Strange True Facts About American English
Here are some interesting bits and pieces about our American language that are not covered elsewhere in this web site. In fact most of these items are not covered elsewhere in anything.
Average Americans know about 10,000 words. Writers know the most words, averaging 20,000. Farm workers seem to know the fewest words, at around 1,600.
The word “set” has over 100 meanings or uses.
According to the Guiness Book of World Records, there are as many as 2,241 synonyms for the state of being “drunk.” How many can you list?
A fellow in Montana gave his daughter a 622-letter long name. His purpose: To tangle up and crash beaurocratic computers!
In 1984 Alan Foreman of England sent his wife Janet a rather long letter containing over one million words.
When modern kids say “bad!” their actual meaning is “good!” Some of us wince at this slang reversal. This is not the first such reversal in the English language, however. “Awful” used to mean awe-inspiring, and “artificial” used to mean full of art.
In Spanish and German, they capitalize the word “you.” In English, we capitalize “I.”
Here’s an interesting example in the evolution of the English language. Butterflies used to be called “flutterbys.”
Who first said, “Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched?” It was Aesop, of Aesop’s Fables.
A voice heard over a telephone does not sound live. It sounds false or “phony.”
In France a computer is called l’informatique, and in Sweden a computer is a dator (because it handles data).
Hemidemisemiquaver is a funny word. It is a musical term meaning a 64th note.
Chauffeurs date to the days of coal-fired, steam-driven cars. In fact, “chauffeur” is French for “stoker.”
In the mid-1800’s, there was a guy hired by an Irish earl to collect high rent from tenant farmers. The farmers totally ignored him. His name was Charles C. Boycott.
Some Vocabulary Going Out of Style
(This may be the last time you see some of these phrases.)
FIFTH WHEEL, someone not needed. SHALL, this word is seldom used in ordinary conversation. BIBCOCK: A faucet. DUFF: The composting leaves that cover the ground in the woods. HARP: The part of a lamp which surrounds the lightbulb and holds the shade.
When is the last time you heard the word “aglet” in conversation? It is the clear plastic tip on the end of a shoelace.
Blowouts are less-often seen nowadays. They are the things you used to see at parties – you put one end in your mouth, and when you blow into it, the other end unrolls and makes a weird noise
And pianoforte has gone out of style. This is what a piano used to be called. Pianoforte literally translates to quiet-loud. In fact, before “pianoforte,” people used to say “fortepiano.”
Here are some seldom used nautical terms from a century-year-old book:
Bend: To fasten; as, to bend on a rope. Bulwarks: The sides of a vessel surrounding and extending above the deck. Caboose: A kitchen on deck. Cat’s paw: A light puff of wind. Painter: A rope used to secure a boat to anything. Reeve: To pass the end of a rope through a pulley, etc. Thwarts: A boat’s seats. Trick: A sailor’s duration of time in steering.
These words came from the Hindu language: Bungalow, pajamas, shampoo, jungle, cot.
The Hindu word khaki means “dusty.”
The word cosmetics is based on the Greek, ‘skilled in decoration.’
From Algonquin (American Indian) we get: Skunk, pecan, chipmunk.
From Arabic: Almanac, mattress.
From Chinese: silk, tea, ketchup, tycoon.
Ernest Hogan, a black musician, wrote a song in 1896 called “All Coons Look Alike To Me.” He used the then-common slang of “coon” to mean white man. After the song became popular, the terminology reversed, with “coon” becoming slang for a black man.
The word gobbledygook was coined by a Texas congressman in 1944.
The word “book” comes from “bok” meaning “beech.” The first books in Europe were written on thin slabs of beech wood.
The word candidate roughly translated into Latin means a person dressed in white.
The word “deliberate” translates roughly in Latin to balance, or weigh on a scale. “Libra” means scale. This is where the abbreviation for pound comes from. (lb.)
The original meaning of the word “fee” was cow, an ancient trading medium that is not used much anymore because it is not convenient to carry cattle your pocket.
