ROMANCE OF COMMON WORDS

Otago Witness, Issue 3430, 9 December 1919, Page 46

ROMANCE OF COMMON WORDS

CURIOUS ORIGINS AND INSTANCES.

We are mos'l of us interested in hearing odd and unfamiliar usages of speech or any novel words or phrases which strike our imaginations as being humorous, " quaint," or amusing. Yet few people, apart from the scholarly class, are much given to reflecting on the curious origins and often remote derivations of the jnost common slang phrases and the most ordinary words in frequent use amongst us. .When baby first begins to talk it generally proves entbrallingly interesting to the pfoua parents and others to <hear him mouth such simple labial sounds as "papa" and "mamma."' These simple words show us the common origin from which spring the words denoting parenthood in all the languages of the world. The words for " faEher " and " mother ** are indeed remarkably alike amongst all nations, in the ancient and modern dialects. The most ancient form is probably to be found in the Hebrew " ab ba"—father; "ba ba" you will note is merely an inversion. In Canskrit, mother was "matara," in Latin "mater," in Persian ".mader," old English " moder " ; while the French "mere," " mama-n," .and our modern "mama" are all similar forms. The word for father shows the same similarity, except that among the natives of West Australia it is " mamman," mother being " oongan." * Swank and Spank.— Amongst the words which have been most used, misused, and over-used in recent decades are the-banal " swank" and "absolutely." Compared with "swank," the adverb "absolutely" is quite respectable, for it is in the dictionary, while " swank " is not. It has a classic origin in the Latin "absolute" (ab, from, and solvere, to loosen), and meant originally to be without limits, or perfectly fiee" So when we say that a thing is " absolutelv great" or "absolutely rotten,"' we have pit, after all, got so very far away from its correct meaning, though its constant use is senseless and irritating. " Swank " is a word more difficult to

aown as a pxiblic schoolboy phrase, mean\g to work hard or over-much, in the ,ame sense as "swot." Both these usages were probably derived from the old Saxon word to 'swink," to labour or toil. In its modern slang sense "swank" is probably derived from the old. Scandinavian word "swagger," to sway or walk with a swinging, strutting motion, and the old Saxon ..word "prank," meaning to deck out, to adorn, or make a big display. "Spank" is, another word which has arrived at. a doubtful currency amongst some folks in recent decades. In its punitive domestic sense the word arouses painful recollections of childhood's days, and it is interesting to. recall its use, as long ago as 1869, by L. M. Alcott in her popular book, " Little Women," in the senteiice, " Meg led her son" away, feeling, a strong desire to spank the little marplot." Where "Flapper" Comes From.— . Two very popular and quite pleasantly used words during recent years in "society," as well as in middle-class circles, have been " flapper," as applied to girls of the long-legged, short-skirted type with their hair tied in a long plait at the back, and "topping," used as an adjective of praise in a good many senses. "Flapper," however, in its present sense has undergone a considerable improvement as to its meaning and application. Originally, in its much earlier and now almost forgotten usage it meant a young street girl of the lowest class who had taken to evil courses of life at an earlier age than usual. It is also given in an old dictionary as meaning "a small girl; a fledgling or wild duck." "Topping" is university slang, pure and simple. Its earliest use was amongst the" Oxford and Cambridge undergraduates, and its earliest appearance in print is in Arthur Hugh Clough's book, "ToberUa, Vuolich," in which one of the characters says of another that he was "shady in Latin but ' topping' in Plays "—meaning the Greek dramatists. " Top-hole," in golfer's parlance, is often used in the same sense as " topping." Link, by the way, as applied to golf links, is from the old Saxon word " hlinc," meaning a ledge or narrow bounding space like the " seashore." Yankee.— During the last few years we have had reason to bless the Americans for their assistance in "squaring accounts" with the Kaiser, and the popular song, "The Yanks are Coming" ("Over has passed into history. Yet few know the origin of the word "Yankee." In -Gordon's history of the American War of Independence (1789) occurs the following : '' You may wish to know the origin of the word Yankee. ... It was a cant favourite word with Farmer Jonathan Hastings about the year 1713. The inventor used it to express excellency. A Yankee good horse, a Yankee cider, and the like, were an excellent horse and an excellent cider." Later on, the British troops in the War of Independence used it as a term of reproach against the New England' farmers, who proved themselves such doughty fighters. Another word wtih American associations is " skyscraper," as applied to a tall, many-storeyed building. Originally the term was only used among seamen, meaning " the small triangular sail set above the royals," or " a sky sail." Sir Walter Scott uses it in "Guy Mannering" in the sentence: "Bun out the bolt-sprit . . . top-gallant sails, royals, and skyscrapers, and away—follow who can!" The Flu.— The word "flue," or flu," meaning the dreaded influenza, has a doleful significance for us nowadays. Neither the word nor the disease can be called new; and the old Scottish chronic'er, Bower, in the year 1420 mentions that large numbers of people died of a disease described as "that ■^s Jem l± J^Jt ,>, C T-»l-„- r,nt. Qplv great men, but

