Word and Phrase Origins
Includes questions related to the origins and etymology of English words and phrases.
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Answers
Durkee Atwood
Ntembu
AquaRescue
IObsceneBarbie
Francepa
Edits
Lazarus
Peterc14
Durkee Atwood
Theprismgroup
On the Wallaby
Organization
Peterc14
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Adamlance
Notyouraveragedummy
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Dragonk
Maria Davies
Teppet
Sierra Marie Ciesielski
Marissa MurrayFrom Scottish Gaelic bun = bottom , rabbit's tail
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Maybe it originates in the Hebrew word LEV which means heart.
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two simple substance may chemically join to form one or more complex substances that are totally different from any two...
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The phrase refers to someone who does almost everything. This includes household duties, taking care of an invalid spouse,...
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Scribner's error is a minor error on a plat or a conveyance (deed).
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it means that it cannot be trusted
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According to the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary the word "bias" comes from the Middle French biais.Bias of Priene was said the...
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Latin "Vita" - life + "Amine" (which derives from amino acid)
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There are many myths that tell this story. Linguistically, however, the English word "sun" comes from Old English (Anglo-Saxon)...
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The name "David" is from the Hebrew word meaning "beloved."
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It is Latin for tenth month. Think "decimal". November means ninth month, and September means seventh month. October means eighth...
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Happiness (15th century) is a form of the Middle English word happy (14th century)
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Dank came from the dankest dank of the dank god. Which the dank god give dank to everyone. So everyone has dank and the dankest...
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you have to get her on her own. then say close your eyes, you have an eyelash. when she does kiss her. easy good luck.
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The word Banana, is translated from an African Language known as Wolof(Banaana), into potuguese and spanish. (Banana)
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a film , the pictures, cinema, biscope,
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The Latin root of "fidelity" is fides, trust, belief, faith.
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Reply has fewer meanings and is more limited to the idea of a response. Answer has more meanings; see...
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AMBIDEXTROUS That is the gift of being "ambidextrous". it's how they were born if you learn to write with the left hand it good...
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The word help originates from Old English helpan (verb), help (noun), of Germanic origin, related to Dutch helpen and German...
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Bad words are bad because it's an insult you say to people. Insults are like bad words, they hurt people and make them feel bad....
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Ethics came from the Greek word ethos: Ethos- from Greek. It was popularized by Aristotle and further developed by latter ...
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The phrase "arrayed like a flower" is from the Bible, Mattew 6:29, where Jesus was saying that even Solomon in all his glory (a...
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In the early days of newspapers, when newspapers were the primary method of delivering the news, when something big happened, the...
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It comes from ancient times when familys used to purchase burial plots for their family before they had even died. Someone...
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It comes from a book written by Dr. Deuss called 'If I ran the zoo'. A nerd was a ficticious creature in a ficticious zoo. See...
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This is a Chinese saying: yi shi er niao (一石二鳥)which literally translates to "one stone two birds". There is also another...
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Before the calendar reforms under various Roman Emperors November was the 9th month of the Roman Calendar thus its name which...
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The actual quote is "leave yourself an out". Which means that an alternative plan or options will be left available in order to...
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It is attributed to Sir Thomas More in 1534 in A drowning man will catch at straws meaning an act of desperation.
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In the Bible, there was a man named Peter who thought he was brave and would follow Christ to His death, but he ended up denying...
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People would be buried with a rope leading from inside the coffin to a bell above the ground. This enabled anyone who was buried...
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Prestige is a term pertaining to reputation or success, distinction and occasionally wealth, from a particular achievement or...
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"Madder than a wet hen" probably originated in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Supposedly, chickens get angry if they get...
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The term 'honeymoon' first originated in Babylon, about 4,000 years ago. Honeymoon came into use for the month after a wedding,...
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The expression goes back to the theater of Shakespeare's time, when men criticized the acting by making noises that sounded like...
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this is an auspicious occasion, we are very fortunate
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Nomads are people who move from place to place.
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A Pauper's grave is basically a cheap grave where poor people -commonly used in reference to musicians /artists who left this...
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The word "bar" is defined as:Something that obstructs or prevents passage, progress, or action as:a: the destruction of an action...
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Made means to have created something; it is the past tense of to make.It is also used in speech to indicate that something was...
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According to Dictionary.com, the term alludes to the Scottish riverside picnic called kettle of fish, where freshly caught salmon...
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Diddly Squat was born in a noisy inn on the outskirts of Philadelphia, at 3:00 PM on Thursday January 20th 1732. His mother was a...
