672: bum and fudge Oct 10, 2016

If someone were to talk about a 'bum' it would be unclear as to whether it is a butt or a lazy person. Words with more than one meaning usually gain those other senses over time from an original, which can be indicative of the way people think, or at least have thought. In this case, the meaning of 'bum' as 'butt' came first, so even though the origins are unknown, the usage of the word as a characterization of people was applied from the concept of a butt, and not the other way around. Similarly, the verb 'to fudge' is derived from 'fadge' meaning 'to fit', based upon alteration. Later on, its sense as 'fitting together' gave rise to the its use as a confection. Later on still, it took the meaning, 'to fit together sloppily' which also then gave rise to the exclamation.