Comments for The Word Detective

Comment on Glom by Dan Schwartz

Dan Schwartz — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 09:12:46 +0000

I’m not too surprised that the original questioner never encountered the word “glom”, as it seems to be used only in limited circumstances. I first heard the word when I worked for a time as a livery cab driver. To “glom” a trip had the very specific meaning of picking up a customer for a short trip and getting paid for it without reporting the trip to the dispatcher, thereby keeping the full fare, rather than just the percentage that you normally got. It was years before I heard the word in any context other than that, and I often wondered where it came from.

Comment on Haphazard. by Peter Nalder

Peter Nalder — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 07:26:19 +0000

May I add to your heaps on haps and hazards:

On the latter there is the shy phrase TO PUT(or SET)AT HAZARD; I say ’shy’ because it rarely shows its face nowadays. But I like it nonetheless.

And on the former, equally demure, there are HAPLESS and MAYHAP, and I particularly like the north England dialect form ‘APPEN as in “‘appen you’ll be at t’ pub tonight?”. Rising inflexion at the end rather then anything else establishes that it’s a question. Here HAPPEN is really ‘maybe’ but in my made-up question it becomes almost an auxiliary verb rather than adverb: It’s certainly not the verb ‘to happen’ in this context. Compare it with “Will you be …” or, to link it with its origin, “Is here a chance you’ll be …”

The charm of words enchants as ever.

Comment on Revamp by Dominick Bartosh

Dominick Bartosh — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:44:34 +0000

Nice one! If I could write like this I would be well chuffed. The more I see articles of such quality as this (which is rare), the more I think there might be a future for the Net. Keep it up, as it were.

Comment on Big Mahoff by Maria Leonard

Maria Leonard — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:18:48 +0000

The proper pronunciation of pavement in Philly is payment. We go to the denis for our teeth, play the pieano in the pallor and say zinc for sink. We never name our boys Otto because we can say it…..comes out Oddo. And yes we never go to the beach until we are down da shore where the ‘lantic Ocean is.

Comment on Runcible spoon by Spy Phone Guy

Spy Phone Guy — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:33:46 +0000

I just wanted to tell you how much I love your website! You rock.

Comment on Moolah. by james

james — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:24:04 +0000

Moolah is a coruption of the god Moloch. The hefty sacrifice of children to the fire. Just as holy moley is also a corruption of Moloch.

Comment on English (on a ball, etc.) by Alfredo Boeira

Alfredo Boeira — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:01:07 +0000

Are you sure that the French “billard” comes from “bille” (piece of wood) and not from “bille” (little ball)? Anyway, the French word for the cue stick is “queue” (tail). Would it be possible that cue derives from this last word? AGB

Comment on Polikens by admin

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:19:43 +0000

And it seems entirely possible that you’re right. It certainly does fit the sense of “polikens.” I doubt that we’ll ever be able to prove it’s the source, but it really strikes me as likely.

Comment on February 2010 Issue by Ron Furgerson

Ron Furgerson — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:58:33 +0000

Great article. I have an aversion to all cats, well — except the Kentucky Wild-Cats. I’m looking forward to receiving your monthly missives. <

Comment on Polikens by Simon

Simon — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:19:36 +0000

It seems likely to me that this is a corruption of “pot lickings”, used to refer to the small bits of food left over after preparation or serving of a dish. In other words, the stuff you feed the dog. It fits that same sense of salvaging something otherwise discarded.

Comment on Ketchup / Catsup by Craig Scheir

Craig Scheir — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:57:01 +0000

I’ve been to England and New Zealand with other Americans who have asked for ‘Ketchup’ in a restaurant only to receive something much like Bar-B-Que or steak sauce. Presumably to put on their ‘chips’ aka ‘fries.’ To get American ‘Ketchup’, one must order ‘tomato sauce.’ I don’t know what to ask for if you really want ‘tomato sauce’ – perhaps ask for Bar-B-Que sauce!

Comment on Hell in a Handbasket by joey

joey — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:25:41 +0000

hi folks,
you have a newsletter?
and also,can you help me with the following meaning…there’s a new england saying, “they have seen the elephants & heard the hooty owl.”
i welcome your help. if you answer it could you direct me.
thanks, joey messina

Comment on White Shoe Firm by Rough-shod: What Grandpa wore on Spring Street in the ’50’s … : EphBlog

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:03:08 +0000

[...] http://www.word-detective.com/2009/08/24/white-shoe-firm/ [...]

Comment on Caucus by alice in wonderland white

alice in wonderland white — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:57:22 +0000

I never thought Burton could make another film as hopelessly bland as Planet of the Apes but here it is. Save your money and either watch one of his early classics or simply watch the 1951 Disney classic again: It’s shorter, it’s funnier, and it’s infinitely trippier.

Comment on Ketchup / Catsup by Ray Tackett

Ray Tackett — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:28:00 +0000

The Chinese fish sauce sounds like what the Vietnamese call “Nuoc Mam”. In the mid-60s, the Nuoc Mam capital was Phan Thiet. There, they laid fish strips on bamboo racks and circulated boiling brine over the fish strips for several days.

The result smelled like last week’s socks and was extremely salty. It was so concentrated and “fragrant” that Air Vietnam would allow the stuff only in the cargo hold and in sealed, unbreakable containers.

Nuoc Mam was at least as ubiquitous as ketchup throughout the country. One could discern mealtimes in any village within 20 miles upwind.

For westerners, a half-liter bottle is a lifetime supply. A teaspoon of the stuff spread over a large steak is pretty good — once.

My buddies and I would mix it with most any C-ration meal in the hope of creating or disguising the basic Army flavor. Results varied according to individual taste, mostly bad.

You hear all this from an enthusiastic ketchup user.

Comment on Dicey by Nick Mitchell

Nick Mitchell — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:56:02 +0000

It is indeed to do with rolling dice and not the airfield near Aberdeen (which is spelt Dyce)

Comment on January 2010 Issue by Ron Furgerson

Ron Furgerson — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:28:30 +0000

Hi. I just found your site when Goggling “Oh my stars and garters,” which was an expression used by on of my favorite sports commentators, Tracee Hamilton, who writes for the Washington Post. (Please don’t mistake be for a wild-eyed liberal due to subscribing to that rag — but they do have outstanding sports coverage and by some weird circumstance carry George Will’s columns.) Anyway, I love your site and to back it up just shot in my $15.00 so I can be the beneficiary of all the bells and whistles that accompany and accrue to such donors. Sorry to read about your MS. My first wife had MS and I sympathize with your diagnosis. Blessings and best wishes. Ron <

Comment on Steady the Buffs by Tony

Tony — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:02:14 +0000

In the interwar years of boredom, young soldiers wanting a bit of excitement on a Saturday evening would shout, if they saw any Guardsmen in tne same pub or canteen,”Forward the Buffs and steady the Buffs ! and let the gentlemen of the Guards take a place of safety at the REAR!”
The resulting fight satisfied everyone. Have things really changed since then?