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Interesting Etymologies

Recommended post : 【English】 English Word Index


Ballon d’or

⑴ ballon means dance, like ballet


bank : bank

⑴ bank comes from the Italian word for table or dam

⑵ In medieval Europe, as commerce developed, the meaning of table evolved into bank

⑶ Bankruptcy means a rotten table and eventually evolved to mean bankruptcy


bogus : fake

⑴ There was a machine called ‘bogus’ used to make counterfeit bills


bootleg : illegal, pirate’s

⑴ Smugglers used to hide illegal bottles in their boots, hence the origin


browbeat : to intimidate, threaten

⑴ To win by using one’s eyebrows


catfish

⑴ Because a catfish’s whiskers resemble a cat’s whiskers


egg plant

⑴ The eggplant in the 1700s was yellow, so it really looked like Egg


gibberish : nonsense

⑴ Originates from Jabir, an 8th-century alchemist


jolly roger : pirate flag**

⑴ Comes from the French “joli rouge” (very red)

⑵ Ironically, early pirate flags were red, not black, to emphasize their fierceness


lunatic : crazy

⑴ Derives from the idea that a werewolf goes mad when it sees the moon


mentor : mentor

⑴ The word mentor originates from the name of Odysseus’s faithful adviser in “The Odyssey”


Netherlands

⑴ From “northern” + “land”


nanon

⑴ Comes from the ancient Greek word “nanos,” meaning dwarf


quarantine : to isolate

⑴ According to history, ships were quarantined for about 40 days due to wars

⑵ In Spanish, “cuarenta” means 40


quisling : traitor

⑴ Derived from Vidkun Quisling, a Norwegian politician who collaborated with Nazi Germany to establish a puppet government in 1940


rivetting

⑴ Comes from the word “rivet”

⑵ Signifies capturing one’s attention


thin-skinned

⑴ Sensitive

⑵ Implies not having thick skin


white : white

⑴ a son of a white hen : a lucky person

⑵ in black and white : in black and white terms, dichotomously

⑶ white-collar : pertaining to office workers

⑷ white elephant : a costly and burdensome possession

⑸ white lie : an innocuous lie

⑹ white war : a nonviolent conflict (such as an economic war using unfair means)


It rains cats and dogs : It’s raining heavily

⑴ The exact origin of this phrase is unknown

Explanation 1: Dogs and cats are commonly found on roofs, so when it rains heavily, they may slip and fall, which might have led to the saying


Learning English Words Through Brands

⑴ Sequaran (circulation medicine) : derives from “circulate”

⑵ Elastin (shampoo) : comes from “elastin”

⑶ Jingcomin (circulation medicine) : comes from “ginkgo”

⑷ I envy you (clothing brand) : translates to “I envy you”

⑸ Nike (sporting goods) : named after the Greek goddess of victory

⑹ Sprite (beverage) : named after water sprites

⑺ Vogue (British fashion magazine) : means fashion or style



Input : 2021.03.12 21:58

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