Hitchhiking was originally a technique in which two people rode one horse. One would ride the horse a short distance, tie it to a tree, then start walking. The other person would arrive at the horse on foot and then ride it past the first rider (now walking), then tie it up and start walking. Soon the first person would get to ride the horse again, etc.
The word “pamphlet” loosely translates into “loved by all” in Greek.
In Latin, “perfume” translates to “through smoke.”
In Greek, “school” translates to “leisure.”
The original definition of a barn was a hole in the ground covered with a door, for storing barley.
There is one word mispelled in this sentence which is one of the most misspelled words in America. Which one is it? Mispell is misspelled.
The most common name in the world is Muhammad.
Do you know what a Zambony is? It’s the machine used in ice rinks to flatten the ice.
When you type the word “typewriter” you do it all from the row of keys above the home row.
The entire Hawaiian language uses only twelve letters of the alphabet: a, e, i, o, u, h, k, l, m, n, p and w.
All except 15 percent of international phone calls are conducted in English.
Here’s a new word that is already passe: “Microcomputer.” It means an ordinary desk top computer. It was used a few years ago because until then, computers were five feet tall and several feet wide. Now we just say computer, home computer, personal computer or sometimes pc. A modern “minicomputer” is larger than your desktop 486.
A new high-tech term is “degrade gracefully” which is the opposite of a computer crash.
A palindrome is a sentence that if read backward says the same thing. The following may be the stupidest palindrome on earth: “Straw? No, too stupid a fad, I put soot on warts.”
This thing is not a slash: /. It is called a solidus or an obolus.
California means “hot furnace” in Spanish. Alabama means “here we rest” in Indian. Connecticut means “the long river” in Indian. Kentucky means “the dark and bloody ground” in Indian. Vermont means “green mountain” in French.
A camera was originally called “camera obscura.”
The word “paper” came from the papyrus plant from which paper was made. Papyrus used to be a common plant in Egypt, but no longer grows there.
The word “bible” came from the Greek word “biblion” which means book.
The word “pen” came from the Latin “penna” which means wing, or feather.
To the ancient Romans, the left side of the human body was thought of as evil and the right side was good. The Latin word for left is “sinister.”
The Caesar family has two months named after them. July was named for Julius Caesar and August for Augustus Caesar.
The average American knows about one-tenth of a million words.
If you look at a monkey wrench, you think it is obvious where it got its name, but you are wrong. It was named after its inventor, Charles Moncke.
Camel’s-hair brushes were named after Mr. Camel.
We think of snow – as snow, but to Eskimos, there are twenty variations, which are all different things, each with their own name – much as we think pencils and pens are different things.
The technical term for snapping your fingers is “fillip.”
A “clue” meant a ball of thread at first.
The word robot was invented in 1920, in an early science fiction play.
The French word “verre” which means glass is similar to the word “vaire” which means fur. It makes more sense that Cinderella’s slippers were made of fur than glass. It is assumed an early translator of the story goofed.
Freelance originally meant mercenary soldier, a person who was free to use his lance for you, if you had money to pay him.
The letter B evolved from tthe Egyptian symbol for house.
A radio announcer speaks about 183 words per minute.
If you write a letter to the New York Times, chances are one in twenty-two that it will be published.
Cooties are a kind of lice. Kids are right, you really don’t want to catch cooties.
Etymologists are not sure, but the origin of the term “OK” may be from an American Indian word, “okeh,” meaning “it is so.”
Some very young children are acersecomic. If you have never had a haircut, you can be called an acersecomic.
Hoful is an unusual word meaning cautious.
In a typical office, each worker uses 2.5 pounds of paper per day.
If you stretched out 1,429 words written in longhand, about the amount necessary to fill a small pocket notebook, the line would be one mile long.
A professional typist’s fingers move 12 miles in one workday.
The word “hypocrite” comes from Greek, in which it means “actor.”
There are about twice as many words in the English language to describe negative emotions such as sad, upset, and disappointed as there are for positive ones, such delighted, happy and elated.
When the trucking company PIE renamed their truckers, warehousemen and clerical workers “craftsmen,” they raised their pride and cut a sixty percent rate of shipping mistakes down to ten percent. This simple change in terminology saves the company $250,000 per year.
