2847: More than One Way to Skin a Cat Oct 6, 2024
The phrase “there’s more than one way to skin a cat” is pretty gruesome sounding, prompting some like PETA to put forward a variation (“...feed a cat”) but beyond that it also hard to imagine a context for it. In truth, while the exact nature of the phrase is uncertain, all the evidence would suggest it was literal in its conception. From the 17th and 18th centuries, there are a number of other related phrases, like “there are more ways to kill a dog than hanging” (1678). Likewise, the phrase in question was only one of many cat-related phrases of this type, including also more blunt phrases, and also with a second half including some actual means, more as just a template than a definitive phrase.
This has always meant “there is more than one solution to the problem” but Mark Twain wrote in 1889 “she was wise, subtle, and knew more than one way to skin a cat”, meaning simply that she was resourceful.
Researching this, are some myths out there that the usage has to do with actual cases of animal cruelty and in particular with records from 1832 House of Commons discussion on a bill concerning animal cruelty, but this instance could not be the origin as the phrase is known to predate it by more than a century.
2846: Danube is just generic for water Oct 5, 2024
Across the world, especially where there have been varied people groups living in the same place land one after another, there will be tautological place names, where each element in the name ends up being the same thing, like the famous River Avon meaning “river river”, and it is a similar story with the River Danube. While today we are used to it simply as the name for a major European river, it comes from a very common root found around many Indo-European languages meaning ‘river’ from the original sense of ‘running’.
2845: more than one way to skin a cat Oct 4, 2024
The phrase "there's more than one way to skin a cat" has a somewhat murky origin, but it is commonly understood to express the idea that there are multiple methods to achieve a goal. The earliest recorded use of the phrase dates back to the early 19th century, with one notable instance in the 1840s.
In the mid-19th century, the phrase appeared in print in various contexts, including literature and newspapers. One significant instance was in the 1840 edition of "The Sporting Magazine," which used it to illustrate the notion of different strategies for achieving success in hunting. This context suggested a pragmatic approach to problem-solving, emphasizing versatility and creativity in finding solutions.
Interestingly, the phrase also made an appearance in discussions surrounding animal cruelty in the House of Commons in 1831. During debates over proposed legislation to protect animals from inhumane treatment, members of Parliament used the expression to underscore the varied methods people employed in their treatment of animals. Here, it took on a more serious tone, pointing to the need for humane practices, specifically whether the animal in question is alive or not.
2844: Nog & Noggin Oct 3, 2024
The term ‘noggin’ has its origins in the early 17th century, originally referring to a small wooden cup or mug used for serving alcohol, particularly beer, with the main surviving use being in ‘eggnog’. This comes from the Old English word ‘nogg’, meaning a small vessel. As these wooden mugs became common in social settings, the term ‘noggin’ evolved to encompass both the container and its contents, fostering a connection between the beverage and the head, leading to its use as slang for the head itself by the 18th century.
2843: Defining Bodies of Water Oct 2, 2024
There are numerous names for different marine physical features that are not meaningfully different in any consistent way. Looking at the definition of a ‘cove’ and a ‘bay’, both are recesses of water usually sheltered by mountains, though in a few examples, like the Bay of Bengal, Hudson Bay, and Bay of Biscay, these are on the scale of seas or gulfs and are only called bays by convention.
Seas and gulfs meanwhile also don’t have any meaningful distinctions. While many definitions will say something to the effect of “a large body of water enclosed on 3 sides” and with a gulf usually distinguished as having a narrower opening, this does not hold up to examples. Some seas are enclosed entirely, like the Caspian and Aral Seas, some are enclosed on fewer than 3 like the Irish or North Seas, and some gulfs have no narrow point like the Gulf of Mexico. Likewise, comparing the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, their respective widest points are only 1 mile different (221 vs 200 mi) and their narrowest points are each ~30 miles. Given that some coves are bays except when bays are gulfs, gulfs are not meaningfully distinguished from seas, and many seas are not clearly distinguished from being part of the ocean with a chokepoint (e.g. Beaufort, Caribbean, and Arabian Seas) or otherwise distinguished from straits, the nomenclature boils down only to convention.