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It means experiencing extreme joy. "Beside" was formerly (15th through 19th centuries) used in phrases to mean "out of a mental...
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Is it not from Little Orphan Annie?
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because it is the indefinite article (a) plus a noun (lot) - just the same as A man or A basketball. To write ALOT is a very,...
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Juliet from the play of Romeo and Juliet.
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When immigrants were coming to the United States many of them did not have proper paperwork, such as visas, passports etc. WOP...
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Vanilla comes from the Spanish word for "little pod" vainilla which in itself is a diminutive of the Spanish term vaina...
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The original, somewhat sexist meaning (from the 15th century) is that it was young ladies who should demonstrate their good...
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The exact origin of the phrase "knock on wood" is unknown, however many speculate that is could have come from rituals in early...
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The phrase "that sucks" comes from when it used to refer to when someone was saying someone "sucked dick", thus it has a most...
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The grave. Actually the English word, "grave" is the equivalent of the Hebrew and Greek words "Hades" and "Sheol," which means...
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All 'bad' things come with some 'good' attached to them. Out of every problem we face we can gain some advantage. The expression...
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You should not make derogatory comments in public or private.
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A center for education and information. Have beautiful prayer mats. Have elaborate domes and minarets and prayer halls.
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when you are hypnotized or you are loving something very much. unless you want to get technical it...
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blew me away means that something really surprised you
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It is derived from the Guugu Yimidhirr word "gangurru" refaring to the grey kangaroo. Sir Joseph Banks, botanist on James Cook's...
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The word comes from the Arabic 'Banan' which means 'finger'. It is thought that Linneus named the Genus in 1750 by by using this...
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It means to basicly take it easy.Don't let life's bad times get you down.Relax,pull yourself up,and keep plugging along.
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I'm not sure how its spelled (felissimo, felicimo, etc) but I believe it means happy or happiness (in Italian or Spanish). I know...
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English is a Germanic language and derived from the same sources as Dutch and German. Greek is a language isolate distantly...
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Kwanzaa comes from a Swahili phrase 'matunda ya kwanza'. An additional 'a' was added to Kwanza so the word would have the same...
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La Chaim is Hebrew for "To Life." It is generally used as a toast, especially in regards to the Jewish New Year Rosh Hashana.
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Bob did not anticipate the baseball flying towards his head during the game.Marketing analysts learn to anticipate seasonal...
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all work and no play It's all in a day's work It's great work if you can get it Get to work! work around the clock work like a...
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Kiri. (Pronounced, for all intents and purposes, like "key" and "ree" like in 'reed.')
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The word "telephone" is based on the Greek words for "distance" and "sound."
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Maritime captains of ships invite persons knocking on their door to enter by saying in a loud, commanding voice,"Come". If the...
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Firstly it is QUIET as a church mouse and plus this isn't actually a question but just five words witha question mark at the end.
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The phrase suggests that one has reached or exceeded ones defined boundaries.This evolved from the phrase "at the end of tether"....
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lunacy - insanity lunambulism - sleep walking or walking by moonlight Lunaria - small genus of European herbs: honesty ...
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This is a matter of personal preference. Tea comes in many different styles, including white tea, green tea, black tea, oolong...
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because they dont want to say 'christ' sake.. their 'lords' name...so out of respect they say 'petes' instead...as in St. Peter's
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I understood the term to be rhyming slang for 'For Free', origin un-known. I understood the term to be rhyming slang for 'For...
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First used in 1618, from Italian; balcone, from balco "scaffold," from Langobardic *balko- "beam" (cf. Old English balca "beam,...
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"Giving back to the community" has become a guiding creed for many people.
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From the medieval Latin word, "diamas" (which came from an even older word meaning "adamant.")
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Windfall. Originates from law that allowed the collection of wood and fruit that had been blown down resulting in a free supply...
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i means to look below the belt and to find that your dick is hanging out
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It could mean subtly different things in different contexts. Either it means that the person talks convincingly, and may even...
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bi means 2 and cycle, cyclic means something that turns, rotates. Two spinning wheels, that's a bicycle.
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To behave in as cunning, crafty or devious manner as the wily gooseberry.
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The word taco comes from the Spanish word, wad or plug. this word is referring to the wad that goes into a musket. Another...
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Germanic, Romance, Slavic, and Greek
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The word street has its origins in the Latin strata (meaning "paved road"), thus is related to stratum and stratification.
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