topics: |  language | english | history

Excerpts

The pen is mightier than the sword - Baron Lytton

In the 1600's criminals could escape hanging if they could read the first sentence of the 51st Psalm, "my sin is ever before me," but a finger was branded, and if caught murdering again, would hang.

Language History of Britain

Before 43 BC - Celts, speaking Celtic

43 BC - 410 - Romans.  Drove Celts to
       Scotland and Wales - return to
       Rome, leaving some words
 449 - Angles and Saxons invade from Germany -
       Angles win - Angle-land = England.
       Language is Old English - alliteration as
       memory aid for long poems - often gruesome -
       like Beowulf
 597 - St Augustine in England - Pope Gregory's joke -
       non Angli sed Angeli - "not Angles but Angels".  But the
       Church's use of Latin words leaves a lasting mark on English.
 787 - Vikings invade the North -
1066 - Norman Rule - Battle of Hastings - Lords speak French, peasants
       English.
1387 - Chaucer starts Canterbury Tales - rhyming
1450 - Gutenberg invents printing press (or was it a Dutchman called
       Coster?) He dies a pauper.

1476 - William Caxton - first press in England.  What word to use?  In
       a story from one of his books - a group on a boat-ride in the
       Thames goes to a farm and asks for eggs.  They don't know what
       it is.  But when asked for Eyren, they have them.  But Caxton
       uses the same spelling he did the first time he uses a word.

1590 - Settling of America - pilgrims bring English
1714 - King George is German - he can speak no English
1755 - Samuel Johnson's dictionary - no slang words.
1870 - schools made compulsory in England

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Old English - a naddre -->? an adder; waps --> wasp; bridd --> bird
      gift --> old english word for medieval custom of bride price ;
Latin - after 20, count using pebbles (calculus in latin) --> calculate
      - Roman times - salt used to pay soldiers.  (e.g.
	      "not worth your salt") L. sal --> "salary"
      - L. calculus, meaning pebbles (used for counting after
	    running out of fingers and toes) --> calculate
      - L. vacca, cow; cow pox used by Jenner against pox --> vaccination

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when your teacher tells you to "Hold your tongue," she doesn't mean
  "Stick your fingers in your mouth and grab hold of that fat slimy
  thing inside."  - p. 56

Oscar - prizes started by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
  Sciences in 1929.  Called Oscars because in 1932, the Librarian of
  the Academy was heard saying of the statuette - "reminds me of my
  Uncle Oscar," and a newspaper reporter printed the story.

pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis - a lung disease among
  miners - longest word in OED (45 letters).

Sideburns - from US General called Burnside

Young Urban Professional Person - yuppies (russian yuppies, yupsky;
  japanese yuppie - juppie), Double Income No Kids - dinkies, person
  inheriting parents property (pippie), well-off older person
  (woopie).

infantry - from Italian.  Infants, or boy soldiers, were not allowed
  to join the cavalry.

25% of english word usage consists of NINE words -
    and, be, have, it, of, the, to, will, you.

--

murdered in cold blood -- calmly, not in hot blood;  calm = "butter
	doesn't melt in his mouth"

"To be in another person's shoes" - Viking custom - when adopted a son, he
	got the shoes

making both ends meet - accounts - both end sums must be equal --
	"mete" - spelling error made it "meet"

Anagrams

astronomer -- moon starer
schoolmaster -- the classroom
softheartedness - often sheds tears
slot machines -- cash lost in 'em
old west action - clint eastwood
Hated for Ill --> Adolf Hitler
[Mother-in-law: When you rearrange the letters:   --> Woman Hitler
Eleven plus two: When you rearrange the letters:
 --> Twelve plus one
President Clinton of the USA  --> to copulate he finds interns
Dormitory --> Dirty room
Desperation --> A rope ends it
The eyes --> They see
Election results --> lies - let's recount

 
This sign is a facsimile of PT Barnum's original.  (On sale at etsy.com)

EGRESS:
According to legend, on days like 4th of July, P.T. Barnum's museum would
become too packed (most people having brought in their dinners), he
would have one of his staff go through the house shouting “This way to the
Egress!”  Customers, expecting some exotic bird or something, would be
directed to a door marked “to the Egress” and only when going through it
would they realize that “egress” meant “exit”.  Meanwhile, others waiting
for tickets could be admitted.

SMILED: longest word in the world...
(because there is a mile between the first letter and the last)