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
⑵ 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