious feature of the term is that it … Read more

One of those curious words which have entered English with both Romance and Teutonic backgrounds, stockade comes to us through the French estacade from the Spanish estacada, “a fortification consisting of a row of stakes.” But estacada is from estaca, “a stake,” which is derived from the Teutonic root stak-, a variant of the verb … Read more

Now and then difficulties are presented in stating the sources and original meanings of some of our words, especially, as here, of words which through use in a different sense have become completely respectable in our language. Thus, in America, poppycock is merely an equivalent of “stuff and nonsense; bosh,” but among the Dutch ancestors … Read more

The spelling cockswain, sometimes used, better indicates the source of the word coxswain. Five hundred years ago a cock was a small rowboat, often called a cockboat. Such a boat was usually carried on a larger vessel for the use of the captain, to take him ashore or the like. And the swain in charge … Read more

Pollyanna was the “glad” girl. She was created by Eleanor Hodgman Porter in a novel of that name published in 1913, with a sequel, Pollyanna Grows Up, in 1915. She was an orphan, turned over, after the death of her missionary father, to live with a stern puritanical aunt. But Pollyanna steadfastly practiced a game … Read more

The usual sense, of course, is “threefold,” and in this sense the word is fully equivalent to triple. Whereas treble came to us from the Old French, of the same spelling and meaning, which, in turn, was derived from the Popular Latin tripulus, triple came directly from the latter source. The original Latin form was … Read more

In the eleventh century, there lived an Italian monk and musician, one Guido d’Arezzo, who proposed the group of syllables that is now known as “Guido’s scale,” or the “Aretinian syllables.” These were to be used, in lieu of words, in singing exercises, one for each note of the scale, now known to every school … Read more

Greek mythology tells us of a terrific struggle between the gods and the rebellious Titans, a race of giants, led by the powerful Atlas. When defeated, Atlas was compelled in punishment to bear the heavens upon his shoulders through all eternity. Ancient artists pictured him as supporting an enormous globe, and a copy of such … Read more

In the mid-sixteenth century, when the term dovetail was used in joinery and carpentry first appeared in print, the joint was also known as “swallowe tayle,” to follow the spelling of the period. You can see an example of the joint on well-made bureau or desk drawers. It is composed of a series of wedge-shaped … Read more

It was apparently just about four hundred years ago that the bird, native to Africa, that we know today as guinea fowl was imported into England by way of Turkey, even though the bird itself had been known for its delectable qualities for long previously (it had been mentioned by Aristotle and Pliny). Because of … Read more

The definition of the word honeymoon in an old dictionary, Blount’s Glossographia (1656), on our shelves delights us: “Hony-moon, applyed to those marryed persons that love well at first, and decline in affections afterwards; it is hony now, but will change as the moon.” Thomas Blount, however, merely paraphrased the definition in Richard Huloet’s Abecedarium, … Read more

Sometimes called pons asinorum, which, perhaps more politely, says exactly the same thing in Latin. Germans translate the Latin into Esels-briicke; French use pont aux lines, but they all refer to the fifth proposition of the first book of Euclid: If a triangle has two of its sides equal, the angles opposite these sides are … Read more

In France, back in the sixteenth century and earlier, a portemanteau was an officer in the king’s service who carried the mantle (manteau) of the king when traveling, the royal mantle bearer, we might call him. The mantle or cloak was precious, of course, and was accordingly carried in a case of soft leather. Eventually, … Read more

The term cracker is now used with pride by native whites of Florida as a distinction from the influx of residents from other states, but also applied in other Southern states to ignorant, shiftless white people, commonly called “poor whites.” Among various explanations, one often recurring is that the term originated from the “cracker” or … Read more

We should properly call the groundhog, the largest member of the squirrel family, a marmot, or even a woodchuck, for there is definitely nothing hoggish about him. Or her, as the case may be. It is a “her” who rears her young annually under the pantry of my summer home. Because there is American usage, … Read more