The following comes from a book of advice and trivia written in the mid-nineteenth century. Enjoy the language and concepts:
“HINTS ON ETIQUETTE. – There are numberless writers upon this subject, from Chesterfield to Willis, but the great fault with all of them is, that their works are designed exclusively for the bon ton. They are very well for those who spend their whole lives in the fashionable circles; but if a plain unpretending man or woman were to follow their directions, they would only make themselves ridiculous.
In view of this fact, I now present a few plain directions fashioned not after an imaginary model, but upon the world as it is. I address only sensible persons, and expect them to be satisfied with such rules and principles as shall form well-bred men and women, and not coxcombs and dandies. My directions are the result of my own observation and experience, and may be relied upon as being the actual practices of respectable people, both in this country and Europe; for the manners of well-bred people are the same in all parts of the world.
In all your associations, keep constantly in view the adage, “too much freedom breeds contempt.”
Never be guilty of practical jokes; if you accustom yourself to them, it is probable you will become so habituated as to commit them upon persons who will not allow of such liberties: I have known a duel to arise from a slap on the back.
If there be another chair in the room, do not offer a lady that from which you have just risen.
Always suspect the advances of any person who may wish for your acquaintance, and who has had no introduction: circumstances may qualify this remark, but as a general principle, acquaintances made in a public room or place of amusement are not desirable.
Never converse while a person is singing; it is an insult not only to the singer, but to the company.
The essential part of good breeding is the practical desire to afford pleasure, and to avoid giving pain. Any man possessing this desire, requires only opportunity and observation to make him a gentleman.
Always take off your hat when handing a lady to her carriage, or the box of a theatre, or a public room.
If, in a public promenade, you pass and re-pass persons of you acquaintance, it is only necessary to salute them on the first occasion.
Do not affect singularity of dress by wearing anything that is so conspicuous as to demand attention; and particularly avoid what I believe I must call the ruffian style.
Never lose your temper at cards, and particularly avoid the exhibition of anxiety or vexation at want of success. If you are playing whist, not only keep your temper, but hold your tongue; any intimation to you partner is decidedly ungentlemanly.
Let presents to a young lady be characterized by taste, – not remarkable for intrinsic value.
Except under very decided circumstances, it is both ungentlemanly and dangerous to cut a person: if you wish to rid yourself of any one’s society, a cold bow in the street, and particular ceremony in the circles of your mutual acquaintance, is the best mode of conduct to adopt.
Never introduce your own affairs for the amusement of a company, it shows a sad want of mental cultivation, or excessive weakness of intellect: recollect, also, that such a discussion cannot be interesting to others, and that the probability is that the most patient listener is a complete gossip, laying the foundation for some tale to make you appear ridiculous.
When you meet a gentleman with whom you are acquainted, you bow raising your hat slightly with he left hand, which leaves your right at liberty to shake hands if you stop. If the gentleman is ungloved, you must take off yours, not otherwise.
Meeting a lady, the rule is that she should make the first salute, or at least indicate by her manner that she recognizes you. Your bow must be lower, and your hat carried further from your head; but you never offer to shake hands; that is her privilege.
The right, being the post of honor, is given to superiors and ladies, except in the street, when they take the wall, as farthest from danger from passing carriages, in walking with or meeting them.
In walking with a lady, you are not bound to recognize gentlemen with whom she is not acquainted, nor have they, in such a case, any right to salute, much less to speak to you.
Whenever or wherever you stand, to converse with a lady, or while handing her into or out of a carriage, keep your hat in your hand.
Should her shoe become unlaced, or her dress in any manner disordered, fail not to apprise her of it, respectfully, and offer your assistance. A gentleman may hook a dress or lace a shoe with perfect propriety, and should be able to do so gracefully.
Whether with a lady or gentleman, a street talk should be a short one; and in either case, when you have passed the customary compliments, if you wish to continue the conversation, you must say, “Permit me to accompany you.”
