Month: June 2016
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Gushing like a “geyser”: modern loan, old faithful
“An intermittent hot spring, throwing up water, etc. in a fountain-like column.” No, this isn’t a description of how a lot of Brits are feeling, still queasy from Brexit, after their team’s knockout loss to Iceland in the Euro football tournament last night. It’s the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of the word geyser, one of the few…
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“Leave”: a big, fat, sticky mess. Literally.
The result of the “Brexit” referendum is historic: Britain has voted to leave the European Union. The very word leave has made its own history, too: It originally meant “to remain.” Leave, or what “remains” Historically, we can consider leave a contronym: a word that means its opposite, like cleave, dust, and sanction. In the…
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Cleveland Cavaliers: a bunch of “hacks”?
On the court, the Cleveland Cavaliers are champions, bringing the first major sports title to the Ohio city in 52 years with their 93-89 victory over the Golden State Warriors in an exciting Game 7 of the NBA finals. But in the etymology books, the Cleveland Cavaliers are, well, “hacks.” Cavalier English first borrowed cavalier…
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“Soda”: An etymological “headache”?
This week, Philadelphia became the first major American city to tax soda and other sugar-added beverages. Supporters tout the levy as a remedy for health problems and school funding. Opponents see it as an illegal overreach of the nanny state and a real headache for the beverage industry. This split will surely play out in…
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Orlando
Orlando: The name of this central Florida city, even as it mourns, now stands as a symbol of American resilience and resolve against hate and terror. And the origin of its name, if we look to its deeper etymology, only underscores its strength. The City Beautiful, the city lore Orlando was first known as Jernigan, after Aaron…
Mashed Radish 