Roger Williams (he who settled Rhode Island) called squash “vine apples,” and described them as being about the size of apples, and as quite tasty. From this it can be inferred that the gourds which the Narragansett Indians called asquutasquash were a sort of melon, especially since the Indian word, literally translated, means “that which … Read more

In the latter part of the eighteenth century, it was still fashionable for men to wear knee breeches, this fashion prevailing both in this country and in Europe. The laboring class of France, largely responsible for the first French revolution of 1789, sought for some symbol of dress which would distinguish them from the aristocracy … Read more

Although the name shuttlecock has only been in the language since the sixteenth century, it is composed of two words, shuttle and cock, that are found in the earliest forms of the language. Shuttle is the modern spelling of the Anglo-Saxon scytel, “an arrow, missile,” and is related to our verb to shoot. The name … Read more

The Oxford English Dictionary calls the word avoirdupois “a recent corrupt spelling,” and adds: “The best modern spelling is the 17th century averdepois; in any case de ought to be restored for du, introduced by some ignorant ‘improver’ c 1640-1650.” The term was borrowed from France about the year 1300. Though its literal meaning was … Read more

This matter of cousinship is sometimes made more complicated than it should be. German is now rarely used in such relationship, replaced by the more readily understood first or full, coming from Latin germanus, denoting such relationship. My brother’s son is my son’s cousin german, or first or full cousin. My brother’s grandson is my … Read more

Yes, the word greenhorn did at first apply to horns that were green, green, that is, in the sense of young and tender, such as those of a young ox. Then the term was next applied in a more figurative sense to raw, untrained, and inexperienced soldiers, those who might be characterized as not yet … Read more

Years ago, the verb spoon had a now obsolete meaning, “to run before the wind, to scud.” The origin of this sense is not known, but the similarity in sound to spume (from the Latin spuma, “foam”) led to an alternate spelling, spoom. Then, through some confused process of reasoning quite difficult to reconstruct, the … Read more

We of Pennsylvania Dutch extraction have always been of an independent spirit, unwilling to be “beholden” to anyone, and, by the same token, taking it for granted that a neighbor or companion is of the same spirit. In consequence, though far from any justifiable accusation of ungenerosity, we expect that anyone fully able to pay … Read more

The original sense was “to pass beyond or across,” and the word trespass comes to us from the Old French trespasser from the Medieval Latin transpassare, “to pass beyond.” This is made up of trans, “beyond” (which became tres in French), and passare, “to pass.” Modern French has developed a derivative meaning, “to pass away, … Read more

Most of the dictionaries agree that we Americans got the name cranberry from the Low German kraanbere, “crane berry,” from the fact that the plant flourishes in marshy lands frequented by cranes. But Dr. Mathews, in Dictionary of Americanisms, questions this assumption. The name, he points out, was used by John Eliot in Day-breaking, written … Read more

Now we call it “cottage cheese,” probably because the old-fashioned names, pot cheese, bonnyclabber, and smearcase (which comes to us from the German Schmierktise, “spreading cheese”), are no longer sufficiently elite for the modern dining room. But in grandmother’s time the curds were separated from the water by heating the coagulated milk in a pot. … Read more

That’s what a greenroom was, originally, a room near the stage in a theater, the walls and, sometimes, the furniture of which were painted or covered with green cloth. Some say that color was selected for the relief of the eyes of the actors, who rested in that room between appearances on stage, from the … Read more

The word sputnik which leaped into the headlines of just about every newspaper in the world is not, as may have been felt, a pet name coined by the Russians to describe their man-made moon, but is actually the Russian word for “satellite.” In the nonastronomical sense, it means “a companion or associate.” Sputnik is … Read more

In medieval times, the retainers and servants of any given nobleman were clothed in livery of distinctive color and design for easy recognition. If, as might happen under the stress of war or of sharp political differences, it became expedient that a man not be recognized as associated with another, it was a simple matter … Read more

General Sir Samuel James Browne was a British army officer of the nineteenth century who was born, and later served, in India. It may be presumed that some time during his career he became annoyed at the drag of his sword on his belt, which most certainly caused the belt to go askew, marring his … Read more