innumerable quantity of the commonality, perished; and which was vulgarly termed the 'quhew.'" Now ."quh" in the old Scottish usage represents the sound of "wh" (aspirated properly), therefore it seems that in the fifteenth century the influenza was known as the "whew," just as in the twentieth it is called the "flu." Words that have undergone a remarkable change of meaning with the passage of the centuries are "pretty" and "nice." Both these words meant originally almost exactly the reverse of their present definitions, "Pretty" comes from the old French word proud or "prud." In old Saxon the word became "prut"—magnifi-. cent, eplendid, vain, insolent. From this came "prit" or " pritte," meaning almost the"same; till at length it came to signify handsome, bold, or fine; * finally, after many gradations, reaching its present usual sense as a personal adjective of girlish and effeminate significance. "Nice," which comes from a French source, at first meant foolish, absurd, ridiculous; then in course of time it came to signify wanton, whimsical, fantastic ; then delicate and subtle, till finally it was used to denote any specially pleasant quality. Wedlock. — "Wedlock " is another word which has lost some of its original meaning. It comes • from a similar Saxon source as "brydlac." Young people nowadays look upon marriage as a rather serious and solemn undertaking. It was a jovial festival with our forefathers apparently; for the Saxon terminal "lac" meant or sport; and the word is still used in this sense in parts of Yorkshire and Cumberland. Moreover, the Saxon word "bridal", is derived from the two old words "bryd," a bride, and "ealo," ale; so that it really means " the festive drinking in honour of the bride." "Bamboozle," meaning to swindle or hoax, is a term we still hear very frequently. It is at least 200 years old; for Dean Swift, writing on contemporary manners, speaks of "certain words such as banter and bamboozle now struggling for the vogue." We are all aware that names of persons and tilings change their spelling and pronunciation as the centuries pass. We don't really know, "for instance, whether Sir Walter Raleigh pronounced his name "Rawleigh" or simply "Rally." But there is one great name which has never changed, and that, is Smith. The word originally meant a handicraftsman who made things by beating, welding, or smiting. It occurs in the oldest writings in the language, its exact origin as to race and period being lost in the mists of antiquity. As applied to trades we have retained such forms as "locksmith" and "blacksmith," but have lost such interesting usages as "loresmith," a teacher, or "laughtersmith," a mirthmaker or comedian. "Wigsmith" was a very singular form of the word, meaning not a maker of wigs as we might imagine. but a warrior bold (from the Icelandic "vigr," meaning "fit for war"). Beanfeast. —

We often hear people speak of "having a 'beanfeast'" when they have had a merry time, especially in the way of eating and drinking. The origin of this phrase seems to be altogether obscure. Some writers would derive it from the French "bien," good, "a good feast"; others favour its derivation from the Engisb "bene," a benefit. Perhaps its most iikelv origin is to be "found in the substantial breakfasts and other meals at which-the Americans were,wont to partake of broad beans, baked beans, and other similar dishes. On the other hand, it is known that the London tailors in the old days were accustomed to call all their festive gatherings beanfeasts, or what the modern Cockney would describe, in the singular, as a "beano." A phrase we see much of in the newspapers nowadays is " Sinn Fein," two

words from the Ersa or ancient Irishj meaning, it is stated, "for ourselves.' Whether this means that those who compose the now predominating party in Ireland are fighting for Ireland entirely or themselves only is not as yet clear. —"Demobbed" and "Cushy."—

We have recently had a good instance of the birth of a word before the_ public eye in "demobbed," its mother being the ordinary official term "demobilised,' and its father some ingenious Tommy or fertile-brained newspaper man. "Demobbed " has come before us often of late as a thriving youngster, but is not likely to survive, perhaps, as 0 long as the favourite word "couche," or "cushy," from the French word "coucher," to lie down, repose, or have an easy time generally—very popular among our hard-work-ing and 'hard-fighting soldiers while they were enduring the hardships of the trenches in France and Flanders.

To conclude, it mav be mentioned that the popular farewell cry of " Good-bye-ee," from the music-hall son?, ie an interesting reversion to the older compound, " God-be-with-you." This developed into "God-be-wi-ye," the final "e" sound being dropped when it was contracted into its present form as a single word "Good-bye."—F. T. H. T.