2842: Tinker and Beekeeper Oct 1, 2024
To tinker can refer to fixing up, or in a more old fashioned sense, a tinker was someone who either as a vagrant or as part of an itinerant people (like the Romani or especially Irish Travelers) made a living doing odd jobs place to place, but particularly in metal work. The original sense of the word was neither of these, but it was closer latter sense, in some ways, despite it being recognized now as an ethnic slur. The word originates from ‘tin’ plus an Old English suffix ‘-cere’ meaning ‘making; maintaining’, referring to a smith of tin, or other soft metals.
This suffix is no longer productive, but is also see seen in the Old English ‘bēocere’ meaning ‘beekeeper’ which could have evolved as ‘*beeker’ but was influenced by ‘-keep’ in the sense of ‘to maintain’ as well.
2841: Borrowing from the Genitive Form Sep 30, 2024
The Modern Hebrew word for notebook, פנקס (pinkas) is from an Ancient Greek πίναξ (pínax) where not only is the vowel in a different place, but /ks/ sound which in Greek is represented by one sound is here looks as if it is parsed into two. Unlike in English letter X however, or for that matter in Hebrew with the letter צ (ts), where they do not change forms with add suffixes, in Ancient Greek suffixation like applying the genitive singular [possessive case], turning the word into πίνακος (pínakos) will modify the ending of the word. It is possible, if not likely, that the Hebrew came not from the nominative singular [subject case], but from another declination. This sort of thing is extremely unusual—across languages borrowings almost always derive from the nominative form of a noun—but the situation is not entirely unheard of. It is also possible that the word’s vowel position changed only after being adopted into Hebrew via metathesis, but the evidence available does not make this conclusive.
2840: Great Scott Sep 29, 2024
The phrase "Great Scott", along with a number of other now-dated terms of astonishment, mirrors the normal euphemistic religious exclamations / swears, but it’s not entirely clear. It is likely, to some extent at least, that the origins may lie in a phonetic evolution from the German phrase "grüß Gott," meaning "great God." This transition reflects the historical presence of German immigrants in the United States, particularly during the 19th century. Alternatively, some scholars trace its use back to the American Civil War, specifically around General Winfield Scott who was astonishingly fat. This latter explanation is far less, likely, but may have assisted to bridge the gaps from the German immigrants bringing the phrase into mainstream English.
2839: Cello Sep 28, 2024
The word 'cello' originates as a clipping of the Italian term 'violoncello', which in turn comes from 'violone'. 'Violoncello' translates to "little violone" in Italian, where 'violone' refers to an early form of the double bass. The suffix '-cello' (-elle in Italian) denotes a diminutive form, indicating that the instrument is smaller in size compared to the violone. The term 'violone' itself is derived from 'viola' with the augmentative suffix '-one' (-oon in Italian), emphasizing its larger size compared to the standard viola.
2838: Handle (Social Media) Sep 27, 2024
The term ‘handle’, now commonly associated with online aliases, has roots in the early days of telephone communication. Telephone operators, who physically connected the cables to facilitate calls, utilized the term to refer to identifiers or nicknames for users. This usage emerged from a need for efficiency in managing numerous calls while ensuring clarity and anonymity. Operators would often rely on recognizable, informal monikers to facilitate quicker connections, based off of knowing where to put in the cable ends, or the handle, as it were.
As communication technology evolved, so did the application of ‘handle’. The rise of the Internet in the late 20th century brought new platforms, such as chat rooms and forums, where users sought anonymity and distinct identities. This practice gained traction particularly in gaming and social media, where a user's handle became a key component of their digital persona.
2837: The Power Symbol is from Binary Sep 26, 2024
The power symbol, easily recognized as a circle with a vertical line bisecting it at the top, is born from earlier binary representation. Its design—a fusion of the numeral "1" and the numeral "0"—reflects the binary code that underpins modern computing. This is based off of earlier switches where pushing in one direction turned it on, represented with the 1, and the other direction, off, represented by the 0. Fusing the two together led to the modern power symbol seen around the world.