Don’t sing, hum, whistle, or talk to yourself, in walking. Endeavor, besides being well dressed, to have a calm good-natured countenance. A scowl always begets wrinkles. It is best not to smoke at all in public, but none but a ruffian in grain will inflict upon society the odor of a bad cigar, or that of any kind, on ladies.
Ladies are not allowed, upon ordinary occasions, to take the arm of any one but a relative or an accepted lover in the street, and in the day time; in the evening – in the fields, or in a crowd wherever she may need protection – she should not refuse it. She should pass her hand over the gentleman’s arm, merely, but should not walk an arm’s length apart, as country girls sometimes do. In walking with a gentleman, the step of the lady must be lengthened, and his shortened, to prevent the hobbling appearance of not keeping step. Of course, the conversation of a stranger, beyond asking a necessary question, must be considered as a gross insult, and repelled with proper spirit.
Having dressed yourself, pay no further attention to your clothes. Few things look worse than a continual fussing with your attire.
Never scratch your head, pick you teeth, clean your nails, or worse than all, pick your nose in company; all these things are disgusting. Spit as little as possible, and never upon the floor.
Do not lounge on sofas, nor tip back your chair, nor elevate your feet.
If you are going into the company of ladies, beware of onions, spirits, and tobacco.
If you can sing or play, do so at once when requested, without requiring to be pressed, or make a fuss. On the other hand, let your performance be brief, or, if ever so good it will be tiresome. When a lady sits down to the pianoforte, some gentleman should attend her, arrange the music-stool, and turn over the leaves.
Meeting friends in a public promenade, you salute them the first time in passing, and not every time you meet.
Never tattle, nor repeat in one society any scandal or personal matter you hear in another. Give your own opinion of people, if you please, but never repeat that of others.
Meeting an acquaintance among strangers, in the street or a coffee-house, never address him by name. It is vulgar and annoying.”
In a Usenet newsgroup, I asked:
Is there a formula for discovering anagrams?
And received this answer from a very helpful reader:
Yes, much like how to carve an elephant from a block of marble
— By removing everything that doesn’t look like an elephant.
Which is to say …
1) Take the letters given and find what words can be made with them.
2) Pick each of those words (starting with the longest or the one with
the most annoying letters), and determine what letters remain.
3) Repeat steps 1 and 2 (recursion!) until the letters are used up.
As with the apparent ease of making awful pachydermal sculpture, there are
very, very many such combinations, and the vast majority of the resulting
anagrams is more boring than 8-bit techno music. The trick is in finding the
combinations that are funny or that look like Dumbo. To improve the chances,
I use a word list that has many phrases and popular cultural references. Some
software like William Tunstall-Pedoe’s Anagram Genius uses a more linguistic
or AI approach.
I found these instructions in a manual about a computer programming language. Perhaps because of wording like this there are not more programmers than there are:
Look at the first compare of the second group of compare statements. The expression “r != s” will evaluate as a “true” since “r” was set to 0.0 above, so the result will be a non-zero value, probably 1. Even though the two variables that are compared are “float” variables, the result will be of type “integer.” There is no explicit variable to which it will be assigned so the result of the compare is an implied integer. Finally the resulting number, 1 in this case, is assigned to the integer variable “x”. If double equal signs were used, the phantom value, namely 1, would be compared to the value of “x”, but since the single equal sign is used, the value 1 is simply assigned to “x”, as though the statement were not in parentheses. Finally, since the result of the assignment in the parentheses was non-zero, the entire expression is evaluated as “true”, and “z” is assigned the value of 1000. Thus we accomplished two things in this statement, we assigned “x” a new value, probably 1, and we assigned “z” the value of 1000. We covered a lot in this statement so you may wish to review it before going on. The important things to remember are the values that define “true” and “false”, and the fact that several things can be assigned in a conditional statement. The value assigned to “x” was probably a 1 but different compilers may assign a different value as long as it is non-zero.
Continuing on to the fourth example of the third group we find three assignment statements in the compare part of the “if” statement. If you understood the above discussion, you should have no difficulty understanding that the three variables are assigned their respective new values, and the result of all three are non-zero, leading to a resulting value of “TRUE.”
