Comments on: filter (n.) - c.1400, from M.L. filtrum

filter (n.) - c.1400, from M.L. filtrum

Ufez Jones — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 08:03:27 -0800

The Online Etymology Dictionary. I'll be spending most of my day here.

By: four panels

four panels — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 08:04:51 -0800

ETYMOLOGY Fr-Fu fracas - 1727, from Fr. fracas, from It. fracasso "uproar, crash," from fracassare "to ...

By: languagehat

languagehat — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 08:06:13 -0800

Needless to say, I've been spending part of my days there for a long time now. A great resource. (Don't know why I never thought of posting it here; guess I didn't think MeFites were interested in etymology. Well, we'll find out now.)

By: vraxoin

vraxoin — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 08:17:05 -0800

languagehat, methinks you should post more often, if you've got more gems like this up your linguistic sleeve. Thanks for the great post, Ufez Jones!

By: madamjujujive

madamjujujive — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 08:19:32 -0800

Jones: for the surname, see John. In phrase keep up with the Joneses, 1913, Amer.Eng., from the title of a comic strip by Arthur R. Momand. The slang sense "intense desire, addiction" probably from earlier use of Jones as a synonym for "heroin," presumably from the proper name, but the connection, if any, is obscure. Great reference & a fun toy - thanks! madam: 13c., from O.Fr. ma dame, lit. "my lady." Meaning "female owner or manager of a brothel" is first attested 1871. Juju: closest entry was jujube: jujube - 14c., from M.L. jujuba (pl.), from L. zizyphum, an Asiatic tree with datelike fruit, from Gk. zizyphon, from Pers. zayzafun. The meaning "soft candy with date-like flavor" first recorded 1835. Jive: 1928, "to deceive playfully," Amer.Eng., from Black English, probably of African origin (cf. Wolof jev, jeu "talk about someone absent, especially in a disparaging manner"). Used late 1930s for a style of fast, lively jazz and dance music and for New York City African-American slang.

By: gleuschk

gleuschk — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 08:20:55 -0800

Sweet.

By: soyjoy

soyjoy — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 08:53:57 -0800

Here's a vote for Mefites being interested in etymology. Thanks, Ufez.

By: 111

111 — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 09:03:16 -0800

excellent - c.1340 (implied in excellently), from O.Fr. excellent, from L. excellentem (nom. excellens), prp. of excellere (see excel). First record of excellency "high rank" is c.1200; as a title of honor it dates from c.1325 post (3) - "mail system," 1506, from post (2) on notion of riders and horses posted at intervals along a route to speed mail in relays. Postage "cost of sending something by mail" is from 1654; postmark is 1678; postage stamp is 1840; postman first recorded 1529; postcard is from 1870 I love the Internet.

By: quonsar

quonsar — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 09:28:58 -0800

heh. juju is a fruity, lying whore! kidding, dear, just kidding. no wait! really! OUCH!

By: seanyboy

seanyboy — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 09:31:02 -0800

Dude! Like they know the origin of every word.

By: iconomy

iconomy — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 09:36:26 -0800

Funky also was used early 20c. Thanks, Ufez Jones. That settles a bet and my pockets will be lined with silver later today. I'm rich, rich, I tell you! Only yesterday I almost broke up with MetaFilter, and today is one of the kick-assiest (look it up) link days ever.

By: CunningLinguist

CunningLinguist — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 09:54:49 -0800

Does anyone know where "grassroots" came from? It's not in there.

By: BirdD0g

BirdD0g — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 10:06:44 -0800

reefer - "marijuana cigarette," 1920s, perhaps an alteration of Mex.Sp. grifo "marijuana, drug addict;" or perhaps from reef (2), on resemblance to a rolled sail

By: BirdD0g

BirdD0g — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 10:41:12 -0800

Holy shit! This website rocks! Shat is a humorous past tense form, not etymological, from 18c. Shit-faced "drunk" is 1960s student slang; shit list is from 1942. Rock 'n' roll (n.) as a specific style is from 1954, though it had been a Black Eng. euphemism for "sexual intercourse," used in popular dance music lyrics since at least the 1930s. Shortened form rock first attested 1957. And I never knew this... Flying fuck originally meant "have sex on horseback" and is first attested c.1800 in broadside ballad "New Feats of Horsemanship."

By: soyjoy

soyjoy — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 11:04:02 -0800

on resemblance to a rolled sail Yeah, that might be part of it... considering that those rolled sails were made of... canvas - 1260, from Anglo-Fr. canevaz, from O.Fr. canevas, from V.L. *cannapaceus "made of hemp," from L. cannabis, from Gk. kannabis "hemp," a Scythian or Thracian word. I know, I know, none of you give a sex-on-horseback about this.

By: iconomy

iconomy — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 11:11:52 -0800

Flying fuck originally meant "have sex on horseback" I wonder if there was a 100th of a Mile High Club.

By: quonsar

quonsar — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 14:11:42 -0800

now we know why so few people actually give a sex on horseback.

By: jlbartosa

jlbartosa — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 14:39:19 -0800

Just wanted to add my vote. Great post.

By: vers

vers — Fri, 18 Jul 2003 17:45:52 -0800

gives thanks to [another heroin addict] Ufez. I did spend my day on that site. No, really, I did. This is a vote, with two thumbs up. (sorry - joke to self).