The common grandfather of the trombone, trumpet, and tuba seems to have been the straight bronze war trumpet of the ancient Romans, which they called a tuba. The word is undoubtedly related to the Latin tubus, “a tube.” It has been suggested that, in passing into the modern Romance languages, there took place a threefold … Read more

For six hundred years, at least, a hogshead was a measure of liquid capacity has been in our language (and taken into other Teutonic languages, with hog sometimes changed to bull or ox), but as yet the mystery of its source or a plausible reason for the name remains unsolved. One guess, quoted by the … Read more

Anyone who has ever had occasion to use green soap, in the treatment of impetigo or other skin affection, knows that its color is brown, not green. Nevertheless the name is a reminder that the color was formerly green. Possibly to make the appearance less repulsive, indigo was added to the soft soap, imparting a … Read more

The term holystone for the soft sandstone formerly used by sailors for scouring the wooden deck of a vessel has led to all sorts of speculation. Why holy? One opinion was that holy was just a humorous corruption of holey, the stone being full of holes like a sponge. Admiral Smythe, in The Sailor’s Word … Read more

The more recent etymology of the word trousers is fairly certain; the earlier is somewhat cloudy. The turning point comes with the medieval Irish and Scottish Gaelic triubhas, pronounced triwas. This was taken into English in the sixteenth century, and became trouse. Although the term describes the entire garment, the word has the appearance of … Read more

Sorry, but the name of the cowslip plant has nothing to do with the lip of the cow. The English wildflower, the primrose or Primula veris, to which the American plant is allied, commonly grows in cow pastures, and the name pertains to the slip, anciently slyppe, “dung,” among which the plant flourishes.

In her book, Tenting on the Plains (1887), Elizabeth Custer, wife of the General, says, “A doughboy is a small, round doughnut served to sailors on shipboard, generally with hash. Early in the Civil War the term was applied to the large globular brass buttons on the infantry uniform, from which it passed, by natural … Read more

A sponge is characterized as “readily absorbing fluids and yielding them on pressure.” It is the latter part of this that led to one of the slang senses of sponge, the noun, “an object of extortion,” and the verb, “to deprive one of something.” It is this meaning of extortion that resulted in the coining … Read more

The candy butterscotch, also known as toffee in England, does not concern Scotland nor the Scottish people, nor does it contain any of the liquid known as “Scotch.” No, the chief ingredients are just butter and sugar. Where does the scotch come in? Well, all directions for the preparation of this candy after it is … Read more

The spelling of the word coxcomb, though common from Shakespeare’s time, conceals the source. The original was cock’s comb, the comb or crest of a cock, and, back in the time of Queen Elizabeth I and later, it denoted the cap worn by the professional fool or jester, having the cut and color of such … Read more

No fireplace has less than two, one firedog on either side for supporting logs or grate. But today, possibly because the name sounds more highfalutin, we speak of them as andirons. Formerly, however, the dogs, as they were then called, were of utilitarian iron, serving as supports, and the andirons, in households that afforded them, … Read more

Originally, about the beginning of the nineteenth century, a porterhouse was a house at which porter was served. This porter was a kind of dark brown beer or ale favored by porters and ordinary laborers, often called porter’s beer or porter’s ale. The porterhouse steak is supposed to have been introduced about 1814, according to … Read more

Agate is a gem or semiprecious stone of quartz, waxy in texture and marked by bands of color. The name was formerly and should still be achate (pronounced ak’ate), after the Sicilian river Achates, near which, according to Pliny, the stone was first found.

Although, today, sir is commonly used as a title of respect for any man, when it first entered the language in the late thirteenth century (as a shortened form of sire, which preceded it by a scant hundred years) it was employed solely as the title of a knight or baronet. With the growth of … Read more

Taken into English directly from the Italian, without change of spelling or meaning, the word stucco seems originally to have come from a Teutonic rather than a Romance background. Specifically, the Italians apparently adopted the Old High German stucchi or stukki, one of the meanings of which was “crust,” although the more common meaning was … Read more