2836: Littera -ly an Etymological Mystery Sep 25, 2024
The etymology of the Latin term 'littera' presents a conundrum that raises questions about its morphological lineage. Traditionally traced back to the Old Latin form 'leitera' and purportedly linked to the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂leyH- (“smear”), this connection is complicated by the absence of expected morphological forms. Particularly problematic is the assumption of a plural form of the adjective *lei-tos; such a derivation would not align with established patterns for forming participles and gerunds in Latin. Instead, the past participle of 'linō', 'litus', suggests a divergence from the hypothesized *leitos, putting the proposed etymological timeline on shaky ground.
This led to what is known as the littera rule, where a long vowel followed by a short consonant led to a short vowel and a geminated consonant, so in this case from lītus to littus. Thus, while the connection to 'linō' might seem plausible, the available linguistic data fails to provide a coherent account of 'littera's' origins, necessitating a reconsideration of its historical development.
2835: Lexus Sep 24, 2024
The name ‘Lexus’, associated with the luxury vehicle line from Toyota, is intriguing not only for its sleek connotation but also for the ambiguity surrounding its origin. Officially, the name does not derive from any particular word or concept; rather, it was crafted as a distinctive brand identity. However, the absence of a clear etymology has led to a proliferation of theories and myths, particularly involving various acronyms that enthusiasts and linguists alike have proposed. Some of the most popular interpretations include "Luxury Exports to the U.S." or "Luxury Excellence," reflecting an aspirational image for the brand.
This phenomenon highlights a fascinating aspect of linguistics and branding: how names can take on lives of their own, shaped by public perception and cultural narratives. In the absence of a definitive meaning, people instinctively seek to construct interpretations, as happened with the word ‘posh’, among others.
2834: The Spread of Kindergartens Sep 23, 2024
The term ‘kindergarten’ is widely used—sometimes directly borrowed but usually calqued—across many languages across the world, stemming from the German concept developed by Friedrich Froebel in the 19th century. His idea of a "children's garden", literally, emphasizing play-based learning, resonated globally as societies recognized the importance of early childhood education. The spread of this term was facilitated by influential educators who traveled and shared Froebel's methods, but the reason it is so usually calqued into each native language is due international conferences that promoted his educational philosophies. For example, in French, it is translated as "jardin d'enfants" while in Danish its ‘børnehave’. Even outside of Europe, in Armenian, it’s բալիկների պարտեզ (balikneri partez), in Japanese, it’s 幼稚園 (yōchien), and in Hebrew there is a shortened version גן (gan), just ‘garden’.
2033: Fishy Name Rebranding Sep 22, 2024
Many fish undergo rebranding before appearing on restaurant menus to make them more appealing to diners. For instance, the unattractively named ‘Patagonian toothfish’ was transformed into ‘Chilean sea bass’, and the unappetizing ‘slimehead’ became ‘orange roughy’, both of which are now sought-after delicacies. Similarly, the spiny dogfish, a small shark, is often marketed as ‘rock salmon’ in the UK, making it a popular choice for fish and chips. Monkfish, despite its monstrous appearance, is often referred to as ‘American angler’, and skate is sometimes listed by its French name, ‘raie’, to elevate its appeal.
These name changes are driven by a combination of marketing, exoticism, and sustainability. A more exotic name can lend a sense of exclusivity, while renaming underutilized species can introduce them to diners in a more palatable way.
2832: In Spades Sep 21, 2024
The phrase "in spades" is often mistakenly thought to refer to shovels or digging tools, evoking an image of something being piled up in abundance. However, its origin is tied to the card game bridge. In bridge, spades are the highest-ranking suit, trumping all others. When someone has something "in spades," it means they have it in great quantity or with great force, much like having a dominant hand of spades in the game. The metaphor conveys a sense of overwhelming abundance or intensity, far beyond what the image of a shovel would suggest.
2831: Cases (can) Avoid Prepositions Sep 20, 2024
Cases in linguistics refers to nominal declensions, or in other words affixes (usually) that indicate the syntactic function, like the subject, object, indirect object etc.. English functionally has two cases including the genitive [word + ‘s], Classical Latin famously has 5 cases to learn and one or two vestigial forms from others* , and Finnish has an eye-watering 15 cases. Many of these used to exist in other languages, like Latin, but were niche enough to be subsumed by another, usually in the somewhat catch-all ablative case + preposition**, while Finnish has a relatively weak system of prepositions.
For instance, in English to signify X being inside of Y, one uses a preposition like “in Y”, “within Y” or “inside of Y” etc.. In Finnish, along with other Uralic and Baltic languages, mainly Estonian, Hungarian, Lithuanian and Latvian, use the illative case. This transforms, for instance, the Estonian:
Kapp (‘wardrobe’) into Kappi (“inside the wardrobe”) without using prepositions as many other languages would.
*Like the 2nd declension singular vocative case
**The locative case was subsumed in part by the accusative, and the vocative became part of the nominative case.
2830: New Capital N Sep 19, 2024
Looking at these examples of logos altogether [see photo], there is a notable trend of using a lowercase-style <n> in an all-capital font. Some of these examples have long histories, including 7-Eleven with 6 variations using this version of <n> beginning in 1968, and Wendy’s that has also had 6 <n> versions since 1969 until 2013, and even more notably used a regular capital <N> in its slogan “old fashioned burgers”. ESPN has also always used the lowercase version, and the other two examples are newer, so it cannot be considered a trend so much as a phenomenon, which doesn’t even have a name.
You might be able to call this a small majuscule-n meaning that even when lower case it is made to fit the same height and base as all the rest of the letters in a line, but historically all majuscule fonts are upper case, uncial scripts. This is in contrast with miniscule scripts where some letters can have sections that go above or below the imaginary lines where the letters fit.
The exact reason for this is unclear, but it also seems to have come from different reasons. In the case of 7-Eleven, about which many articles and company statements exist, it is supposedly that the founder’s wife simply thought it looked nicer. In the other cases, it is less obvious, if any concrete reason exists. This is not a modern trend either per se, as is the all-lowercase design, but may also help with visual balance, and given its rounder and less jagged shape per the same width, may be an attempt to look friendlier. Overall, it is not particularly widespread, but seems to be the most widespread of its kind of single-letter lowercase type
If you have any more information or more examples, please add a comment with more.
2829: Decline of Humorous Words Sep 18, 2024
Although no one seriously believes in the theory of the Four Humors, or humourism—that four specific bodily fluids control more or less all aspects of health and also personality—this was an important idea for thousands of years that shaped medicine, such as in the practice of bloodletting and the idea cholera was caused by an abundance of choler (yellow bile), but also it appears in language. Plenty of these have been covered on the blog before, including
Humor and humid
Melancholy and by extension choleric
Some of these words, on the other hand, have mostly fallen by the wayside, such as ‘phlegmatic’ meaning ‘lethargic, sluggish’ which was relatively common still in the early 19th century and declining precipitously from there, and likewise with ‘sanguine’ (from blood) meaning ‘warm, optimistic’ on a similar if not more sudden drop. ‘Bilious’ is not so common now, but it was never as common as the others, but another bile-related humor term, ‘lurid’ has increased in popularity, once only related to the sickly pale-yellow and by extension horror, it has now actually gained more meanings to mean shocking or graphic. On the whole, these have seen a sharp decline with the rise of modern medicine, and even where the words are still in use, no one would connect them at all to bodily fluids.
2828: Isle of Stomach Pain Sep 17, 2024
There is an island in the Mediterranean off the coast of Sardinia called Mal di Ventre, translating literally from Standard Italian as “stomach pains”. There are plenty of places named for miserable reasons, including Australia’s “Lake Disappointment,” but this one was not named in relation to stomachs, at least not on purpose. Looking at the native Sardinian name, “Malu 'Entu” meaning “bad winds” (and not those related to stomach pains), which was mistranslated, but given it has no inhabitants, there was very little need to change the name in Standard Italian.